The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-05-06 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL TEMPERANCE
LE AGUE.

The annual meeting of the League was held on
Monday evening at Eseter-hall, Strand, London;
Mr. Edward Baines, M. P., presiding. The attendance
%MP, as usual, very large, the hall being quite filled
long before the business of the evening commenced.
Among those on the platform were Rev. Lord
Wriothealey Russell, Major-Ge„peral H. Eawiley
Wilmot, Rear-Admiral W. King Hall, Mr. S Gurney,
Mr. George Cruikshank, Rev. Hugh II uleatt (Chaplain
of the Forces, Woolwich), and a number of soldiers
from Aldersbott, Woolwich, Portsmouth, Gravesend,
Brighton, Dover, Winchester, and other places.
. . . . _

Lori Wriothealey Ruasell having offered up prayer,
an abstract of the annual report was read by /dr. R..
Rae, secretary, stating that special public meetings had
been held in London and in a number of provincial
towns, and • conference of working men had been held
at the Agricultural Hall to receive information re-
specting drinking usages in workshops. An extensive
system of school visitation had been carried on, and
lectures had been delivered to bays in military and
naval schools at Chelsea and Greenwich, as well as at
other public institutions. A circular had been sent to
every regiment in Her Majesty's Service, and returns
had been received from 98 regiments, giving the names
of 3,395 soldiers who are teetotallers, in addition to 1,070
children connected with the Army Bands of Hope. A
Temperance Society had been formed in connection with
the Royal Navy; and a large nurnbirof tracts had been
distributed among soldiers and sailors. The missionary
to seamen had paid 5,263 visits to vessels in the port of
London, and had visited 196 families of seamen.
Nineteen working-class meetings had been held at the
Lambeth Baths and 20 at Burdett-hall, Litnehouse ;
numerous meetings had been held at Sailors' Homes,
Reformatories, Servants' Homes, and similar institm
tions ' • and upwards of 2,100 lectures and addresses had
been ilelivcrsd by the League's agents and honorary
deputations. Sermons had been t reached at West-
mister Abbey and the Metropolitan Tabernacle, and
other places of worship ; the Crystal Palace Fete had
been attended by 50,016 persons; a lar,te New Year's
inseting had been held in Exeter-hall, and one in the
Duke of Wellington's Riding School, Kninhtsbridge.
The report expressed a rpialitied approval of the Govern-
ment Licensing Bill, and recommended temperance re-
f irmers to overlook minor difference of opinion' and to
"unite inn vigorous effort to aid the Governmentin pass.
ing a measure that, notwithstanding numerous defects,
must beiegarded as a bold and comprehensive attempt to
remove many of the more pressing evils of the liquor
traffic" ;" the committee at the same time urging their
friends not to be "drawn aside by any passing events
or public movements, however attractive or popular,
from prosecuting the great work of convincing the com-
munity that alcbolic drinks are it themselves injarions,
whether taken in large quantities or in small—in the
drawing-renns of the wealthy or in the cottages of the
poor—and that total abstinence is the only complete
and efficient remedy for our national intemperance,"
The treasurer's statement showed that the total re-
ceipts of the year amnunted to 23 850 3s. 2 1., inclu ling
£1,421 7s. 76. from sube:criptiotus and donations.
Tie chairman and other gentlemen then addressed the
meeting, hut no reiolutions were proposed except one
of thanks to the chairman, which clo.ed the proceeds
lags.