The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-05-12 00:00:00

GREAT TEMPERANCE__NEETINO AT THE CORN

EXCHANOF.

.tI.I.RICA., BY THIT BIM M. HAT AITKEN,

One .1 the largest audiencen ever gathered together
for the furtherance .1 temperance. principle.. ais.riutileil
in the Corn Exchange n Eridey evening. The large
hall was literally crammed, even the gallery being
filled. The Rev. H. Everett occupied the chair, and
lin the platform were the Revs. M. Hay Aitken, T. W,
1 li:nitre, H. l'elhasis Stoke*, T. Neave, C. F. Powys,
Churchill, Col. MarahaU, and MM. Everett. The
great attraction was of course the prathieed eddies."
, by the well-known mission preacher. Mr. Aitken.
A hymn having been sung (Mrs. Kingdon 'emending
at the harmonium) and prayer offend by the Rev. T.
W, Knipe.
The Cnatawee ilidivenel a abort address. In
intro-
ducing Mr. Aitken he asked himself did he need any
introduction to the Issiple f the good old town of Dom
cheeter! (Applause). He hoped he was not exagger-
ating, for he believed he was speaking almeet within
his ewn pereinal knowledge when he said there were
hundre.b.l pee. de in this town and neighbourhood who
were able to thank I :0.1 for the results of the mission
held in the town last year --(appleuss)--and he
believed many .1 them felt he hivei they would feel
it Per yearsi that they owed a deep debt of gratitude
to that great mieition preacher whor thoughtful, kind,
loving, fervid metronome, had heen sisiken by him ti
(hen.. (Applailiie.l Now, it had been thought
good, and it had ale. been thought to be thoroughly
in harmony with the spirit .1 the present mission,
that at the cleee .4 Mr. Aitken's second short visit to
them, they ehould have this temperance meeting, and
to elicit from him a temperance address. (Heer,
hear.) He would Amy, and he though many would
agree with him, that of late years the temperance
question had been placed upon a higher and better
platform altogether. (Hear, hear.) It had now become
really and more and more a thoroughly religious
queetion. I Appian.. I He WOUld *ay, as he firmly
believed, no line with the Word ef 0.4 it. Isis hand,
and the lost-if God in his heart, could mer witness
and reali..e Ili.• awful , poverty, squalor, and
ne,ral .4nd physical degrallation, and the destruction
.1 the livee and mails .1 thotteande in our land-no
he niainteined, could ever witness that without
having an earnest desire to cle eimethiug, though it
might he hut a vary little, to break through the
terrible drinking custom,s which had been engrained
in our national life, and to try and thwart in some
way that which had unluckily become our national
vice. (Hear, hear.) Only let them never be content
with more talking, hut let them try and carry their
wishes into action, for they knew just as well as he
did that the prevalence of vier Was not owing no much
to the wickedneea of the few as to the apathy, the
mildne., and the indifference"( the many. (Applause.)
Before lie concluded he would merely beg of them ever
and al ways rel....either the vast, the awfuLand terrible
differeuec between the. words -" Inasmuch as ye did
it .04, depart from me,' and " Well done, for theu
beet been faithful in few things. - (Appleuse.)
Before Mr. Aitken centmenced his address, Mrs.
Evotteer propeeed a vote of thank. ti the rev, gentle-
man lin anticipation). Far was it fmna her now to
Kay on.• word mein the CTIII4O of total abstinence
..e- temperanme but she hoped and trusted
, Mr. Aitken would he enabled bi persuade some
them in that lad audience t., laconic
litheurere ii, this calLse—(hear, hear) - for ahe was
*eery t.i say in Dorchester, altheugh they ceuld gat
up a very entheenaetic meeting. like that, when it
cantoto organieing. working, v 'ng, she regretted
to say ii, Prery single la eiety the whole work devolved
upon a very lintittel few. Now if Mr. Aitken mitild
penman.. some f them - she only wished they could
gut a quarter .if those present --(laughter) - to come
(meani they would indeed have had a most happy
meeting that night. (Applatee... She Ulla sure Mr.
Chairmen would agree with her (for she must nit
ignore hint altogether)---41.1m1 laughter) -and Mr.
.tit ken and milers Wolild agree with her, that them
arrl• large mindere of neon and women availing in "ear
hack streets to be helped and to have a helping hand
I. lift them tip. inn tbere they remained for want of
labourer, in the vineyard. She therefore eaniestly
le'ls".l, if nothing else y. ere clone. that meeting would
be the means if getting mote on to isinie out
and help lift tip those ;emir wretched men and women
who had fallen into this degradation and sm. She
expressed sincere thanks for the mi.ion mervicee held
last year end this year. She was perfectly certain
she WIWI speaking from many a heart there that night
when she saint dry (and herself amongst the number)
tenderen Mr. .titkeil their most sincere thanks for
having led then. under I;od, to rest their h arts twin
Him who alone !satisfied -the Lend Jesus Christ.
I Aptilause.)
Another hytnn having Is•en sung, the Rev. M.
Hi, AITKEN delivered a long end telling address-a
bospr,se, addre. in every *ruse of the word, and
one whiel, should serve as a pattern 1., many
work.... 11l tbiPl great Millie. Mr. Aitken ixwaealwa
a ..eliseit tiusliuli4i Shich few who have heard his
impaesi ~,,, addresses ie., the keleit have given him
credit for. Hie tomers rlieterie ace mervellous,
and it is t., Is- regretted the rev. gentleman duce not
devote. more .4 los undoubted ability to the cause, for
1,, dieerves t.. rank it. the front rank .1 temperance
orators, even With the 'Wilberforce. and Lan-sons, by
reaein of his extraonlinary power to deal with this
national evil. Utterly devoid of peremel shoe., the
address Was characteneed by an argumentative force
and a feeling that earned conviction with it. lie com-
menced with a few remarks on the practical meths of
the mi.ion just aencluderdif n answer to some who were
looking about to prove theirloye totbe llaster. here was a
pneitical way in which they might employ those new-.
Isirn energies which (hod had created in the hurts of
•of then.. Here wae a thing they could all do.
A monstrous evil rests upon our fair land ; moment
..... neatt men and wonieli Were perishing berly and
eon' under the drink curee. It was ne use their
denying it. It wes a plain fact, and if Christians
would only open their eyes the difficulty would be not
to find what work to do, but to find time to Lame with
the werk that Was to he done. If they only kept
their eyes"pen and their heerts right with God, and
really preeented their loonies lA, Rim a living ~aerifiee,
he was very certain they would never find a difficulty
in discovering work to do. They might unit all be
able to get up in the puhit, or give much time to
district visiting, or to Sunday School work, but here
was a very small thing they could all do. and by this
very small thing they could all, so far as in them lay,
discourage these drinking customs which were leading
to the destruction body and soul, As far as they could
judge, of tens .4 thousands of their fellow creatures
every year they lived. It might seem a very antall
thing to come forward and sign the temperance
Pledge, but though a small thing, if everybody did it,
then clearly they would have the drink scourge cast
out of the world to-morrow. (Applause.) What did
this great evil spring front ! Was It from the drink !
from the abuse of drink? from the fact large numbers
took more than was good for them? That was the
immediate cause, no doubt, hut what was that CSUKe
attributable to? Suppose there was no moderate
drinking, it was perfectly certain there could be no
excessive drinking. It was obvious where the custom'
.1 drinking was discontinued, there would be
n.. longer any necessity for the existence of
the drinking shop.: but inasmuch as the
immense majority insisted upen maintaining these
temptation., to leng of necessity would tens if thou-
gentle of persons be -Lulled dewn to destruction every
year they lived. The sin of intemperance differed from
other sins, and stood upon a different footing than most
other sine. Other sins sprang from their natural pro-
pensities unduly developed, and improperly checked
and curbed: but the drinking temptetion et...external,
and did not spring from the condition of their hearts.
It was dependent upon the industry with which they
called into existence. and manufactured for their own
wee, certain artificial substances which created these
deleterious effects upon the understanding and the
lives et nsen. (Hear, hear.) It wes true then- was
the sin of gluttony, %%hick cc mainly dependent upon
their eating too much, hut then: wee this difference,
they actually could not hive without rating. (I,aughtet.)
But they could live without drinking these artificiel
drinks. Their reverend Chairman, Ins good wife, not
a few behind hint, and his ..wri humble self, all found
they actually could live without the drink. Over and
over again they heard the newt monetreue twaddle
and talk about this subject, as if the drink
temptation were on thesame level seamy other tempta•
tion. For exemple, the beef-steak argument, which
M. had heard tiff he had become tired of beef-steaks,
Althougl, tema, very fond if then'. The speaker nar-
rated a curious anacttoteilleetrating the application ef
this argument by a certain 'tild genelen.ar., a friend ..f
his, who had declined to give up hie 014 Leines in tl t
, ground that it was as absurd ae to ask him to give tip
...Lief, because an aged likely had died literally (nen
eating Neva tied beans. Wag a man such an ignore- 1
nem soda, ignorant of the laws if hi, ovrn stomach,
that be did not know when he had had enough! One
et the very worst things for taking away one's appe-
tite Was • geed meal of beef-steak ; it had
a teisihle effect upon the appetite, which
eensibly dinenieted the more they ate, and
he should tbit'k beans and bacon had very
much the same effect. )laugater ) But the
difference wadi the more the' drank the teem'
they were prepared to drink- the more they dranKthe
weaker boanue their reason, and therefore the
capacity they bad for checking themselves. When a
Hall took a single glass, be being a little addicted t..
it. perhaps he had sufficient will power left to deter-
mine te take no inure of his 4,lrn will, but lit an
amptaintance Conte iii and cast a little more
influence int. the wrong scale, away teem (het extra
will power, and he took the sticend glass. 'thus ley
drink there were two effects produced -in the firma '
place, the desire to take more Was increased, and the :
restraining influence was diminished. Was that the
vase with haws and bacon! (Laughter.) If he took
yni atrVe, wax his desire to take more incresaetd,
et was hie capacity ea, judge whether he had had
.enougla diminished ! (lAueikt ) Wt., then, was
,
the its.. .1 talking such miense ! The drinking
evil, thee being AU evil, it vaii thee