The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-03-14 00:00:00

_CLOSING. PUBLIC•IIOU.S&S. ON SUNDAY.

The association to promote the closing of public-houses
on Sunday, held a meeting of those favourably disposed
to their object in Weymouth. The Melcombe Regis
National Schoolroom was nearly filled, there being only
room in the wing. There were on the platform—The Rev.
T. A. Greaves (Rector) in the chair, Rev. W. Mottram
(hielkshiun), Rev. E. Bolton (Gloucester-street), Rev. T.
A. Falkner, Dr. Lush, Mr. IL Ceskell, and Mr. F... Whit-
well.
The Rev. T. FALKNER offered prayer.
The Kw-roe. sail he was glad. to Kamer there again
amongst them, on the first time after his return,
upon a subject of such great importance anal deep interest
as that which had gathered them together that-night The
question was at once a temperance question and a
Sabbath question ; it was a temperance question, and
that of the very largest character—(hoar, hear)—multi-
tudes who were not total abstainers, and who had no
.yoipat.hy whatexer with the Permissive Bill, could see
their way plainly to unite together to save the day
altogether from the fearful profanation which had come
upon it from the sale of intoxicating drinks. And no
total abstainer but must rejoice in this movement, and
feel that if we could succeed in stopping the aslo of liquors
on the Sabbath,it would tee& triumph of great and glorious
principles. No friend of the Permissive Bill but must
rejoice, and unite heart and hand in this movement
(hoar). For his own part it had been a matter of surprise
that philanthropists of various sects and parties had not
united to obtain this earnest of good things to come. NVe
often attempt too much, as philanthropists and Christian
workers, our work is too much like that of the tide,
which is apt to retire in some degree, and not to return
to cover as large an area as before. We have often to be
content if we obtain a small residuum of result after years
of toiling, and seeking seine wider and larger object
if we can obtain only the few practical and practic-
able points which we inlght perhaps have attained
earlier, if we had been contenthumbly to concentrate our
efforts on those few practical and practicable points. This
sale of intoxicating liquors on the Lard's day was just one
of those advanced works of Satan's fortress; in this land
which must be stormed before we can make any impres-
sion on these customs, these drinking customs, which we
so much deplore. But he wished to approach this question
more as a Sabbath question than any other. Of all the
desecrations of the Sabbath day, the most fearful unques-
tionably is that connected with this subject —fhear). He
believed that all other ways of Sabbath desecration are
literally as nothing compared with this. What a strange,
unjust, and anomalous thinnget If hewahmoleansys.teammaist:
openenres
we have trade singled out by the law of the land, a
batuutcpihdeorTshanodp,h may dangerous o.do at without obtaining any license
whatever. But if a man wants to open a shop for the sale
of intoxicating drinks, he has to ask permission frump some
authority but, as if in compensation for that, he has one
allowance—to be the one solltnrY trade permitted on the
jArd's day. And Shiro is no sort of sumo of asoessity or

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