The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-06-24 00:00:00

IL.4c toutbe Elsertnr.

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 1871.

WORKING MEN'S SOCIAL CLUBS.

To attempt to establish by argument the as.
sertion that numberless evils arise from and are
cmnected with the public-house would be a work
of supererogation. To what est( nt these evils
t Kist, and in what way legislation should deal
with the evils and their sources—on these and
many other points great dith,renco of opinion
exists, hut on the abstract Let that eviis do
pring from public-hou,es all are agreed. The
~:diculty of O. atiog with these houses.
wli irii, the lte,mses,
boiler the trade is cmaitteted, has been
VAli this St iOlll by the hilyees-ful riptioaition
to Mr. I:rnee's Licensin:: hi ,i awl coniiiiiiiient
nil the same thing hiss been shown
i.,,t :lir W. Lawson's Permissive
:1 itiry :. But while the discussion in
it ~t'air ill ni these subjects have
dillisul:y of dealing with sil-
l-.ISle more apparent
f dealing with them
Pending leg rslative
tjaestion, thy Home
il.-11" of tile abortive Licensing

,

, . atteotiou druwn to a I:loChrt
eetoiring eur.siderable un
I'd" I nee, .11,eh bits f ir tu exert great ill.
lef‘ fM r.,11 In of the working

A de! :CC. gut Loyd Lytlelton,
Sir Hureort M. i... Sir John Boaring.
the ilev. it. Soll7, an interview with
the limo, • ferred to.
Too oi ultairuijun of the
1.. otutuua Ari•,: 11,1iLlIte arid p:
secretary to Lite Workiiig (Nub ASsocig.
tioll. iS I.•vourubly known throughout the
country for Vie interest he has taken in the es-
tablishment and operation of Working Men's
Clubs, and has orlieered some 100 lectures on
the genera! sithjeet. Ills views therefore tire of
consider:tole importance and ought to have due
weight, especially with tlat divot whom he has
so perseveringly endeavoured to torte. The
Working Men's Club Association, he tells us, en.
cloavouts to protect bona fide working men's

clubs from vexatious proceedings, and to prevent
evasions of the licensing laws by imitation clubs.
It appears that there is now a general tendency
to sell exciseable liquors at working men's clubs,
and the Association referred to, so far from re-
gretting this, consider that the effect of this is
in a marked degree to diminish intempersnee,
" it being found that men, not being canvassed
to give crders for drink, are content with a very
moderato amount.'"f his assertion will not sur-
prise any who have paid attention lo this sub-
ject ; but one fact, it is said, is worth a hundred
arguments, end Mr. Solly gives an important
Case in point. There was a purely social work-
ing men's club started at Maidstone, but it failed
unialeiverally. Mr. Solly's recommendation
! that excii-cable lignin's should lie sold was adop-
ted ; tie club Ilouiiahiel, anti FOOll had 500 mom.
hers ; and yet—let this lie specially marked--
the members did not consume on an average
more than a pint and a half of beer each a week.
With such facts lit-fore us, we are glad to find
that the tuost and the leading men
! among the working elasses, are anxious th it
! clubs should he substituted for public-houses ;
and that many publicans are willing, for fair
compensation, to turn their houses into working
men's clubs. This state of affairs is highly en-
couraging, and gives ground for reasonable hope
that a gradual and spontaneous reform in the
evils flowing from the gin-shop and beer-shop
will be to some extent worked out. But a great
deal must depend on the genuineness or spurious
character of this conversion. To turn a public.
house into a working men's club is a decided
step in the right direction, and must be produc-
tive of good in several ways. It lessens the
number of public-houses by one, and that is a !
little gained; and it increases the number of !
working wen's clubs by one, end that is some-
thing more gained ; but the important fact is
that this one club will diminish the attractions
of all the public-houses in the locality, aud that
is much lucre gabled, lint what ulna be guarded
against is the shwa conversion of a licensed
house into a club, the landlord taking large pre,
tits under false pretences. A charge of this
kind is now under magisterial investigation, on
a prosecution instituted by the Government, and
the decision in the case will be of great import-
ance, and will, it is to be hoped, clear up any
doubts as to the law on the subject. Meanwhile
the Home Secretary promises careful attention
to all the questions involved, in order that the
Government may suppress what is mischievous
without interfering with what is wholesome end
useful. For the present this is undoubtedly
difficult, but whenever the law is clearly decided,
we may hope that the conversion of public.
houses into working men's clubs will go on
apace. Of course so do not look to this meta-
worphosis for a cure for the evils of intemper-
ance and the fatal attractions of the public.
house ; but these evils are so great that every
help towards their diminution ought to be hailed
with satisfaction. Sufficient weight, we think,
has not been given to the fact that the public.
house, as it now exists, is too often the working-
man's club, his house of meeting, his "house of
call.- Let us work upon this fact by establish-
ing working men's clubs.