The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-01-25 00:00:00

LORD LYTTELTON ON TEMPERANCE.

LORD LYTTELTON presided on Monday evening
at a meeting held in the Hall Barn, Harley, under
the auspices of the Church of England Temperance
Society. The Rev. W. Kipling Cox has been recently
appointed jv thelßithop the organising secretary of
,the socioty for Worcester diocese, and in that cap-
acity preached at Hagley Church on Sunday. The
.present meeting Was forthe delivery of a lecture by
him on the subject of" Temperance." There was a
good attendance. In taking the chair,
Lord LYTTELTON, after alluding to the fact that
the organising secretary had only recently been
appointed, spoke of the pleasure with which he con-
sented to preside, as he thought that everybody
ought to do what he could to show his interest in
that .very great moment for the suppression of
drunkenness. He took that opportunity of saying
that he retained the interests he had always taken
in the cause of temperance generally—(applause).
Many sneers were made about the repetition and
sameness of the arguments brought forward at
these temperance meetings, but they must remember
that by holding meetipgs
over and over again and
by impressing the same great principles and argu-
ments and the *'me terrible facts upon the public
they were helping to form a "public opinion" on
the subject of drunkenness. Public opinion, he
believed, would eventually be found to be almost
the only effectual means of stemming the torrent
of drunkenness in tho country. They were probably
a good deal disappointed by what Parliament had
done with regard to intemperance and the licensing
laws. He did not think much could be done by
legislation. They could only look to public opinion;
and he was glad to see that that was gradually
becoming formed. The upper classes were at one
time open, he was afraid, to the charge of very
gross drunkenness; now whatever else might be
said, it could not be charged that they were addicted
to strong drink. The sahie applied in a less degree
to the middle classes,stñ& even amongst the lowest
the drunkaid was granally coming to be regarded
with opprobrium, which was not the case some
time ago. The last fact would have great .effect
in putting down drunkenness, and, therefore he
hoped the people would show their hearts were in
the right place with regard to this most important
and pressing subject. He had not the slightest
doubt that a much stronger temptation would be
needed before a•man would get drunk if when he
did so he saw that his neighbour looked upon him
with diliwitm<hear, hoar), ilia lordshippromded

to speak of the coffeehouse movements as calculated
to do much in the prevention of intemperance.
They were very successful, and could be made of
great benefit by being made clubs for working men
to meet at; and they would also be beneficial by
evtinguishing those publichouses (of which there
were always too many) which were not needed; and
of making the publicans themselves do more to
attract their customers by legitimate means. He
had had a small part in the establishment of one
of these coffee-houses at Bromsgrove, and hoped
to see something of the sort succeed even in such
a small plaoe as Hagley—(loud applause). Mr. Cox
then gave an interesting address on the advantages
! resulting to health and prosperity from either
moderate or total abstinence from intoxicating
liquors.—ln moving a vote of thanks to the lecturer
Major WILLILms said that as a magistrate he had
weekly proofs of the great misery and degradation
caused by intemperance. It was the great sin of
the age.—A vote of thanks was passed to Lord
Lyttelton for presiding.

THE DUDLEY MURDER.