The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-03-28 00:00:00

Correspontirna.

INTEMPERATE " TEMPERANCE."
To the Editor.

Sir,—No one who has the welfare of his fellow men
at heart can reed in the public pipers the doily record of
crimes. directly or lodirectly, &timetable to the abuse of
alcoholic drink, without wishing to do all in his power to
reduce the so-cslied "national" crime of drunkenness. It
most therefore be with deep regret that such an one reeds
the intemperate speeches which are freqoantly made in
the name of tomperanos at meetings such es those held
last week in the Bournemouth Winter (laden. Thom
who value truth even more than teetotalism mut ever find
it impossible to ce-operate with men who bolster up.
cause which requires no such fictitious aid with slander
and falsehood; and when man in the Position of Canon
Wilberforce decend to the use of such linguine as is
attributed to him in the epos of hia speech at that
meeting. 111. no woodsy it the small fry of teetotal
stuniperators indigo in—if romible—still grosser
epithets for those who do not egrets with them in
their coadeenamiun of the moderate use of alcoholic
liquors. We cannot but remember that U the
DeC•100111 contains no &prolel commandment genet
Mtempsrance. it does contain the commandment **Thou
shalt not bear false edema against thy asughboor," end I
fail to gee that such an accusation as Caton Wilberforce
lm against the vanities of alcoholic liquors reedited
any Tess • breach of this commaad by his somewhat hypo.
critcall prism that "he had not one unkind word Inlay
of them." He is reported to have said that the trade
itself "is devilish," and Mat men (meaning, I preanne,
brewen, dietitian of spirits, and importers of wine) ate
seat to Parliameat "who have built up colossal fortunes
out of the misery and dastitulims of this brethress, and
chose every tunes is spotted with the blood of widows
and orphans. He Is hors spereutly not speaking of
those who ooadoot an illegitimate trade in liquor, either
by its aluiteretion or by axing it in incesive quantities
upon customers, al may be dors by some publicaan but
he applies, 11l understand him, this groat calumny to the
whole trade. Ciao* Wilberforce thus places hiasself in
the dilemma, that either he must, with numerous
infidel nitwits' madman alcolteic liquor in itself
and pronounce its use to he sinful, which involves
nothing short of blasphemy against His. who, in His
own words "canoe eating and drinklag," or if he admit
lest it is permissible to follow the divine example, he
mai he guilty of the grommet Wadies In 000 denning
osis who are in that case moved in legitimate trade,
for to admit that the use of it is lawful, and yet t,
maks the 'readmit respognible for its abuse is no whit
less preposterous the. to chugs with murder the
chesiet who sold to Do Lassos the moditim with
which be committed the crime, for which that wretched
etia is sondenined to the callow.; at to say that the
=cosy of chemists in general Is indeed with the blood
of murdered men or miserable suicides, because the
poisonous drugs they read are thus abused; or again to
make the gunsmiths responsible for the ensues of Nati
assassins. It is • remarked* fed that as though with
a view to the teetotal heresy of the present day, our
Lord not only Himmel( used wiz*, but by a special
miracle actually made it for the marriage fe urt when
to. stipple ran Mort, thus for ever globs' His sanction
and approbatios to this producers of alcoholic liquors.
I am sot desirous of interim tato • defence of the
moderate use of 4411101h' drinks, bat will only observe
that booed question numbers of venom hip* injured
their health (sew War by total absentees, sad that
lilt be a sin to Mien the health by emir, it may at
Nest be opsa to quokka wboilisr it be not squally • sin to
do so by alethreecer—a view which appears coofiroevi
by the adsociatika of St. Paul to Timothy. I have
eaellaed myseU to one quetatios from Omen Wilber-
forcei speech, but before dosiag I will give one more,
e to whisk I will tests it to your enders to judg..,
whether is he set something more then a breach ot good
tame, to give expressire to such an implication as is
lavolved In it, hien a mixed audience, and at • meeting
convened for the promotion of teinp,macit. He is
reportsd to have said, "The first thing they " (the elerry
I sappne) "lied to do was to put themselves on the ene
of the wepte of segkeid Is ell their trial, and Balsams.,
and la all the oppression, the rchtery and the wrong tit,'
was beeped upon tham."—l • am, sir, you obedient
served, _ _