The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-09-04 00:00:00

BEER tersus WATER.
To at &Nor.

Sir,—Permit in. emphatically to protest against the
folly which impelled Mr. John Abbey, of 41, St.
Giles, Oxford, to engage in • so-called trial f the respec-
tive merits of Water rersau Beer, of which particulars
have appeared in many papers. This gentleman Is •
strong, braad-shoul lere I man, and we. acm-tonte I in
earlier life to formwork ; at the present time he blows if
the &freebie( the Church Temperance Society. A better
man, and • more zealous worker, I do not know.
Now for some time he has been canting on • great
crusade, and hag been trying to induce farmers not to
give.timulaots to their men. So far I quite egress with
him and wish him and his friend' God-speed. The little
pamphlet on the subject, which he and his supporters
have scattered broadca4 over the land, contains many
interesting points. But In the name of common.
sense, or of science, or of temperance, what poodble
good clad result from the trial of strentth he has
engaged in, and in which, after a irplendi I fight, he
base been beaten? It Is vet/ well for Mr. Daniel
Bedlam and Mr. T. W. Glover to give what they call
rolentific resume of the action of alcohol to admiring
rustics. with Mr. George Curtis, Mr. J. J. Noion, and
Rev. F. V'seghan warmly clapping any and every
strange statement, but we do expect far better thing.
from Ms. John Abbey, and from Mr. KG. Wilson, of
Salisbury, who also took an active part In the affair.
The last Is • tentleman, and has had • good educut-
tion. He has been thrown much in the way of men
of business, refinement, and scientific training, and so
he must know that the superior advantages, physiolo-
gically, of total abstinence over strict moderate
drinking are not proved, nay that they probably well
rover be demonstrated, for there is some reason to fear
th qt are tion.exlstent, not, however, that teetotalism
is without strong arguments in its favour as •
preventive mamma We all know that work can be
done well without alcohol, but then our @'e, show a.
that n A stew good workers are nt ehstauters. Any
trt ii f strenath ir 4 en mt on inane conditions,
such ai phrique, ti i'ni t •rop •r am ,nt, wmther,
and roma'. 0 tly trialr, therefore, extending over
yearn, an 1 applied to thou.'s is of men, coal I he c in-
• iive ooe way or the oth hat t ,c-a. co re te its
• „o other grii 1 Ile. Ni V M kli'i y 1.1111 bea
heater', does this affect the temp rnc ,u ? No,
it ri we not ; still, mdch will naturally be ma ,d hie
d.d.at, though it was an honoured., one. Had he, on
the other haul, w ot, had he won to time. over, that
vict y w.,ul I la.ave dono little to aid temp ,r ,nce. F,r
my to t I impl re 'air tem, armee clergy, our tI.E.T.
ag nc, 'or ladies ~f culture, to deal wi•h temperance
wi eiy, ',roost 7, en w T:.ey have a a,..and cause.
tr-at it ao it deserves, and God will be on
their ride. Let them avoid ex- •gerati.n. coarseness.
and Inoccur a-v. —inly I not to farther mad say false-
hood. 'air. ()lover tr els mt.. I are, to open the
Tempe sues Mater Campaign. May the coming
campaign show A 1,4 h. r •emper, a purer morality, •
nobler tone, en I m # results than the last.
A LIIILL1N(11 A BSTAINLL
Wimb. rne, September let, 1883.