The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-05-01 00:00:00

Tii f TOTTPTAIDGE OPSETIVRE

THE OPENING OF A TEMPERANCE HALL
AT THE LYE.

The new Temperance Hall, the foundation stones
of which were laid in June last, was opened on
Monday evening. The building is of brick, the
design being in accordance with the " Romanesque "
order of architecture. The hall is 66 feet by 33
feet, and affords ample sitting room for 500 persons.
The roof, which is lofty, is entirely supported by
beanie resting -upon either wall of the be4lding,
thus entirely dispensing with pillars . other
obstructions to the waves of sound, and securing
those perfect acoustic properties which the Rev.
D. Robertson congratulated the architect upon the
hall possessing last evening. The room is lighted
by day by numerous windows, while artificial
light is secured by two handsome star-shaped
chandeliers of thirty jets each. One peculiarity
of the platform is that a handsome balustrade, by
which it is surrounded, has hinges attached to it
in such a way that the ordinary dimensions of the
platform can be considerably enlarged. In addition
to the public hall, there are retiringrooms, a cook-
ing kitchen, &c. 'The entire cost of the building
is £l,OOO, and when its dimensions and noble ap-
pearance are taken into account, that must be con-
sidered a very moderate sum. The architect is Mr.
J. M. Gething, of Amblecote, near Stourbridge.
The whole of the money has been raised by voluntary
subscriptions in the neighbourhoosl, the Earl of
Dudley heading the list with £lOO. There were
present at the meeting at night: The Rev. D.
Robertson, vicar of the Lye; the Rev. R. Fletcher,
of Birmingham (who is to be the successor of the
present vicar of the Lye), the Rev. T. Williams
Captain T. H. Hickman, G. K. Harrison, Esq. W.
Roberts, Esq. (of Pedmore), J. Raybould, Esq.
(Pensnett), A. Freer. Esq. (Stourbridge), ttc., Sce.
The Chairman (Mr. G. K. Harrison) who was
suffering from such severe hoarseness that he was
scarcely able to make himself audible, said it was
a very great satisfaction to him to be present at
the opening of that building, the foundation
stones of which were laid by himself and Mr.
Evers. The latter gentleman was prevented from
being present that evening by other engagements,
and he believed Mr. Thompson also, would not be
able to be there. He conssratulated the committee
upon the success that had attended their opera-
tions in erecting that building—a building which
he hoped would long stand in that place as a monu-
ment against intemperance; and trusted that it
would be the means a leading many of those who
might be disposed to go to a public-house to come
there instead—(applause). He was sure all would
agree with him that there was no possibility of
religion or morality going on in a house where
there was intemperance—(hear, hear). Clergy-
men said that drunkenness had the effect of ren-
dering all their efforts fruitless. If the father
only was drunken it was possible that the children
of a good mother might be brought up rightly;
but if both were drunken what hope was there for
them. He was told by many who were better able
to form an opinion upon the subject than he was,
that there were more than 30,000 well-known
habitual drunkards in the kingdom. Let them
contemplate that for a moment, and think not only
of the nsimber of drunkards by which they were
surrounded, but of the numerous families that were
suffering from it. Since the increase of wages
drunkenness had been increasing. He hoped the
erection of that building would do something to-
wards stopping excessive drinking at The Lye.
He hoped they would all do their best to induce
their friends to give up the practice of drinking
and frequenting public-houses as much as they
possibly could. When the population became
more temperate the magistrates would have less
to do; the police could walk about and enjoy the
country, and it would be better for every man,
woman, and child in the country. If one-hund-
reth virt of the money that is spent on strong
drink in this country was spent in the purchase of
books or other means for the recreation and edu-
cation of the masses the amount of good done
would be incalculable. He thought if that
was done England would be soon regenerated from
the lowering effects of drink. It was not, how -
ever, fatal in its effects only to those who lacked
education. Many who had been brought up as
sentlemen, in the most careful manner possible,
aao been found in London by the police, associat-
ing with thieves and the lowest characters, and who
had been brought to that state of degradation by
an excessive love for drink. As chairman of the
.Lieeting,, he declared that hall duly opened, and
trusted it would answer all the purposes for which
q was intended, and realise the anticipations oi
its most sanguine promoters—(cheers).
Mr. Jones then read the report, which stated
that the building was not only completed, but paid
for; leaving only the expense of the additional
fittings and gas fittings to be provided for, towards
which they had nearly £lOO in hand. The com-
mittee thanked the chairman, and the other gen-
tlemen on the platform, and they sincerely wished
to thank the Vicar, and bid him "God Speed."
Mr. Jones exp!ained the difficulties they had in
raising the fonds for that building, but the friends
of temperance at.the Lye had behaved nobly, and
many of the subscribers had doubled their sub-
scriptions. Everywhere in the neighbourhood
he had met with the utmost sympathy, and he
wished to express his gratitude for it. The Hon.
Canon Lyttelton would have been there that even-
ing had it been possible, but family affliction had
prevented him. Mr. Hickman had given him a
cheque for .210. Mr. Charles Cochrane had given
him £5 some time ago, in addition to the ..t5 he
had given at first. Messrs. Perry and Brookes had
doubled their subscriptions. He appealed to those
present for the gift of any newspapers they could
spare, even though they were a day or two old,
for the people to read in that room, As soon as
they were clear from debt they intended to get
draughts, chess, and other amusements, and the
hall will be open from half-past two every day
for prayer; and they intended ,to have penny
readings, &c., in order to attract persons from the
public-houses. There were many working men in
that place whose subscriptions towards the erec-
tion of that hall had amounted to £lO. He con-
sidered that the working men at the Lye had.
greatly distinguished themselves in this matter—
(applause). They had acted up to the good old
motto, "The gods help those who help them-
selves "—(great cheering).
The report was then unanimously adopted.
A part song, "The True Teetotaller," was next
next given by the choir.
Mr. H. T. Hickman said Mr. Roberts was en-
gaged in the good cause in the village of Hagley,
where he was giving a treat to the Band of Hope
children. It was a very great pleasure to him
(the speaker) to be present on that auspiciout
occasion. He certainly had great misgivings
when Mr. Jones first mooted the question to him,
when he considered that everything in the way of
bantling materials was at its highest price. Not-
withstanding this, their efforts had been crowned
with success, and that building would ever remain
a pleasing monument of their untiring zeal. The
Lye years ago bore the very worst reputation for
drunkenness and crime, and it was strange that it
should be the first place in the district to build a
hall devoted solely to temperance. That must
have its effect, and that building would materially
assist the labours of the clergymen in that neigh.
bourhood. To promote the good cause they must
all work together. He was very much pleased to
hear that the finances were in such a satisfactory
state, and thought thrtt with a little spirit and
enterprise the projects mentioned by Mr. Jones
might be successfully carried out. A building
like that to be successful ought to be entirely free
from debt, and every one should subscribe what
they could for that purpose. He thought that the
room should be open for both sexes, and made as
comfortable for them as possible. He thought
they all regretted that their present rector was
leaving—(hear, hear)—but no doubt they would
have the same assistance from the gentleman who
was coming that they had had from him. As long
as he was connected with that neighbourhood he
should feel great interest in that hall, and he
should assist them, as far as he could, in a mone-
tary point sf view—(applause). He had many
men in his employment who were sober and
thrifty, but he had others who were just the oppo-
site. They spend their money in the beerhouse—
five or six shillings every Saturday night, which
they knew represented five or six yards of land.
He counselled them to put on brave hearts to re-
sist the temptations of the public-house, and go
home to their wives and families; and he thought
it was incumbent on their wives to see that their
houses were comfortable for them. The hours of
labour were much shorter than formerly, especially
on Saturday, and he thought it was a great pity
that many men who left their work at two o'clock
went straight to a public-house,:and spent a great
portion of their money there. He gave them the
presentev waser
yt Obo seedy wouldthat
theyu
use
luhi
roc
s-phetoodu
makets he
as es
time with the greatest pleasure, and his regret
knewwtha e igirinvbieseuusstpedet'hn de elipauevbo
by doing so they would have less taxes, fewer
gaols, and fewer workhouses—(applause). He had
the best wishes for that building, and he sincerely
hoped they might go on succes f 11 ( s u y—,great
cheering).
Mr. J. Raybonld, of Pensnett, next addressed
the meeting, and expressed his regret that the
chairman was suffering from a cold. He (the
speaker) .was one of those who in his younger days
was aocustomsd to eat his meat and pudding off
the same plate. There was no changing of plates
in those days—(laughter). And he was very
likely as contented then as he was now. He had
endeavoured to he content, although, Englishmen
like, he often grumbled. He had been contesting
the drinking system for more than 36

years. When he first became a teetotaller
it was no easy matter to be one; but
bye-and-bye it would become fashionable.
The drinking customs of this country were bad.
He was not speaking of drunkenness, because it
was out of the drinking customs that there came
the drunkard; and the old fiend who loved the
drink barrel, when the first drunkard had fallen
down said to the moderate drinker "fail in,''
and the latter did so, and the temperate man
became a drunkard. If that was not so, where did
the drunkards come from. That monster Kin.
Drink robbed the little children of the things an.
clothes they ought to have. When he saw a little
child—perhaps a little girl—with shoes that were
never made for her, and a frock which was too
large, he thought it was not right. He always
thought that drink was robbing them of what they
had a right to expect. He should like to see
every little girl have the measure put to her foot,
and the dressmaker turning her round to measure
her for her frocks. There were more than a hun-
dred millions a year spent in drink. He had al-
ways had the notion that there was a great amount
of power in the ladies, and it they could also get
the clergymen on their side they would be quite
sure of success. But there were more than eight
or ten places of worship near where ke lived, but
none of them had so much as a Band of Hope con-
nected with them. He thought they ought to
have one of those attached to,every place of wor-
ship—(hear, hear). It was said by Sir Robert
Peel—but he the speaker did not think it was his
own either—that the man who made two blades
of grass to grow where there was only one before
was a benefactor to his species. But he meant
to go beyond that, and assert that if they could
make a sober man where before he was a drunkard
they were benefactors of their country. Drink
caused a man to wear bad clothing and when a
man had bad clothes he had no self-respect. It
was drink that filled our poor-houses, our gaols,
and our lunatic asylumns, and that filled our bye.
roads with disreputable people who did not go to
gaol. There was a vast amount of influence in
the women's hands towards reforming the drink-
ing habits of this country. If a woman wished to
keep her husband from the public-house she must
when he came home from work have the broom in
her hand knocking the legs of the chair and tables
off. But there was such a thing as suniecfing up
the houre at the right time, and having a cheerful
fine, and a bit of something to eat. They could
elevate a man as much as they liked, but if they
kept the woman in ignorance she would drag him
down. He (the speaker) was a Jiving monument
that a man could do a vast amount of work with-
out having anything to do with King Alcohol.
He did not know his face and, perhaps, that was
the reason that he did not have so many visitors
as some people. They had the jug, on the table,
but it only contained water. If people drank of
that there was no fear of them shouting out. "I
won't go home till morning." He hoped that many
of those who were in the habit of enjoying a
little drop, would let it alone. An Irishman was
once asked what moderation meant, he said " some-
thing between a glass and a barrel,"—(laughter).
And that was the fact; what would mean mode-
ration to one man was excess to another. He
thought moderation, was to let it alone. That was
the best moderation—(cheers). He congratulated
them on having that nice hall. He had been
making them a rather long speech. Once when
,he was at Conference he noticed one man present
who made a very long speech, although he was a
poor speaker and he wondered why they put up
with him; but he found on enquiring that at the
finish he made ,them a handsome donation, and
said they bore with his speech for sake of what
followed. He, in like wanner, would finish his
speech by promising to send them a cheque for .45.
—(great cheering).
The "Laughing Chorus," was next given by the
Choir.
The Rev. T. Williams congratulated those pre-
sent very sincerely on the attainment of an object
which had been the subject of many prayers, and
having attained success they had a right to in-
dulge in thanksgiving. He was very glad to hear
they had received so much valuable support from
the employers of labour, and it was a source of
gratification to see on the platform two gen-
tlemen like the chairman and Mr. Hickman, who
were both large employers of labour in the district.
He could remember the Lye for half his life
—or for nearly 25 years—before many of those
present were born, and there were many changes
and improvements since that day. In the first place
they had mended their roads which were in those
days in a terrible condition. He thougnt it was
one of the worst places he had ever been in, in his
life. With regard to that hall, he hoped it would
be means of a very great deal of pleasing
recreation to this neighbourhood, as he thought
it would be productive of great good regarded
merely as a means of affording relaxation to the
working classes. He was no enemy to the public-
houses, if they would do away with the drink—
(hear, hear, and applause). They wanted public.
houses. That hall would be a public-house, with
the exception that no one there would have that
given to them which wouldreduce them to thelevel
of the beasts. They would have an opportunity
for rational improvement, and for offering up
prayer. At the same time he hoped it would be
extensively used by the members and friends of
temperance. He thought the question of temper.
ance was one of the most important questions of
the day. He had been an abstainer for 14 years,
and when he joined their numbers were few, and
they were placed in a different position to that
which they occupied now. Instead Of being looked
upon with disfavour, many of the most influential
men of the day now felt that they could not con-
scientiously withhold their regard from the temp-
erance movement. He was most thankful to see
that this movement was gaining ground at Lye.
He believed there was no greater enemy to the
working man in this country than drunkenness.
He believed it was the one chain that held him
down. He believed also, with Mr. Raybould, that
it was not simply drunkenness but the drinking
customs of the country that were productive of so
much evil. When a man wished to be temperate
he found himself surrounded by so many drinking
customs that it was almost impossible to avoid
them. Thus, with many, it was the custom to go
into the public-houses on Saturday night when
they had their wages, and there spend a great
portion of the latter. He, therefore; recommended
to them total abstinence because he thought it
would preserve them from these temptations. He
was quite sure these alcoholic drinks were in no
way essential to life. He hoped that one of the
services that would be rendered by that hall would
be thac they would have a Band of Hope connected
with that place. Before he sat down he would say
a few words with regard to the religious aspect
of the question. It used to be said that teetotallers
placed "gin before religion." That was not the
case. They never preached that temperance alone
would save a man. They only though that it
raised his social standard, and made him more
amenable to the teachings of the gospel. When
a man went every night and got drunk it was next
to impossible for him to listen to the claims of the
gospel, and therefore he said that total abstinence
was in a way an introduction to the gospel. It
raised their social position. Some of their total
abstainers were contended with that. They did
not go higher to the practice of religion ; but even
these were better off than the drunkard. He saw
an instance of a man who had eighteen years ago
been persuaded to become a teetotaller, but who
had since relapsed into his drinking habits, and
the second state of that man was worse than the
first. He considered religion was a great help to-
wards keeping them temperate, and he, therefore,
recommended them to become religious as well
as teetotallers. He appealed to all to use what-
ever influence they possessed in this cause—for
their own sakes—for the sakes of others, and for
the sakes of their weaker brethren—(great cheer-
ing).
Mr. Roberts (Clent), Mr. A. Freer (Stourbridge),
and the Rev. D. Robertson also addressed the
meeting;lthe latter gentleman after wishing them
all good-bye, introduced his suecessor—the Rev. R.
Fletcher (of Birmingham), to those present.
The latter gentleman having expressed his
gratification at being present on that occasion, the
meeting was brought to a close.

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