The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-05-10 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL TEMPERANCE
LEAGUE.

In London, on Monday night, the annual meeting
of this League was held at Exeter ball, which was
crowded in every part, One rernarkalsle feature of
the nieetirg wee the large attendance of soldiers of
different regiment', many of whom, apparently from re-
giments stationed in the country, a3teel as stewards on
the occasion. The chair was occupied by Major It. C.
Stileumn, and on the platform were Mr. S. Plimsoll,
M.P., the Rev. Newman Hall, and many clergymen
and gentlemen known as supporters of temperance
movements.

It was stated in the course of the proceed-
ings that there were now 7,730 teetotal soldiers in
the Army, in addition to those who had left the
ranks ai teetotallers, besidea 1,574 children in the
Army Bands of Hope ; 257 military temperance
meetings had been held in London and other
garrietwa. In the R ,yal Navy about 2,000
men of all ranks were abstainers. and many
boyc in training-chips bad alio signed the pledge.
Lectures and address's had been given to etudents at
16 training colleges for ministers and teachers; to
young wen and women in five large London ware
bounce; to nurses and convalescent patients at four
metropolitan hospitals; to prisoners in five county and
borough gaols ,• and in many large schools, traming-
ship!, and publio institution.. The Cry.tal Palace
Festival hod been attended by 62,280 perm a and
was remarkable I r the abol.t oa of Vie chinking bare
for a e il.y, showing that the p,ople could enjoy them.
te'v, s Pittout aluto ic drink. The total iocome of
the year had been £6,131. 10.., it.cluding subiciiptions
and a 4nations amounting to 22,240 19a. 10d, sod a
leg ,cy of .C5OO.
The chairman said thst af'er wing tuch a repo: t
they atb;ht thank Uol and take couroie.
The Rev. James Fleming spoke at some length on
the report presented to Convocation by the late Arch-
deacon Bendlorl,and agreeing with its recommendat ions,
he called upon the meeting and all clasees of society
to endorse them, as acting on the principles laid down
could not but prove an unfailing example to those who
had rot yet adopted them. •
The Rev. D. Souderton, referring to a statement In
The Times of that day, respecting liindoos who had
fallen into habits of drunkeaness, said that this un-
questionably arose from contact wrth Ergliehmen and
the imitation of Eogli:h habito. Its dwelt open the
reproach whLli the introdt,tlen of the evils of drinking
among sober people must be to this nation, anil he
diclere.l that if a Petuelseiva Bill was le °rope li,, India
It would be euppotted by all classes of the todito P.

- -
Mr. Downing, of Penzance, then spoke, and while
he was speaking Mr. S. Plimsoll, M.P., entered on the
platform, and met with a reception but little less en-
thusiastic than that which greeted him in the some
place a few weeks ago. Mr. Downing's address was
mainly directed to show the necessity of removing
temptation from the paths of the people, He attri-
buted to the temptations of drink the Ices of virtue of
women, of honesty of men, the baffled labours of the
Church, and the increase of crime and pauperism, and
he urged an attack upon the causes of these evils by a
combination of legislative and non-legislative efforts
to put down what he termed the s Mut of iniquity
licensed by law.
Mr. Plimsoll followed and was loudly cheered, lie
said he did lot believe the evils of intemperance had
been painted one whit too darkly, and he cordially
approved the objects of thin society. lie envied those
who had not tasted wine or alcoholic drink, and thi,
he did because, though he was a teetotaller, he often
felt as if he would give 5:5 for half a bottle of
wine or for a " grid pull" at a pot of malt liquor.
thin he felt in moments of depression, and after
tunes of hard work; but hitherto he had fought
successfully against that desire, and therefore h-
envied those who not having tasted drink hand no such
fii;ht to make. He excused himee'f for not sjeaking
at length by saying that he could not speak without
preparation, and his time was now so occupied that he
was like a juggler at a fair having to keep several bats
in the air at t• e same time. He frankly said he could
not go the whole length of all the advocates of tem•
perance principles, but he helped on the Bands of Hope
and vch associations as this, and if he could not go
further he hoped they would pity him an a weide
brother.

The Rev. Newman Hall then made a vigorous
speech, which he %erred by comparing the publicans
to the owner of " codlinahips," they making money
by all men to enter upon a course of life which
ridded body and soul.
Other speeches followed. There were no reeolutions
except of that ks to the chairman, and each of th%
epeakera addr-esed the meeting from him own view of
the question.