The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-06-28 00:00:00

*ocat altb istrict

FAREWELL TEA AND PRESENTAtION.

A Public Tea Meeting was held at St.
Thomas's school-room, Beauty Bank, on Mon-
day evening last, with the object of giving the
members of the Stourbritige 'friumphant Lodge
of Good Tempters, and other friends, the oppor-
tunity of wishing Brother the Rev. A. C. awl
Sister Bevington t who are leaving the district)
farewell and " God Speed,- in their new field
of labour ; and also of presenting to them a
testimouial as a mark of respect and appre-
ciation of the services which they have
rendered to Good Templary and to the New
Connexion since they have been located in this
district. About 140 friends partook of tea;
after which the room was cleared of the tables
and put in order for the public meeting, at
which there were about 200 present. The Rev.
T. De Vine, 5.D.0.W.C.T., vicar of Tinton,
took the cimir, and there were also present upon
the platform Sister F. D. Blades, S.D.G.W:C.T.,
of West Bromwich; Brother W. Ward, Esq ,
5.D.0.W.C.T., of Webt Bromwich; Brother
the Rev. Andrew Myers, of Dudley Port; Brother
E. W. Bailey, D. 11., of Coseley ; Brother kV.
B. Blades, En., W.T., of West Brouv.vich
Brother the Rev. A. C. and Sister Bevington,
Xc., etc.

. .
The Rev. Andrew Myers, having offered up
prayer.
the Chairman the Rev. T. Be Vine), said
it was with mingled feelings that he stood before
them on that occasion. it was with feelings of
pleasure to meet the Brother and Sister whom
he had known so bug as being actively engaged
in doing good, and whom be was glad to see
such a large and respectable company had me,
to honour ; and it was with pain that they were
obliged to lose their services from so young a
lodge which they had laboured so hard to
establish. But God appointed the work. and the
labourers could only watch that Providence,
and be willing to go wherever they were called
to attend. He should not say much to them
about Good Teuiplary, as that cause had, dunk-
less, been placed before them from time to time
so eloquently by Sister Beviugton that he need
not stop to tell them of it. Their cause was
advancing so rapidly that people who had
formerly thought it un-English and unmanly to
take the pledge, were now joining their ranks.
And he was confident that many of those who
now looked upon them as fanatics, would in the
future be brought over to their vies s. He was
not above a twelvemonth old in Good Templary,
althouAla he was thirty years old in teetotalism
—(cheers). The members of their body were
always glad to see a man who had taken the
Good Templars' pledge. They were glad because
they knew that by inducing him to take that
step they were going the right way to make him
a good citizen. He was proud to be there that
evening to do honour to such earnest advocates
of the canoe as Brother and Sister Bevington.
He always found that wherever one of their
lodges were established they soon increased and
multiplied their numbers. There was some-
thing so catching in this Good Templary. He
considered theirs was a great and glorious
cause, because it could, more than anything
else, bring ministers of different denominations
together to join in ore great work of reclaiming
the poor drunkard. If he knew anything of
the true history of the Church of England it
mien to be engaged in doing every good to the
land. The temperance cause was likely to be
productive of humense good to the land ; and it
was, therefore, with feelings of unmixed pleasure
that he stood there on that platform with Sister
Beviugton, and Brother Myers, and Brother
Bevington, and their local brothers to advocate
the one great cause—(iend applause).
The Chairman then called on Brother Stinton
for a song.
. .

,
The latter gentleman then sang " Peter Piper
Peppercorn," in a very humorous manner, and
was loudly enclre•l. In response he sang
" Medicine Jack."

Brother W. B. Blades, W.T., of West Brom-
wich, next addressed those present. Referring
to the last en I; he sail that he did not propose
to come there with quackery that night. He
proposed to come with good genuine Templar
doctrines. He referred to the teaching of the
Gospel with reference to the temperance cause,
and related an anecdote bearing upon the point.
It was that a man nce dreamt that he heard
some angels asking each other how it was that
ministers of religion could go to foreign parts
and induce savages to give up their idolatry for
ohristianity, and conform to the usages of
civilised society ; hut that in England, where
there were so many of them, they could make
little or no headway against the great evil of
drunkenness. They were constantly offering
up prayers to God to suppress it. How was it
that their prayers had power over idolatry, over
noirder, and other crimes, but no power over
th • crime of drunkenness. Au angel replied
t at it was because when the Saviour sent the 70
out they were sent against the whole principle
of rationalism. When ministers of our own d•iy
go out they also were sent against the whole
principle of idolatry. And the British Christians,
what had they been doing to eradicate this great
evi: They had been only opposing to it half
0; a principle. They had been trying to tell
th• 1111111 who was in the habit of taking too