The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-01-30 00:00:00

A DOG OF THE REGIMENT.

A correspondent of the Ilinstrated Sporting and
Dramatic News writes: "Many years ago, when I
was serving in one of her Majesty's cavalry regi-
ments, there belonged to the corps in general, and
no individual in particular, a remarkably well-bred,
rough Irish terrier. Where he came from originally
nobody quite knew; but there he was, and without
him the regiment would have been about as much at
a loss as without its ;ndispensable colonel, adjutant,
or riding-master. On parade, Jack was always
well to the fore, taking apparently as much in-
terest in the turn-out as the officer commanding, He
regularly accompanied the regiment on the occasion
of route-marching, but apparently objected to the
hurry and bustle of field-days. It was, however,
at night that his services were most appreciated.
As regularly as half-past six came round, the
hour appointed for guard -mounting, Jack would put
in an appearance, invariably spending his night in the
guard-room and never failing to make his round of
the sentries with each relief, and also with the visit-
ing officer. It was whispered that by a judicious tug
at the overalls of some sleepy sentry he had been the
means of averting a more or less lengthened term of
durance vile. Certain it is that on one occasion when
a trooper of the regiment to whom ho was specially
attached was incarcerated for a term of fourteen
days, during the whole of which period Jack could
not by means of threats or coaxings be induced to
move away from the proximity of the cell-door, one
or two cases of asleep on sentry were sent for trial by
court-martial. In the matter of food, as may be
imagined, Jack was thoroughly well treated, and he
was a welcome guest in every room in barracks. He
knew the dinner-bugle as well as the men themselves,
and invariably pursued the same plan. One day he
would present himself at A room, the next at B, and
so on, never to my knowledge dining with the same
host two days in succession. Poor old chap! In the
course of time and the fulness of years lie succumbed
to old age; but to nearly the very last he regularly
performed his self-imposed duty of going the rounds."

THE BISHOP OF LONDON ON TEMPE-
RANCE FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

A public meeting of the St. Paul's, West Brixton
Church of England Temperance Society was held on
Monday evening in the Parochial Hall, Ferndale
road, London. The Bishop of London presided, and
was supported by the Rev. Dr. G. B. Concanon, Mr.
G. C. Minchin, Mr. J. H. Raper, Mr. H. Jump, and
a large number of officers and members of the Rose
of Surrey Tent of the Independent Order of Recha-
bites. The Bishop of London, in the course of an
address upon the subject of temperance, took the
opportunity to dwell particularly upon the question
as it affected friendly societies. The existence of
friendly societies, such as the Order of Rechabites, he
said, was a fact of great importance financially and
socially, and one which was very greatly to the
credit of the working classes of this country. Work-
ing men had learned by experience, and in spite of
the failure of societies in the past owing to miscalcu-
lations as to the proper proportions between the
amount of subscription and the benefits conferred,
they had steadily gone on facing the problem of pro-
viding for themselves in sickness or old age, until at
last many of these societies were in an exceedingly
flourishing condition, and could be mathematically
shown to be perfectly sound undertakings. Among
them none, he thought, could stand by the side of the
Order of Rechabites, which, in his opinion, was the
first and highest of them. By their self-sacrifice and
their steady resistance to anything that could
tempt men into excesses members of that
body had proved the enormous advantages
which total abstinence gave as regarded health and
longevity. It was not very long ago that
insurance offices refused to insure a man who
was a total abstainer except for increased premium.
It was believed that intoxicating liquors had been
shown by the experience of centuries upon centuries to
be a necessity for the human frame, and particularly
it was believed that it was necessary for men who had
hard work to perform. The Rechabitbs Ind afforded
a practical demonstration of the fallacy of this theory.
They found that their health was better, and that they
were able to give better sick-pay than others because so
few of them were sick, and because when they did get
sick the sickness did not last. They had tried these
things, and in the face of the world were aisle to main-
tain that they could do work quite as good and quite as
laborious as any that was dove by the most careful and
respectable men who used intoxicating liquors even in
moderation. They had sometimes been called"
;" but their answer was, let those who thus
designated them come and dine with them, come and
mil with them, and see if they could find anywhere
pleasanter fellows, more genial men and women, men
who had more sense of what makes men really happy.
In judging of the sum total of their happiness let
them take into consideration the satisfaction they
derived at seeing all around them happy and
cheerful, in being able te provide for their wives and
families, in the peace of their consciences, and then
put on the other side the total enjoyment of those
who refused to join them deducting the misery, the
privation, the disease, the misery inflicted upon wives
and children, and all that made wretched the homes
of so many who were led into excess. (Cheers.) Some
part songs and glees were sung during the evening
by the Temperance Choral Society, under Mr. J. A.
Birch.