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

ranch drink that

that he . not take it because
It was harmful to him, whild they themselves
took it because they liked it and, as they did
not get drunk, thonett it did them good. He
loved the Good Templar movement because
they had the whole principle with them. He
was told that they were losing half of their
members through some of them breaking the
pledge. He would say this, that in those cases
they were always very kind to members who
were in that unfortunate position. He re-
membered once reading that when the British
were at war with America, the Americans anti-
cipated that they would try to take their ships
up a certain river to enable them to take the town.
They asked each other what was the best thing
to do under these circumstances, and one of
them suggested the placing of a large chain
across the water so that the English men-of-
war could not pass. They accordingly did so.
When the English Admiral came to this he was
at first puzzled as to how he should surmount
the obstacle, and consulted with his officers as
to the best means of doing so. One of the
captains said that if they would only wait for a '
high tide and a good wind he believed that I
would enable them to overcome the difficulty.
They acted upon his advice, and when a strong
spring tide was running and there was also a
good fresh breeze blowing in the right direction.
they essayed the task, and all passed safely
over. He (the speaker) hated war as he hated
Satan ; but he thought they might take the
example of the English captain. In this country
they had had the chain of heathenism, and
they had had the chain of drink, and they must
follow the captain's osy of breaking it. In the.
first place they must have the wind in their
favour. They must have Sister Idevington and
Sister Blades, and the whole A B C of ladies
speaking in their cause ; and that would materi-
ally assist them—(laughter). But the wind of
itself would not suffice to break the chain, they
must also have the tide of public opinion with
them. Wherever they struck it under those
circumstances the chain would break. In seek-
ing their great object they must not let any
little sectarian differences interfere with their
proceedings. They should leave their "local
brothers " to fight out the theological questions.
He really believed that if they would take his
advice to speak loudly in favour of the temper-
ance cause, and give a lone pull and a strong
pull altogether, they should be successful In
achieving their object —(loud applause).
Mr. Walter Jones sang the "Moss Grown
Well," in a creditable manner,and was applauded
at the conclusion.

Sister Blades, S.D.G.W.C.T., said she hardly
knew whether to eongratulate the people of
Stourbridge and Sister and Brother Bevington
on leaving the place ; and she hardly knew
whether to congratulate them on where they
were going to. There was no doubt that at
Dewley they would have a sphere of labour
where they could work to advantage. She
hoped the same amount of blessing and succese
would attend their work as had attended it here
She felt jealous for her sisters, who, like her-
self, had ut times to stand on public platforms.
She felt jealous for theirhonour, for their virtue,
and for their modesty ; and it was the possessiou
of this latter great quality ay Sister Bevington
tied, made her love her and appreciate her so
mech. She reineinherel reading a tale in one
of the magazines a great many years ago, about
a young in in whose intende I had been taken
away and shut up in one of the old towers.
There were in those days, in fact, for that
matter, there were now, people who professed to
be able to do things which were inipossible, and
the young man who was incousolable for his loss
went to one of these individuals. who promised
to grant him a sight of his intended. lie did
so, but whim the young luau thought of embrac-
ing her in his arms the shadow melted away.
This circumstance grieved him very much, and
ho implored the magician to let him see his in.
teuded in reality, in the fish. After a great
many importuuitiee the magician acceded to hit
request, on one eondition ; and that was, that
she would appear amongst nineteen other young
ladies exactly like hersef in every respect, and
that ii ho was not able to select her from
amongst the twenty he should never see her
again. Tiie young wan, consented to undergo
this ordeal, and at the appointed time the twenty
young ladies were brought before him and he
was told to make his selection. He looked long
and anxiously at each one iii turn, scrutinising
them intentiy, for he felt it to be a matter of
life and death with hien, as his love for he
sweetheart was so great that he thought he could
not live if, through waking a mistake, he was
prevented from ever seeing her again. At
length he fixed on one whom from her demean•
our he bCieved to be his intended; and he was
right in his surmise. And who' del they think
guided him in his choice. It, was that this
particular youeg lady, unlike li• r nineteen cons-
panione, kept her eyes modestly lived Upon the
ground. It was her b!tioibing and bashful
modesty that enabled him di jiiiige that she was
the idol of his heart. In like milliner she could
say to Sig( r Bevington Viet %het was the
ceuracteristic that she bore. she believed her-
seif that modesty anti bitslitalneas became
females who bittl to speak in riblic. It was
this retiring modesty of which she spoke that
sat so gracefully on Sister Bevington. There
were persons in that room who had known her
(the speak, r) for more than SO years, and during
the whole of that time else had advocated the
cause of temperance. l e Is cd the (lood
Templar CUllAtl because it was a whole canee,
and she wee determined to So all she could for
the Good Templar movement. It was only the
other day that she came across an entry in her
diary refirring to the first time that she visited
a Good Templet Lodge in Crtgoe-street, Bir•
iniughant. it she became a Good Templar
at the Lye she looked at her Bible and said if
this cause was of God it would stand ; but if it
was not it would fall. It had stood the test of
time, and was gradully growing instead cf
diminishing, and that was a sufficient guarantee
to her that it was a work of godliness. She had
very great pleasure in being there that evening
to see Sister and Brother Bevington honoured
in the way they wets, and she wished every
blessing would attend them in their new sphere
of labour—(cheers).
Sister Henn sang " Beautiful Maid,- and was
applauded at the termination of the song.
The Chairman thee called upon Brother
Moody to raad the address.
The address having been presented Brother
W. Ward, Esq., 5.D.0.W.C.T., presented a
purse contaiuiug seven pounds to Mr. Beving
ton and said that that,together with the address
which had just been read, was presented to
them as a slight mark of the esteem in which
they were held. He looked with pleasure on the
association of Good Tetnplary which had brought
him in contact with Brother and Sister Beving-
ton. When he (the speaker) first met Sister
Bevington he decided withiu himself that she
was no ordinary person. He had to call upon
her to speak at a public meeting, and when he
did an lie was reminded of a quotation from
Shakespeare " If from her lips some error fall,
look in her face and you will forget it all"
(loud applause). But what fell from the lips of
Sister Bevington was not error, it WAS good
sterling truth, and he loved their Good Templar
cause for bringing him into contact with such a
sister. And lie was sure that the graceful compli-
ment that hail been paid her by Sister Blades
wits in every way deserved. The latter sister
always spoke well, but she had excelled herself
on this occasion. The speaker then referred to
their meetings in the Good Templar Lodge
rooms, and said there was this peculiarity about
theiu that they could always bring their wives,
their sisters and their daughters to them ; and
that though they often heard of member% for-
getting their obligations and disclosing the
secrets of the order, it was seld ins sisters of the
order who were guilty of doing that, but that
quite a proportion of four in every five who had
forgotten their pledges were brothers. He then
referred to the importance of this movement to
females generally, and said that it most inti-
mately concerned them. It was only the other
Saturday night that when he asked a poor
drink ird how it was that Ile did not join them
I he said he would never become a Templar until
his wife became one ; his drinking affected her
more than it did hint. That was true ; for who
suffered more from the effects of drinking than
women did. It was a woman's question. It was
a fact that s drunkard died every five minutes,
and whilst contemplating this he asked the
mothers present to look at their bright-eyed
children and say which of them they should like
in the future to till a drunkards' grave. Were
there any of them that they could spare for
such a fate as that? He earnestly urged them
to banish the drink altogether and beconie Good
Templars. This was the principle that Brother
, Blades &hued as the whole principle ; and it
wae the principle which they meant to stink to.