The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-05 00:00:00

*cal an istrict gews.

URAND DEMONSTRATION OF GOOD
TEMPLARS.

The above Order held a Grand Dewonstratiou
in this town,ou Monday last. The demonstration
was originated by the Stourbridge Trininpliant
Lodge,' which holds its weekly meetings in St.
Thomas's Schowl-room, and they were assisted
by members of the Order from Kidderwiuster,
Birwingbani, West Bromwich, and other places.
At about three o'clock in the afternoon the pro-
cession, headed by the Dudley Temperance
Brass Baud, started from the Methodist New
Connexion Chapel, Kidderminster-street, and
proceeded through the principal streets of the
town. The procession was composed of about
800 persons, of both sexes, and as they were all
dressed well and respectably, and 'sore their
handsome regalia, it presented a very pleasing
appearance indeed. We must not forget to
mention, too, that there was carried at the head
of the procession a large and very handsome
banner belonging to the West Brow wich Lodge
of Good Templam At live o'clock the members
and friends of the order to the 'lowlier of about
duo partook of tea in the Corn Exchange, which
was provided by Mr. Taylor, confectioner, of
this town. Shortly after seven o'clock, the
room having been cleared, a public meeting was
held; the Bev. A. C. Bevington presiding.

After a hymn had been sang by those present,
and prayer offered up by the Rev. A. C. Beving.
ton; the band played a selection of music as au
introduction to the more serious business of the

meeting.
The Rev. A. C. Bevington then opened the
meeting by saying that he bed great pleasure in
presiding over this great and interesting meet-
ing. He went on to speak of the rapid pro-
gress of Good Templarisin as exemplified in
Stourbridge, and said that though the " Trium•
phant Lodge" was only started in May last there
were now 50 members on their books. He then
described the prodigious strides which the order
had made since its first introduction to this
country in the year le3e.doan to the present
time,when they had over 166,000 members of
the order in England. Their principles and
pledge were total abstinence from intoxicating
drinks. They were positively an independent
body, and looked after their own sick and pour,
and were no niggards. They distributed tracts,
and engaged in every good work. The ladies
in their fraternal home had as much power and
influence as gentlemen, aud sometimes had more
to say—(laughter). They admitted people of
all ages and of both sexes. The business of the
meeting being over they road essays and devised
plans for the promulgation of temperance. Their
signs for recognition outside, and passwords,
grips, dcc., were all useful. They bad in their
ranks men of high intellectual standing. He
concluded by an earnest appeal to those present
to come and join them one and all, and they
would do them good. He said he must request
the spencers to be as brief as possible as time
Was short, and in addition to the addresses the
band were to play several selections of music.
He then call upon Mr. Melville the District
Deputy, to address the meeting.
Mr. Melville, of Malvern, said the chairman
bad given him the hint that be was to be brief.
The Chairman had been describing the order in
a general way. Bather less than two years ago,
in May 14371, when the order was first started in
Worcestersuire, he the speaker) was one of the
charter members, and he was proud to have
been one of the pioneers of the order in this
county. A twelvemonth after eight lodges had
been established in the county of Worcester.
Before six months had passed they numbered
three distinct lodges. Some people would think
there was nothing wonderful about that; in fact
in the north they would probably thiuk their
progress had hem u very slow; but they had a
very different class of people to deal with in
Worcestershire to what they had in tlie north.
The people sometimes asked him "Supposing
we were all to become teetotallers, whet would
be done with the barley ?" To this he would
reply " Don't grow it." He (lid not see the
necessity for growing barley when there were so
many thoneands wanting wheat— ,hear, hear).
Mrs. F. Blades tuf West Bromwich) next ad.
dressed those present, and said it was (36 years
since she first entered the town of Stourbridge,
and then she went to the Lye. In the October
of that year she became a teetotaller. It was
while engaged in teaching Sunday School
children that alma became convinced that nothing
short of total abstinence would serve the people.
She thought she had better address the women.
It had been freipiently remarked to her that bad
St. Pau' Lv. d at the present time end seen the
vice, degradation, end misery that WBB brought
about by intoxicating drinks, lie wonld have
temn glad to have allowed the women or anyone
else to raise their voices against it and do all in
their power to stop the growing evil by asking
all to become total abetainers—amongst the
people, in the church and in the ministry. Until
they could get total abstinence in the ministry
they would not be able to get it amongst the
people. Her sister was in a prison in London
a short time ago and was much struck by the
appearance of the women there. There seemed
to be such a cloud over their faces that her
sister wept to see theni. Those women had
once been pure and happy, with friends to care
for them. One of the women died whilst she
Was there; and when her (the speaker's) sister
went outside " What del she see ?" Plenty of
ginshops ; owing to whose influence, doubtless,
the greater part of them were in that unhappy
place. And whilst they (ere tli e that eveniag
thousands upon thousands were dying and going
down to their graves prematurely from the same
Call Se. They 82W now that they must speak
strongly. They must say touch not, taste not,
handle not the accursed thing—(applause). She
had never had it in her house. If persons went
to her house she gave them the best that she
had ; but not intoxicating drink. She would
like to be able to show those who were there
that evening who were not total abstainers some
of the poverty and sin that was caused by drink.
She should like to bring such an array before
them as would move their hearts with pity. It
was not neeessary, however, for her to detail it
to them as they could take up any daily paper

and see it for themselves. She never went to a I
meeting and tried to make people laugh for she
thought the subject was too grave for laughter.
Instead of making them laugh she wanted to
make them do something else—she wanted to
make them act; and those who were not ab-
stainers she should like them to become so. Let
her friends only think what a God-like privilege
it was to save. There were some who had not
seen their temperance pledge. What was the
reason that people in power did not try to make
more abstainers in the land than they did. The
fact was the great capitalists wanted a good
place in which to invest their capital, and they
knew that puplic - houses, distilleries and
breweries were good and paying investments.
The groat brewers wanted the working men, the
distillers wanted them, and the Government
wanted them. Were they going to work for
theni—(Cries of " No, no.") She wished to
make them work for themselves; not for the
great brewers, not for the great distillers, not
for the publicans, but for themselves and their
families. She would ask those who were not
abstainers "How lung did they intend to work
for those classes of people r She believed they
would do a great work if they left off from that
night and never more took any intoxicating
drinks. As long as they took anything at all
they could not talk to a man who took too mach,
because they could not say how much would do
them good. She had sometimes been called
rabid because she had said it was a sin to drink
intoxicating liquors. She believed it was a sin
to drink intoxicanta because they would take
r away what was the greatest blessing that God
bestowed on man—his reason. She was once in
• lunatic asylum, and she would never forget
What she saw there. Woo be to those who put
strong drink before their neighbours to deprive
them of their reasoning powers. At this point
Mr. Hewing, from Birmingham, entered the
room, and he was greeted with tremendous
cheering . The speaker then made en earnest
appeal to the ladies present and told them that
she wished to plead with them in particular.
They had young England in their hands. Would
they give up strong drink so that they may give
a good example. It was said that mothers had
the making of the principles of their children;
let them see that they did not give them strong
drink so that they might not lead them in the
way in which they should not go. The old
temperance society had become slightly jealous
of Good Templary. Some one had said to her
the other day that the son was going to turn the
father out of doors. She thought that this arose
from a little jealousy on the part of the father.
It was the same in private life. When a son
was a boy a father was frequently never tired of
hearing his praises sounded ' • but when the son ,
grew up and made as he did in some instances ,
a better man than his father, then the latter grew
jealous. She appealed to them, however, not
to grow jealous of one another, as they were all
working for the same groat cud. She urged
them lento be satisfied with what they had done. 1
When people had been a little successful they I
were apt at times to lay down their weapons;
but they must not du so. We had sent people
to Africa to put down slavery; and it was a
glorious thing to do. She appealed to them to
try and rescue the poor drunkard from a worse
thraldom than that of the African slave. She
thought she heard some bright young lady say
that she would never have any mere. She ad-
vised them to leave it at once and they would ,
never regret it. Could they not believe her after
an abstinence of 86 years. She besought them
to think over those things; and earnestly re-
quested both her young and aged friends to sign
the pledge before they went out of that room ,
that evening; and if they did that they would
cause her heart to sing for joy—(applause).
Then baud then played a selection of music;
after which

Mrs. A. C. Bevingtou rose to address the
meeting, and said that she wished to say a few
words about the great curse that was devastating
our land. They had very happy meetings once
a week called " Good Templars Lodge Meet-
ings.- In those meetings they tried to do what-
ever good work came to their hands. In one of
those meetings they contemplated the Stour.
bridge Fair. They asked God to help thew to
prevent some portion, at least, of the intemper-
ance and debauchery that usually takes place
on that occasion. They were informed that
some abominations were held in that room every
fair night, and they determined to get up that
demonstration so as to prevent that. She was
happy to say that there were some gentlemen
amongst the Commissioners who were in their
favour, and they let them have that room some
100 cheaper than they would have let the repre-
sentatives of the publicans have it—t Great
cheering). Once a farmer had some sheep ins
field; and though they were well tended they
drooped and died. For a long time he could not
discover the cause of this ; but eventually it
turned out that there was some poisonous grass
in the field. They, in like manner, felt that
there wee poisonous grass all around them and
they tried to do all in their power to prevent as
many as possible from tasting that poisonous
grass, and to induce them instead to become
Good 'lemplars. She had been frequently told
that she rated the temperance qaestiou too
highly—that in fact she put it before Christi-
anity ; but she thought it was part cud parcel of
Christianity and she would think she had dune
a great thing if elm only succeeded in dissuading
any one man or woman from ever again enter-
ing a public-house. They—the Good Templare
—opened their meetings with singing and prayer.
Thsy listen to essays and reviews about how to
save the pant drunkard. She once saw an ad-
vertiseuient for a public-house tt Wanted on
Sabbath evenings Sunday School scholars to
sing sacred songs." When they saw such
practices as these being pursued by publicans to
entrap the young what were they to do ? People
would say to them "but they do sing sacred
songs,and we have heard them ; ' but she thought
it was nothing less than sacrilege to do so in
such a place and for such a purpose. Who
suffered more from the drink traffic than the
families of the drunkard. She asked them to
, try to picture to themselves the misery that
, this drink had brought into the world. She had
in her possession a letter from a lady who was
once in favourable circumstances ; but who had
been brought down to the lowest depths of
poverty through drink. When they saw effects
like that,was it not enough to make one's heart
bleed. She would ask the Christian Church to
come and join their ranks and help them. She
was not there to unchristiauize them, but to
plead with them. It is recorded that when our
Lord beheld a certain city be wept for it ; but he
I did not only weep for it, he died for it. She
thought she heard them ask God for the mind
thet was in Jesus. There could not be a shadow
of a doubt that if they could only persuade them
"to do without it was their duty to do so. It
I was impossible to do any good work without
I putting one's-self to some slight inconvenience.
She was not going to tell them that they would
I never get to heaven if they were not abstainera ;
Ibut if abstinence was a means she would ask
them to take np.that cross. ?hey were not going
ask that question which that young man who
imbrued his hands in his brother's blood asked.
They would say they were their brother's keeper.
If they could save one poor broken-hearted
mother from an early grave, they would be well
repaid for any little inconvenience it might be
to them, scipposiog, for a minute, that drink did
Ido them good. And then, as to giving drink to
others,they could not conscientiously do it. She
I would plead with them for the sake of broken
hearted mothers; for their young sous ; and for
I the sakes of the little children who sat around
them. She knew the case of a young man who
had grown up fall of promise, but who had been
brought to • premature grave through drink
" On the day of the funeral several who were pie.
I sent knowing the young man who was generally
beloved on account of his amiable disposition.
wept and mourned for his untimely end. But
I there was one there who wept more loudly than
all the others, and that was the young man's
lather. And he afterwards explained that his
reason for his great grief was that he first gave
hi q ~nn the taste for strong drink. He said that
weII hie eon was a lad he was rather of a weakly
constitution and he used to ask him to have a
drop of brandy, or other spirits thinking it
would do him good; and that it was in this way
the taste was first formed for what afterwards
proved to be his ruin. This man was a good
Christian and respected by all who knew him.
' When we offer drink to others we cannot tell
what results will accrue from it. After having
done that what could they say to the poor
drunkard? In conclusion she would ask them
if they would spend one half hour some day that
week in thinking over the sorrows that were
brought about by those intoxicating drinks.
I They had hundreds who had been cast out by the
church; and this too frequently happened

TEE STOTTRIVI'DGE OBSERVER.

leader was • tippler, and had given tharelitato
those who succumbed to its fascinations--(great
cheering).
Brother Payne then sang a song which he
said was composed expressly for that demonstra-
tion.
Brother H. Osborne said the chairman had
referred to their Worthy Chief Templar Matins.
In the year 1897 the latter emigrated to America;
but in the following year he returned and opened
the first Good Templar Lodge in the town of
Birmingham. He lately instituted a new lodge
in the town of Coventry (the speaker's native
place) and that lodge was numbered 2,227. They
had now a mighty army and they were fighting
King Alcohol. They went out in their uniform
and they were proud to fight their battles. They
had over 2,600 lodges. They had had an increase
of seven lodges since September, and an increase
of 90 lodges during the year. He went on
giving farther statistics with reference to the
rapidly growing power of Good Templary.
Persons would aak what was the meaning of all
this. He would tell them that it meant a good
many things. It meant something that was not
very pleasing to publicans. It meant great
resisting power to their influence in Parliament.
Its was proud at the great success of that meet-
ing, and at the appearance which that room pre-
sented that night. Every lodge meant an
earthwork of safety that would protect the sons
and daughters of our land, and that would save
the drunkard also' no matter how low he had
sank. Every lodge meant political power. They
had not shown their political power as yet ; but
they soon should do so. Every lodge then
meant a moral and political power. Moral
suasion would do much. Let them hut once get
those inside their order that they wished to
save, and they would never leave them. He
concluded by asking those that wero there who
were not abstainers to join the order at once.
The Good Tempters there would be only too
glad to initiate them, and though the ceremony
of initiation would make them feel rather peculiar
at first they would like it afterwards.
The band then played a selection of Irish
Airs.
The Bev. T. Williams, incumbent of SL
John's Church, was the next to address those
present. He said that he had felt it his duty
from what he had seen around him for some
years past to throw whatever influence he might
have on the side of the temperance cause. Mrs.
Blades had spoken of having been connected
with the temperance movement for 80 years.
He had only known Stourbridge for 27 years,
and he was sure they could not have got up such
a grand affair as they had that night when be
first came to the town. Good Templary had
greatly influenced public opinion,and he thought
that was one of the greatest things that had
been done by the temperance cause. Some
years ago no man in the upper classes of society
would have adovcated the temperance cause. It
was not so now for they had at the present time
baronets and other gentlemen of position
amongst their number. And then look at the
political power that this movement had givers
them. A few years ago the political power of
temperance was nothing; now the Government
were pledged to recognise the influence of
temperance—(hear, bear). And he should be
glad to see further legislation for putting down
this iniquitous traffic. He thought it had been
the ruin of thousands of Christian souls. A
remark was made some time ago by one of the
speakers about the ministers of religion taking
the part of temperance. He had been pleased to
see a few weeks ago a large meeting of all the
bishops to help forward the cause of temperance
which was presided over by the Archbishop of
Canterbury. The man to whom the greatest
honour was due for this movement among the
clergy was the late Archdeacon Sandford—loud
cheers). His whole life was given to that cause.
It was his exertions at that great meeting that
had brought on that stroke of paralysis which
carried him off. But he the speaker) was sure
that there was never a martyr who had given up
life more willingly. He would especially invite
the young men and women to give this temper-
ance a trial. He had often been told by persons
that they could not do with this temperance,
aud he then asked them how long they had tried

Ai=._
minister

speaker

-they said 7iTot at all." He then told them
that if they had not tried it they could not
possibly tell whether they could do with it or
not. He urged upon those present to give it a
trial and he was sure they would Ind that it
would do them good. He had tried it for many
years now and believed that he was the better
for it. In coming down to that meeting he saw
such sights that he was confident that no one
could see worse things amongst barbarians than
he saw in a christian town that night.
Mr. Hewins, said there was one request he had
to make to those present, and that was that while
he was speaking of they would allow him and
those outside to make all the noise themselves.
The chairman had told them that he was making
a fortune. One thing was certain that he would
not make it out of them, for whatever he did for
Templarkan he did for nothing, and found his own
materials—(laughter)—and he was quite ready to
allow the chairman to go halves with him. There
was only one thing which he wished to say with
regard to the rev, gentleman who had just ad-
dressed them. One thing; and that was he liked to
see the right man in the right place, and if ever
there were two men in the right place it was when
they saw the chairman there (the Rev. A. C.
Beviugton) and the other there (meaning the key.
T. Williams) and a shoemaker (meaning himself)
between. He was not a preacher but he was a
mender of soles, and he earned his living by ho.
proving the understandings of the people—
(laughter). He worked all day to cover their
feet, and then at night he got to their heads—
(laughter). A short time ago a gentleman who
had lent them a room to hold one of their meetings
in seemed a little annoyed at souse of the remarks
that had been made. When asked the next morn-
ing what it was that annoyed him, he replied that
it was that they only made two classes—the
drunkards and abstainers—and that they placed
him amongst the drunkards. The reply was that
they did not place him amongst the drunkards
but that they found him there. It' was his fault
to be found there. Some people seemed to think
that the bible was in favour of strong drink, but
he (the speaker) never could find that that was
the case. One day he was reading portions of that
book at a meeting, when S man who was present
said Does not the Bible teach you to love your
enemies?' He replied, " Yes; but it does not
teach us to swallow them "—(laughter). They
knew that sometimes their friends, by their sharp-
ness tried to trip them up; but on some occasions
if they fell their friends tell with them. He was
at a meeting at Dudley once and it was stated by
Mr. Taylor the secretary and founder of a Build-
ing and Land Societystated that three bricks cost
at that time only Id. He was trying to calculate
how much a man could swallow, and spoke of one
man who had swallowed a row of houses. Upon
hearing this, a man in the room called out," You
are right, master; I have swallowed a clock to-
day." He (the speaker) said to him "You are
wound up to-night; and the man replied " I am."
Hs then rejoined "You will have to go on tick."
The man said "I shall." The speaker then said
" Don't strike when you get home to-night"—
(great laughter). He had been a teetotaller for
23 years last month. He did not know how the
publicans had got on without him, but he p,,et on
very well without them. A man had once in a
moment of passion, struck a priest and the latter
thought the greatest punishment he could give the
man in the way of penance was to make him sign
the pledge and keep it for three months. The
man signed the pledge and kept it. At the expira-
tion of the time the priest met the man again and
asked him if he was not now sorry for what he had
done. The man told him he was sorry, not for
having struck him,bad because he had not struck
him years before. In fact he had found out what
a blessing the pledge was, and he loved it. He
the speaker loved it because it taught men and
women to help themselves. It enables them to
help poverty and administer to the necessities of
the destitute. Directly after a man took the
pledge he would feel the benefit of it. The Satur-
day night after the husband goes home and takes
his money to his wife. It is more money than she
ever had in her life before, and the poor woman
hardly knows what to do with it. She buys a bit
of meat for the Sunday's dinner and is able to pay
lwseaorw Teekthoy re hvin
towards the back
in a back ek rent.
eTlzui a
t's thnedfironott
being able to pay the rent they were obliged to
stop there.. But, now, things are different. They
pay up their back rent and take a nice front house
In a respectable street, and sometimes save money
on,,ugh to buy a house of their own. He could
tell them that he knew of houses which were saved
out of the ginshop. He was present when they
presented James Taylor, the secretary of the
Freehold Land Society,vrith a service and other
things valued at more than .2700. He heard Jas.
Taylor say on that occasion that all he had on
earth—and heaven also, if he ever went there,—
was got out of teetotalism. At that meeting he
said that whenever a man sat down and called for
a pennyworth of tobacco he should, instead, ask
for three bricks; for that was what, the money
would purchase. That was, of °our., some years

ago. na sr) did not know what three
bricks would be now. Some smokers burn
down a house in their pipes. When they went to
a public-house to call for a quart of ale he told
them to ask instead for a yard of land, for that
was the value of the 5d which they would give for
the ale. On hearing this statement one of the
men present declared that he had swallowed many
a field. Threk parts of the poverty of the people
of this country was brought on by their own im-
providence. They had now 400 policemen in Bir-
mingham, and they were going to add to the
'loather. If ever he (the speaker) was ever in the
Bankruptcy Court it was drink that would be the
cause of it. His men would not work more than
three or four days per week. It was a fact that
in proportion to the number of the public-houses
so was the number of police required. They once
tried in Liverpool how free trade in drink would
act, and during that twelvemonths they were com-
pelled to increase the number of police by 123
additional men. He then said he would show them
how this was. Be would suppose for the sake of
argument that himself and the chairman were two
eminent professors of chemistry and they were
making an experiment as to what would be the
best ingredients to put into that glass to dissolve
the handle of that knife which beheld in his hand.
(He then put in several small pieces of paper
which were supposed to represent different
chemicals; and then one large piece). They would
see that the experiment was not yet quite success-
ful, for although the handle was somewhat
softened it was not dissolved. They would repeat
the experiment; but this time would leave out the
large piece. They would see now that the experi-
ment was a thorough success. That large piece of
paper was the drink, and it counteracted all the
good influence of the other ingredients. (He then
balanced a piece of stick on the neck of the water
bottle and placed a penny on each end of it.). He
said that on one side there was drink and crime.
He would put another public-house on that side
and then they would see that to restore the
balance they would be compelled to put a police-
man on the other side; and that was the way the
rates were increased. Addressing the clergymen
on the platform he said they spent their whole
lifetimes in trying to do people good. If he were
them he should strike for more money. If ever
there was a class who deserved to be well paid it
was those who used their brain power and their
whole efforts in trying to make the people better
than they were. He believed it was D. Hill, the
late Reccuster for Birmingham who said, " Let me
do what I will; let me turn what way I will to
benefit my fellowmen the demon drink turns up to
defeat my cause." People would say but God sent
the drink, or it would not be, here. He did not
believe that the Bible recommended drink. Let
them take it at the beginning. The very first
thing that they read about wine is in connection
with Noah. He was the very best man living, or
he and his family would not have been saved from
the flood. What did it do to him. They all knew
and it was not necessary for him to tell them. Ile
would admit for the sake of argument that God
sent it. Did they not recollect that Moses had a
brazen serpent and that all who looked upon it
with the eyes of faith were healed. But they bowed
down and worshipped it and forgot the living God:
and Moses said" Smash it." When they tried to
induce some men to leave off they would say "but
I only drink a little drop." 1 o such he would
retort' Then you have the less to give up." He
had known lots of preachers who had tried but
could not give it up. He recollected being pre-
sent at a meeting once when Canon Miller was in
the chair and the latter pitched into the Alliance.
It Wad a very bad job for him. It was a very bad
job for any man who said anything against teetotal-
ism when he (the speaker) was present, They
were talking about the best way to abate the
attractiveness of the public-house, and Canon
Miller said he thought it would be advisable to
take the music away from the public-houses. He
(the speaker) said, " What,you will take the music
from the drink ; leave the bad, and take away the
good; I will go farther than you and will take
away the drink from the music. You wish to take
the musk away and leave the driuk. Take the drink
away and leave the music and I shall not complain."
A friend of his met a publican whom he knew in the
street one day, and noticing that he looked very
jubilant, he asked him what was the cause of it. He
said" Oh. I have just sent my aife off to Ramsgate;
and his friend rejoined "And your customers to New'
gate, I suppose. My brother recollects that your
brother went right over the sea a short time ago at
the Government expense"—(laughter). A short
time ago himself and two of his neighbours were
ordered to go to Warwick about the same time. In
Birmingham it was a serious thing to be sent to
Warwick. He went, and when he got tnere he was
shown into a nice room cud a very pleasant young
lady asked him what he would take—tea or coffer,
and an egg. He generally like to be asked to take
more eggs (laughter). At night be returned
home safe and sound to the bosom of his family. His
neighbours never rettuue& One of them was hang
and the other transported for life. They were the
representatives of the beer barrel and lie represented
the pump. He shortly afterwards concluded amid
great applause.

A vote of thanks was then proposed to the chair-
man by Brother J. W. Barness, for the able way in
wheb he lutal conducted the business of the evening,
and it was seconded by Brother E. Rider, and carried
unanimously.
. . . _ . .

The eingil'ig of the Doxology bight the highly
sueee6sful and interesting meeting to a close.