The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-10-25 00:00:00

THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH AND
TEMPERANCE

A conference convened by the Church Temperance 804111
WY held In Eseter on Monday lateral, on.
Sir John Kennaway, M.P., who presided, said be
was glad the society proposed for the present to avoid
the thorny path of legislation. The experience of the
past few years bad shown that this question was (meet
the greateet difficulty to legislatore, and he did not think
they were prepared to deal with it any more at present.
He could speak !tom personal experience of what legis-
lation had done in America, and what ought to be
done by measures of repression, and the conclusion be
had come to was that in the present state of publie
feeling in England Acta of regulation, such am wer•
passed two years ago, were all the country WM fit for,
It was of no use to legislate in advance of public
opinion, and therefore he had recorded his vote against
the Permissive Bill, which he did not think • prac-
ticable measure at all. But, still avoiding legialatton,
there was an immense deal that might be done be
moral suasion and by the great influence of the Char&
I being brought to bear on the habits of the people.

- . -
The Bishop of Exeter presided at a meeting held le
the evening. He said it was a duty incumbent upon
every clergyman and every sincere member of Mt
Church of England to do him utmost to save °thee
from the fearful sin of intemperanoe ; but it woo
obvious that more could be done by assoeiotiolo
than by individual exertion. There were two
matters which he desired especially to hareem ce
all connected with the society. In the first
should aim, through the Legislature and
every other means within their reach, to diminish
number of publichousea It would be • very red
gain that there should no longer be that exceisivs
superabundance of temptation. That temptation at
present lay not only in the number of pubihr
but also in the devicee to attract custom ito ec7i
higcs
publichonsekeepers were obliged to resort in oozes.
cinema of the keenness of competition in the trade.
If the temptation could be diminished men would
very often be able to control themselves, eag
would be very ready to protect themselves /against their
own weakness if they could. It was simply ridiculous
to talk as if we were all strong men. The Gospel
taught men to consider that they were weak, to avoid
temptation, and to take temptation out of the way a
others. Of course, they could not make men sober by
legislation or by compulsion of any kind, but they Iml2
make • great difference by taking temptations to
drunkenness out of their way. Temptations, they
were told, must come, but woe to him by whom they
came. He berieved the great majority of sober.
minded thinkers on this subject would inevitably come
to the conclusion at which he had arrived. He be-
lieved also that • great many had already arrived at the
same conclusion, only they did not see how the thing
was to be done. lAt them put steady and unremittmg
pressure on the nation in this direction, and he believed
a great deal might ultimately be effected. Another
thing at which the society should aim was to provide
counter attractions to the publichouse, In the shape rd
places of wholesome recreation and innocent, sober ea.
joyment. If they could only reduce drunkenness by
one half it would be an object worth all the effort sad
• organization they coeldcornmand.

Canon Ellison, of Windsor, and others spoke, sad it
WWI resolved,to form a branch of the psrent society in
Exeter.