The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-10-16 00:00:00

BLANDFORD.

RICVISION 01 TUE BURGS'S L.—Th. Mayo
and Assessors (Mr. J. Landes,. and A. 8. Hodges
Eeq.) suet at the Townhall, on Monday week, to reeky
the burgess list There were no objections.

Cou2rrY POLICIL —Before J. J. Farquharson, jun.,
Matthows wan brought up in custody
*barged with poaching for fish in the river Stour,
and was fined Ws. 6d., including costs.

NIGHT ficnooL.—Doring be past week a night
school has been opened at the Boys' National School-
room, for youths under 20 years of age. The subjects
taught are raiding, writing, arithmetic, and
geography, with a view to inspection by the Govern.
meat Inspector in the spring. 54 names have been
given in, and the school has oommenoed with every
prospect of swoon.

Swami Lynam, —Mary Stickley, of Blandford,
formerly of Abbey Milton, was brought before
Lord Portman, at Bryanstone House, on Tuesday
last, charged with unlawfully using a begging letter
for the purpose of extorting money. It appeared
from the statement of Mr. Superintendent Watts
that the prisoner had been in the habit of making
use of such letters for some time past. His lordship
eutioned Stickley that if be wee hood offending
again he would commit him to gaol for two moethe.
Boeotian Fouts's, Oct. 6.—Charles Oundry and
Onus Gallop. of Blandford, leboaren, were charged
with being drink and d sorderly, and refusing to
leave the White Hart lea when desired by the land.
lady, Mrs. Soper.—Complainant misted that on
Saturday, about baltpwit three, Gall.? was in her
house quarrelling with others. She desired him to
leave the house but he refused, and she gave ham
into the custody of the police. Oundry left the
house when she requested him. The prisoner used very
abusive language. P.U. Tom Beaviour corroborated
the complainant's statement —Gallop was fined LI
including costa, or 14 days' imprisonment; and
laundry was discharged with • caution.

"Nani•LIIIIS."—WICAT Is IT ?—.With • view of
exciting inquiry, and securing a larger attendance than
natal, the newly elected secretary of the Blandford
Temperance Society issued handbills, announcing that
on Monday last a pubic meeting would be held in
the Townball for the purpose of giving an amount of
the rise and progress of Nephalisin. This some-
what struts* term called forth many inquiries.
Dictionaries were consulted, and probehl) never had
Johnson or Walker so many devotees. Both of these
were, however, to use • sporting phrase, "drawn blank.'
• few of the more !advanced temperance advocates, who
had bed the privilege of reading Professor Miller's able
work on "Neplualism," and one or two classical scholars
were the only ones who land any true conception of what
Nephalisin was, and consequently the bait took, and the
Townhall was nearly filled by an andienee eager to know
something *bout this newly-found out "ism." Accord-
ing to announcement the temperance bend assembled in
the ante-room, but though their presence indicated
that teetotallers had something to do with the meeting.
It eould hardly he inferred from their appearance and
the pleasing sounds they produced, that they were
the &seeudante of the Greek Mythologists. Shortly
after eight o'cloet, however, all speculation was set
at rest by the flair being Mien by Mr. Ltorectee, the
president of the Blandford Temperance Society, meow,

parried by the secretary (Mr. Cooper), members of the
committee, and the newly elected missionary, Hr.
Flemingmn. The proceediegs oommeseed in the usual
manner by minting and prsyer. The Chairmsn, in intro-
ducing the subject, said he hardly knew what object their
("mode had in view is the annonneerni nt they made, but
he feund that "Nephali-vn " was the Week word for
teetotalism. He did not believe that thi new same was
used bemuse their friends were ashamed of Um old word
"re- •etelism" or of its principle., for he was convinced
that sktotaliam was not only good for the body but the
soul. It ha been the means of raking marry from a
state of usierry and sin to comparative happiness in this
world, and to have & good hope, throes:lf grace, of
everlasting happiness in tme next, and he believed that
there were many before the throne of God who
could trees their grit breathings after holiness and
heaven to the time they Meanie teetotalism Mr.
Cooper gave a very interesting amount of the me and
progress of
Nephalism
aftrZsixlk„:hnert mmemn":l7eTtoennt it!!
the present time. He also explained the maiming of
the term Nephalism, as beiog applied to abstaining
front wise or strong drink, and urged upon its adherents
oocommitcy of conduct and boldness in the advocacy of
its principles, stating that when be can about to be
engseed with the firm in whose employ he now was, he
made it ore of the conditions that he Mould not be
riquired to offer customers wine or any other kind of
strong drink—Mr. Flemington then addressed the
meeting, and mused no small amusement by comparing
himself (he being little in stature) to • little boy. The
"little boy's" remarks, however, were very forcible and
good. To show the progress of the cause, be alluded to
the sneerss of the Don't County Ammiation, and se
one tingle jetsam's of the good effected by " Nephaliam,"
averted to the village of Dewlish, where, through the
enivouragement sierra to the teroperame cause by • lady
named Sullivan, • great change had been effected for
the better in the habits of the people. lie H. Hodges
said that ha haf: been asked by several tle meaning of
the word " Nephalisin," and through the kindness of a
friend was informed that the word was of Greek origin,
Neoboe meaning one who abstained from wise or
!Smog drink. " Nephalus" the obtaining front wince,
string drink. Though new to most of them, it was an
old word, and was taken front " Neplaslia," a feast cele-
brated by the Greeks in honour of their gods, the can-
ditiess of which were that all who shared in it were
required to abstain from wine or strong drink. The
word was therefore MOO years old. In answer to a
statement made to him by • young man that teetotalism
bad slain its thousands, Kt. Hodges said that the
saeuranee societies had proved the fallacy of mush. A
computation es, made of lee different societies, and the
average deaths per 11X/0 insured in • twelvemonth ranged
from 13 to 26. A new elms, that of Teetotalers
was formed, and the death rate in that slam w.. only 71
per thousand in the twelve months, comsequsntly the
National Temperance Provident Society were enabled to
take pledged members at a lower rate then any other.
Their missionary had given several interesting instances
of the progress' of the temperance cause in the county.
He had mush pleasure in reporting the prove, of the
cause in &national point of eiew. It was • clearly eltab-
Bared Not that in the United Kingdom there were over
three million a:Mainers, exclusive of those belonging to
Bands of Hope. This was a most encouraging fact. If
during a period of about 34 years their society bad
increaaed from seven men to three millions of men and
women, beside children, whst might they not expect
during the course of the next :10 years. Earnestly
eldressing the females present to become, if they were
not already, teetotallers, Mr. Hodges remarked that it
wan easier to get three men to abstain then ooe female.
—After • few concluding remarks by the Chairman, the
meeting separated, a collection bang made at the doors
for the band fund, which certainly deserves every
support.