The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-03-29 00:00:00

TIIMPERANOE MISSION.

A temperance conference was held on Monday after-
noon last, ill the Friends' Meeting Howie, Lay'awl
street, whirl) was very numerously attended. The
rector of Poole (the Rev. J. A. Lawson) presided, and
was supported by the Mayor of Poole (Mr. G. Curtis),
Rev. Pelham Stokes (rector of Wareham), Mr. J. Hilton
Temperancendon), Mr. I'. W. Glover (U.K.A.), Mr. G. Calvert
astern Temperance League), Rev. G. T. Dixon, Rev.
Evans, Rev. J. Wright, Mr. Aldermen Norton, Mr.
IL Penney (Sometszy to the Dorset Asaociation), and
others. The Rev. V. Pocock wrote regretting that he
was unable to be present The meeting having been
opened with the singing of a hymn and prayer, offered
by the Rev. E. Evans, the proceedings wore introduced

by
The CHAIRMAN, who congratulated them that the
mooting wits not Rn isolated assembly, but was being
held in connection with similar grathenugs to WI., place
at Bournemouth, Cluistchurch, and other places, and
•

that, in fact, the whole of that area was at present the
scene of • great temperance mission. He felt that alone
was sufficient to encourage them, both as regarded the
present and the future, lie had great pleasure in bring
present that afternoon, and to take part in the object
they had in view; first, to encourage themselves in
la their principles, and next to make thaw principles

known to others.
Mr. T. W. °Lorna then read a paper on "Tim. Legisla-
tive aspod of the Movement." In the course tit it he
remarked it was now some 400 years since in this
country they had commenced trying to control the traffic
in strong drink, and in that space of time their legud..
tors had passed 420 different Acts of Parliament, aLI
leaving it easy to get drink whilst it was desired to
make it difficult to get drunk. And they had reached g
time when only men of irreproaohable character, girt in
houses perfectly adapted for it, could carry on the trade,
and even the drink itself, as their worthy Mayor was
obliged to tell one of their publicans the other day,
must not be adulterated with too much pure honest
water. Four hundred years having passed, it was about
time to consider what had been the result. The
'- • "

very last popular remedy was the grannie of betimes to
groconi, and it was now generally felt that that had had
the efioct of increasing the sin, especially among the
women of the country. These regulatiora had moved
thenetelvee a failure; neither did be think the diminu-
tion of the number of houses would have any effect.
The only legislation that he could find that ever
succeeded in diminishing the consumption of strong
drink was that which would permit the people to clear
out the traffic altogether from the whole districts if they
desired to do so. (Hear, Mar.) The lecturer then
quoted • any° number of statistics to prove that this
had never failed. Among others which be adduced, he
said the report of the convocation of Canterbury stated
there were 1,500 parishes in that province alone without
• single drink-shop, and crime and pauperism were
shown by the returns to be at • minimum. In County
Tyrone there was a district of 61 square acre., inhabited
by 10,000 persons, and with throe great roads communicat-
ing with market towns running through it. Entirely
owing to the self-action of the people. there were no
public-houses in it. There was not a single policeman
in the district, and the poor rates were only half what
they were before. (Applause.) Yr. COlio6, the Lord
Provost of Glasgow, stated before the committee that
there was a district near Glasgow known API Fossil
Park, of 6,000 inhabitants. There WWI no publicdeono,
no crime, one policeman, and no lock-up. In Lanai.
shire there was a village, about a mile from Chtheroe, of
1,100 souls. There Was no public-house, no policeman,
as prison, no pawnbroker, no doctor, and no lawyer
(hear, hear, and laughter), and the rate of mortality for
that district was something remarkably low, being only
Li decimal a small fraction Ise thousand per annum.
Toxton Park, Liverpool, had lately been divided into
districts, and be would give them the statistics :
Population. Public-houses. Pauperism.
A ... 25,000 100 tin 28
It ... 45,000 100 1 in 80

... ... .
a 50,000 0 1 in 1000
(Cheers.) In Maine the law had proved • grand
success. In Kansas, by the popular vote, • most
Draoonic measure would come Into operation on the
first of May. It not only made the sale, but the manu-
facture of intoxicating liquors a misdemeanonr. The
speaker concluded by reiterating his conviction that
prohibition was the only means that would Achieve the
end they had in view.
Re% MAUI( STOICIa followed, and argued in favour
of Sunday closing. In Scotland they had had it for
more than a quarter of it century. awl it had workol
excellently. In Ireland a bill with that objet was
passed in 1878, and Wales had sent up • deputatiou,
which said although they had no home Merit as in Ire-
land, yet upon that question they also wished to b,,
home rulers, and a bill to shut up the houses on Sunday
in that prineipality was pissed in June last without a
division. The opening of publichouses during the
hours of service was one of the greatest hindrances to
his work on the Sabbath evening that he had to contend
with. At the same time he believed in our equality of
trade, ladore the taw as of persons. $o that if thev had
restrictive laws with regard to drink they might also to
have theni for other trades. He had lately made
enquiries among the working.men and innkeepers of
Wareham, and be lad found they Are by no means averse
to Sunday closing. Thew Was no doubt Sunday closing
ought to be total. and they should lint it upon Am
highest of grounds—because it was the Leong day.
(Hoar, hear.) He would say just in passing that he did
Dot approve of the opening of exhibitions and museums
and all that sort of thing. That great satirist Voltaire
said, •' If I want to undermine the English faith I must
first undermine the English Sabbath." The rev. gentle.
man also advocated Local Option, which be ^aid wax
but a branch of self government. Surely the inhabit-
ants of a locality knew their own requirements best.
Often the innocent suffered for the guilty, and the town
got a bail reputation. Ile Was Sorry to say they had
got a had one at Warelutm. He was doing his best to
get rid of it, but somehow or another when once it was
' got it stuck to a town. The great thing they must
remember was their personal responsibility. They
must bring up their children not to taste it, and then
they would not love it, and what a great blessing that
would be for the country, for they must remember their
children were the future generation. In their personal
example they must be thorough and earnest. They
must be strong in their faith in God, and make it the
subject of their prayers. (Applause.)
Mr. J. HILTON was quite willing to repeal all laws
with regard to the sale of intoxicating liquor, and then
it would stand its own chance, and he believed they
would be able to bring a charge of nuisance against
every Owe that rwld intoxicating liquors. He could
suggest no remedy for the evils complained of. but the
putting down of the trade. They must be a little par-
ticular as to the details and the mode of carrying out
their object. There was nothing more popular now
than to propose some system of Local Boards for
counties who should nay there should be a certain
number of houses here or there, or none at all. And it
was supposed it would be It, jeople who would really
order this, its the representatives on the Board would ho
elected by the people. But he did not agree with it.
What they wanted was that every parish in the United
Kingdom should have the opportunity of saying whether
these licenses should be prohibited in our midst or not.
(Hear, hear.) The grand point they had to keep before
them WAS that people everywhere should have the power
of preventing themselves in their own immediate neigh.
bourhood being cursed with publichouses. It was, he
contended, one of the most moderato proposals that
could be made.
Hey. E. EVANa having laid a few words,
11ev..1. Wittotrr spoke. He said he had often been
asked whether it was just for tlw majority to Mist
peeuniary injury upon those who had invested in the
business, and how they were going to compensate them?
He had sometimes asked in reply how they wen• going
to rompentiate those who had sustained such great
injury through yielding to the temptation thew
people had put in their way? (hfear. hear.) If any man
chose to undertake a work which inflicted lane up'n
those around them, however much the money he might
have expended upon it, ho was not entitled to compeu.
tuition. (Applause.)
I
Mr. G. CALVNItT urged upon his hearers not to forget
the little details of the law, but to put them into fliers.
lion whenever they could. Every lodge of tbssl
Templars should have a list of all the publichouses in
their towns and the names of the landlords. and they
should be occasionally called over at their secret meetings,
and then they could We if they could mot bring up sonic.
thing against them at the Brewster Session. (laughter.)
Mr. atotalt proposed the following resolution :
e That this meeting cordially approves of the principle
of local option and the total closing of publichousex on
the Sabbath day, and respectfully urges upon the member
for Poole to mupport those measures when they come
before the House of Commons."
Mr. Alderman Nollerolit seconded the proposition, and
it was carried nem tits.
The Mayor of Poole, Mr. G. CrWite, who is president
of the Dorset County Temperance Aseociation, spoke •
few words concerning it. Hu said his mind was carried
back to the formation of the Temperance Society for
Poole. In those days prohibition or anything of that
clutriwter was unknown, but still the pledge he had the
honour to sign embraced all that could be said—. Touch
not, taste not, handle not strong drink." The association
principally directed its attention to what was caned
"moral 'suasion. They were not AO careful of the
legislative aspect of the movemeut in their advent/.
They appealed to public opinion. It was a good dial
more than 40 years ago, as Mr. Hilton had said, since he
signed the pledge, and as he said at the fete at the
Crystal Palace he had done better than that—he had
been able to keep it. (Applause.) His experience, after
the labours of nearly half &century, was that drunkards,
notorious drunkards, if after theyhave signed the pledge
their hearts were not changed, and they became thoroughly
Christian in heart, sooner or later they would fall again
under the influence of temptation. It was only when
there were 'Oiled to temperance the other graces God
was willing to give that they were ultimately saved for
time and eternity. (Hear, hear.) The association
embraced all sections of temperance work, and they
hailed with pleasure and would take whatever in their
way towards helping on the great work they bad in view.
Something more than 20 pant ago it came into their
minds to extend their operation* beyond their own
immediate neighbourhood, and to go into the villages.
That movement ripened into the County ASSOCiatiile,
ati.l now a great many meetings Wero held every week
through their agents, and the aspect of things Wad greatly
changed. Thanks to the formation of the Chuieh of
England Society they now had the co-operation of file
elermuen in nearly every village, and thew *gambit...ons
Iwere 1,64,1 at their 'terriee almost invariably. Ile well
remembered the first tmnperauce venom they wanted
preaelmsL It was about 48 years ago, and it took ono
..f the con iiii ittee many days trudging about to find s
miniater that Was a teetotaler. (Laughter.) And then
tin could not fled one until at bugle • little out-of-the-

way place, Rem Regis, they found a live parson, who spiritual food, some of which it is said is
had been two years without drinking anything stimu- very much adulterated with llomish leaven but
lating—(laughter)--and he preached them their sermon I have not as yet learnt that any member of the
In the Skinner-street Cha At that time he hardly establishment has threatened to oppose Mr. Dung. Of
anticipated the day would come when the pulpits of course the reader will see at once that what I really ought
WeAminster Abbey and St. Paul's would be at their to have been made to say, and what I intended, was that
bervice. (Cheers.)
"peons should not be allowed," he. It was a mpg
Mr Councillor Ram, looking back 33 years, was glad (Dorset dialect) blunder 4e the part of a miserable
to say that the temperance movement etood better in " comp," whom I feel pretty well convinced some day or
the town and county than ever it did. One thing, how- another will come to an ignominious end.
ever, be regretted, the young men of the present day did I
not seem to go into the movement with the enthusiasm
that young men did 20 years ago. He was emeedinglY
glut the Church of England movement had thrown new
life into it. and if the conference resulted in stimulating
them all to greater earnestness it would not have been
held in vain. (Applause.)
Rev. G. 'l'. Dixon made a few appropriate remarks.
A vote of thanks Is the Chairustn, proposed by the
Maroa, and seconded by the Rev. 11. Pinang-Brous/J.
having been carried, the singing of the Doxology closed
the proceedings.
A collection was made at the rime in behalf of the
espenme, which, it was stated, would amount to about
£7O.
LOCAL MATRIMONIAL CASE.

In the Divorce Division of the High Court of Justice on
Thuredm. the Right Hon. the rrerident Sir James
Hannme had before him the rase of Smith v. Smith, which
emi the husbands petition for • judicial separation. on
the ground or his cite. cruel's%
The learned counsel, in opening the case, sold that the
parties were married on tn. 14 of June, am, at Poole,
mid lived at Eleter until 1590. There were ao children 01
the marriage. The patitloaer was • comm. reial traveller,
and, about two years alter the marriage, the nespondcat
gave way to drink, and, at such ticam, was very violent
towards him Whilst in a etate of intoxication, she
attacked bin. v.- try violently, scratched Irs lace, and flneliy
attempted to strike him with a poker and stub him wits'
a kLite. In order to moral her, the petitioner Irked •
nurse, and took her &meal tine. on ha journeys.
Charles Giles bomb, the petitioner, wort be was married
to the petitioner oaths let of June, 1876. at the Cony, '
cation.' Chlprl at Poole, in DA...tabire. He nasa GM-
flartai&l tfilyell.f, anti immediate., atter the-r marriage
tley went to tire at Exeter. After shoo, two seers see
gave way to drink, hut when not wider its tellurian) she
was 0 kind-lie d.ted and good woman. In order to try
mut reform ber he allowed her to accomp.ny him on his
j iuriseps, but she dot not improve, and mated disturb-
ances at the hotels. Ho Deer tried tate i Sperm at of loor• .
log • nurse at be.. with her, but without effecting the
object he bad in view. She bad frequ.ntli scratched his
face, beaten lefto, sad dans knaves said ornaments at him.
See race took up his watch sad threw it with such
violence st Ids head that it was smashed all to piece.
Si.. had repeatedly tried to 'tab him. In consequence of
her viol,nce he hod had at times to sleep in a arpedate
bedroom. In October. last pear, she made • desperate
attempt to injure him by striking at him with • poker,
afterwards throwing a knits at his head. He engaged •
nurse named Ann Ler. He bad offered to execute • deal
of separation, and also to place her in an say loin, but she
objected.
hire Lee, of Exeter, raid she had been engaged by the
petitioner to endeavour to Mewled. the respondent from
drinking. Slie had done her beat to reform her, but with.
out avail. floe had frtquently witnemed the violence of
the respondent lowest@ the pent•ontr.
Mr. Robert Piyun, • neighbour, gave corroborative
evidence, and his Lordship granted • therm for a judicial
oepatatios as prayed for.

We can see a great future before the hon, member for
Poole. The other day he drew attention to a subject
considering the importance of which budi trivial matters
as the Candalair, Transvaal, and Irish questions may
well have been allowed to slide—the at...emulation of
snow in Cavendish if se remember rightly) Square.
On Monday he posed as the pioneer of domestic
legislation. He attacked the Christmas boxes of our
postmen. These ho said amounted in the aggregate to
a sumo( tic per wick, and in the majority of mules they
were given reluctantly. flu asked the Postmaster-
General if he was prepared to prohibit their being asked
for. Mr. Fawcett at once said he didn't intend to do
anything of the sort. With regard to the reluctance
with which they wero given, the right hou. gentleman
declined to admit that it existed beyond the immediate
circle of the member for Poole. It M true he did nut
use those words, but everyone knew what he meant;
and as to the amount collected, averaging as. per week,
be expressed considerable doubt whether the statement
should be relied upon.

It is only fair to Mr. Schreiber to state that he did
Out intend there should be no compensation granted ths
postmen if these boxes were withheld, lie proposed the
State should increase their wages. We are 'worry our-
selves Mr. Fawcett did not for the time being entertain
the subject, and ask the hon. gentleman how he pro-
posed to provide for this extra expenditure. We are
out in the strict confidence if our worthy member, but
would the reader be surprised to Isar he would have
suggested that the Government Christmas boxes now
drawn by aristocratic nobodies for tking nothing in the
shape perpetual pensions" should be devoted to this
purpose, and that the £4,000 per annum now picketed
by the Marlborough deseendints should he the first to
be made use of. If these be truths" we congratulate
Mr. Bradlaugh else an influential addition to los list of
supporters; and the Borough of Poole that it has a
member who is prepared to saerifiou family interests for
the sake of public rights.

A Select Committee is at present considering the
question of Railway Rates and Fares. The arlectiou of
Mr. Evelyn Ashley as chairman has given general satis-
faction, as thu announcement that the work of the
committee will not, as was at first proposed, be confined
to the consideration of railway rates for freight, but will
be extended to passenger fares also. What a pity tlw
cotiunittee does not further extend its inquisition and
include railway accommodation. Then there might be a
chance in the remote future in this part of the world of
riding between WUnborne and Bournemouth in a con.
venient and respectable second or third class, instead of
j as at present, having to undergo a thirty minuted
martyrdom in one of those infernal contrivances which
the Somerset and Dorset ofliciahi with Satanic
pleasantry allude to as carriages.