The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-04 00:00:00

TEMPERANCE MEETING.

The third monthly temperance meeting was held
Wt night in Raster-ball. Tease was a very full attendance.
Shortly before 7 o'clock the chair was taken by Mr.
Cassithu, u”D which the proceedings were opened by the
singing of the 172nd Hymn. The subject was "the claims
of the temperance movement upon the teachers and Minds
of Sabbath schools."
The SECRETARY read several letters from puns' who
could not attend.
The CHAIRMAN said that the original object of the
temperance movement was the remove' ot drunkennees :
hat tbe object of the total abstinence movement went fur-
ther; for reclaiming the drunkard was cot sufficient to
establish temperance ; and they therefore determined to look
to the teachers and friends of Sabbath schools, for the full
carrying out of their principle, by early moral instruction.
He had personal knowledge of many instances of complete
i.egradation which was entirely traceable to drinking in
public-houses on a Sunday. It was in the power of Sab-
bath teachers to do immense good by bringing the total
abstinence principle well before the minds of those whom
they taught.
The Rev. JABEZ BURNS then addressed the meeting.
He began by 'spieling his love ter Sabbath schools and
Sabbath school teachers, and it was became he supposed that
they all loved them that that meeting was called. The
of Sabbath schools arose from the feet that children
were neglected at home, and that parents did not instruct
them. It might be sail that parents generally cold
not afford the expense of instrucing. their children
e wing the week, and yet if they examined they would
find that the parents of the children at Sabbath sibs* speed
more money on thick than would suffice to give then sound
moral and intellectual education. Sabbath teschere met be.
come total abstinence men. (Neer, hear.) In renal MIMI
ben then were 2.50 000 Sabbath teachers in Eagleed, end
supposing them to be moderate drinkers, and to spend only a
Id. a day, then were they spending no lees a slam, annually,
than 375,0001., sufficient to pay 754. a year to 60,000 teachers,
who would be capable of instructing 760,000 children every
day in the week.
Rev. J. :MERMAN said he wee labourieg under Wile
position, but nevertheless felt so strongly on this imperilled
subject that be could not absent himself. He thought it of
put oessequesce to gain the body of Sabbath-day teacher%
because they were holy nese, who devoted their Sundays
after six days tail, and without any remuneration, to the
moral instruction of youth.
The CHAIRMAN announced here, that at their seat
meetitig ten working men, representing each a different
trade, would address it, and that Joseph Sturge, of Rimier
ham, had cordially oonsental to take the chair. (Chun.)
A colludes having bun made throughout the hall,
Mr. SKI THIES (late of York) addressed the mut-
lug. He said he bad recently recovered from an illness
which had brought him to the veep of the grave, and when
in that Mate he had regretted not having done more for the
iMepresse ewes. It wee 12 yeses since he took the pled
was nee at first fully seesible of the importance of p
ealls ~ranee princip!es' but scenes with which he
I be seradated produced a great change in his views.
ma whe had been a poacher, and who had not been
' ems k • place of worship fee 20 yeah, joined the temper-
anee moiety, and immediately afterwards came to chapel
wiph bur children, and became a totally different character.
lbw bets of this kind, which had come wider his observa-
tion, bad convinced him of the elms connexion which ex-
isted between temperance and religion. lie frequently dis-
covered, for example, that men who had lost their work had
generally lost it throng drinking. About two years ago
he visited a poor boy in one of the largest gaols in York.
shire. There were 13 envied with him; and he found
in conversation with these prisoners, that of the fourteen
iccluding the boy, thirteen had been Sunday school pupils.
On another occasion a prisoner told him that he had been a
' 1 pupil in Dr. Chalmers' flaaday school. The statistics on this
subject had startled him, and should lead these whe had
hitherto kept aloof to become total abstainers. Last week
he addressed letters to the governors of 100 prisons in Eng-
land, Scolded, and Wales, requesting ti be informed how
lathy prisoners they had at the present time under their
charge, and how many of them had been Sunday school
pupils. From the returns which he had received it appeared
that the number of prisoners in thegsols from which they were
made lathe year 1849 was 6098, and that of these 2920 had been
Sunday school scholars. He had obtained similar state.
mats from the ma•rons of a number of penitentiaries and
houses of refuge, made on the 27th of November, 1849. The
malt was-422 inmates, of whom 312 bad been Sunday
scholars, and 18 towhees. (Hear, hear.) To this might be
added the observations of Judge Pattimon to the jury at the
Norwich smiles a few years sines, "IT it were Dot for this
drinking, you and I would have nothing to do." (Hear,
hear.)
Mr. ASA MAHON, President of Oberlin College, United
States, followed. He said he did not know how heny of
those present were Sabbath school teachers, but pre-
mised there was no one present who did rot now feel that
every Sabbath school teacher ought to be a teetotaller.
(Hear, hear.) If a Sabbath school teacher ought to be an
example to children, all present ought to be examples to
Sabbath school teachtrs ; and, if the evening were one for
resolutions, he should propose the following:
" Resolved, that it is the duty of every man, woman, and
child in this meeting never again to touch an intoxicating

beverage."
(Loud cheers.) No sae Gault be neutral in this great eases
if he would. lie who was not for it was against it. He con-
cluded by 'moving the nsolation which he had stated to the

meeting..
The Rev. I. DOESEY expressed hie conviction that an
influence would go forth from that mectiog which would tell
upon all teachers of Sabbath Schools and Ragged Schools.