The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-11-25 00:00:00

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at soda and moral evil, as well as being so
blic health, and I am satisfied that I shall
meet with encouragement in the great work with which I
n demanding the rights of the
'a, e sap. there are who

am at preset

may rebuke me for continually harping upon the wrongs
pf the indigent. Be this as it may, I shall only be

t-o well reviarded, if the fruits of my exertions prove
successful in sweeping away, the great enormity of this
evil, being solely influenced, as I am, by no other motive
than the amelioration of their condition. There is a most
energetic-and laudable effort at the present-time being
made through the columns of one of your cotemporaries
to put down many other.grievances, such as those sinks of
iniquity, and vice—the betting.bouses," and other vile
places of resort, and I am opinion that a great benefit to
society will ultimately arise from it. Illy untiring efforts
shall be to put down slavery in all its hideous workings
and forms, and to raise up, as far as I am able, the
public indignation against it.
Now, sir, if you will allow me, I will adduce one argu-
ment in order to strengthen whit I wish to make known—
what I wish to impress upon the min I. There are many
evils, as you are aware, which reqiiire pulifying, as well as
those alluded to ; for instance, it is acknowledged by every
well-regulated mind that too much drink does harm,
and not only acts with baneful eff,cts up,m the health
of the many who indulge in the prate ice, more particularly
with that class generally termed " the lower orders," who
revel and slave to excess in it. Many philanthropists, no
doubt, bewail this fact, and.regard- it- not maw as 'formerly
was their wont, as being one of the common ills that flesh
is heir to, and which, at one _period; they were called upon
to submit to with resignation. Not so in these times, to
the lame exte it, while we have our benches of magistrates
acting at their own discretion, continually cutting off or
refusing licenses where they fin I the law has been so far
infringed, causing immorality, dissipation, theft, and fear-
ful crimes of the very worst description. A power has been
invested in their hands to lessen, in a great degree, that
human prostration of the, body, akin only to the brute crea-
tion ; and, moreover, to restrict the hours during which
public houses shill be open, more especially on the Sabbath
day ; and, viewing the expediency of the case, there is
no denying that this is a wise course of procedure to check,
although perhaps not to the extent they might desire
that indiscreet an -1 sinful habit which is so alarmingly
practised by a very large portion of the community. It is
undoubtedly the lifort or society, so far as it is practicable,
to reduce evils of every description with which it is
afflicted, and'frequently well-directed efforts will tend to
good, and if as sometimes will be the case, the endeavour
to remove them may prove a failure, yet we ought not to
be discouraged ; and exertion must be made to the very
utmost in order to act for the best. It will not be pre-
sumed, I trust, that I am diverging from my subject,
whilst making these preparatory remarks. I am only
desirous of drawing .an analogy between the one case I
have depicted and the other, involving as it does so much
misery to mankind, and the moral depravity created
thereby. In the first place I would desire to show
that the toleration of this crushing system—slavery
—so wontonly carried on by endless numbers of tradesmen
for the accumulation of wealth, is doing, in a great degree.
most alarming and serious mischief. And, secondly. I
want to show that it is possible to raise the labourer to the
level of his call ng—to make him as respectable as is the
work of his hands—and, moreover, to lift him from the
slough of ignorance, misery, and crime. It is, I must
admit, a gigantic straggle to'accomplish, but, as civilised
human beings, .I argue it is a duly eucumbent upon us—
imperative duty--whether we act in the capacity
trytea good—whether we.be judges
whether we are magistrates who'
vhether. belonging to any
—whether possessing
uthority or no authority, it ougnt to be our constant and
earnest study, one and all, as Christians, to eradicate, as far

lators for our cot

of our criminal 'courts--

preside over Our polio; courts:—
sphere or elation Of life wbßteyer7

It 'will