Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-12 00:00:00

)o many

believing were equall_
known to be now, :suffered under th,
of privations and want of -mfort
terise 'such inditiduals of the present da3
same favourite-drink which ants proved so m
a curse to the working classes in our day, operate

lumer6t

then as the.

3 same amount

as an equal one on those
The same evils attended

Brig in a form-

The
h. of

period

_
vice, wretchedness, and crime. Its ridiculeus
says an • author, of " mad-dog," " angels!
food,". , and. " dragon's t.ilk," by which we -.find it
called in those days, •did not disguise its qualiti
laut in some respects Ay-as rather
character and the evil results
effects on those who=-used it

names

ficant of its

which marked its

It isitot my intention to inflict upon my readers
a moral lecture, orr preach to them a temperance
sermon ; but I feel it to be a part of my duty in
these articles, designed as they especially are for
the benefit and instruction of the IVorkincr
Classes, to take

them the result, of evils by

Ich they are? known

to be surrounded. The chief of these •is most
assuredly intemperance. Yet no class can .afford
so little to yield themselves up to this vice as.
theirs : on none will its destruche 'effects be so
bitterly felt,tand fall so heavily lipA, as .on theirs.
The health, the industry, and the- •time of a
working intia, are each of them treasures, which
he, above all others, cannot, without =inCalculable
injury to himself, afford to have lessened. In these
consist his wealth, his power—nay • more, his
greatness. Deprive him of them, and he stands •
out powerless indeed,— far more :worthless, in the
economy' of existence, than the .humblest insect
that flits past him in the air. What a pity it is;
that he will not learn to understand this, and seek
to guard them more carefully. -Again : how very
manritcf our artizans—well-employed artizans,
of the present day —are -there not to be
found, who have it in their power to boast
of a comfortable home and the possession
of a little wealth besides, but Whom instead of this
we'find them—to their shame It must be recorded—
inhabiting the most wretched dwellings, and at all
times destitute of a single penny-which they can
exhibit as a saving
.from. their gains ? ' This
is not as it should be, :nor does it tell us
of their progress, unless it he a progress they are
most certainy making towards either the work-
house or the jail. It can be the wish of no true
philanthropist, that the working classes should be

On none

deprived Of their pi
could I wish to see them heaped with more
I believe
to have

abundance, than on thei
that they nobly and
them ; but
tell them that these can neither be good nor safe

t doe

deserve

not re

uire me to

sacrifice of their health and independence. ✓ Yet,
the man who has become attached to intempe-
rance is a slave far more to be pitied than him we
found at the beginning of "this history,. subjected
to the caprice of an ,AnglotBaxon or Norman task-
master. He may boast of a freedom in his person
which did not belowg to the other, but he is borne
down under the authority of a mental bondarre

which presses far more severely upon him than
any fetters which can enthral the body.

It cannot but be highly gratifying to those who
feel an interest in the education of the maEses to
take notice of the general movement which

riow being mt

and thu

aehmneemen

to obtain knowledg

_
proper position in society,--I refer to the estab-
lishment of mutual improvement societies, which
are now in existence in most of the large towns
and populous districts, both in Enzland and

elsewhere—societies whith are almost entirely
originated by young men belonging to the
working classes of society. This certainly has
a most healthy appearance. Formerly the
educational means available for the rising genera-
tion of the country were mainly supplied by
the patronage of the rich.; now, however, we find
the classes most deeply rinterested in their own
education taking the matter into their own hands,
and prosecuting it with diligence and success
that must be regarded .as praiseworthy in the
highest degree. I shall :,make no apology for

g to digress here to

kw words on this

duty of self-education and mental improvement.
It belongs, in fact, to my .subject.

a free activity it

Every man possessc
he has a power of will,
Cl,
of action; which enable him in a great nu

an innate energy ani

to act the part of his own ed
own emancipator. We a

at the men

laves of

current to r

circumstances, thrown upon _
its course, but are, to a large extent, free
independent existences, .endowed with power to
battle and cont
and by dint of perseverance
come them, and rise above them.
pose, perseverance, and strong will, are
-.essentials. Fortified

end with adverse eireum- stanet

lid valour, to OW

Resolute 1

by these, the greatest°;e;
in all ages have risen up from:the lowest stations is
life,, even from out of thehuts of the poorest. 'Duff
males the most formidable ha -
by • them—poverty, ill-health,

:snient o:

n surmounted

C

slavery

for daily breadL

owledg

Inds, have been

ermined in the

crvilizec

ring at prop

lincur

tinctivt

ter stet(

tiwown ,back, but if I

opposi

but sere

They bring out the best

nature;
and iliorc

d dieciplin
self. ar,l

acts benefit

about

IL o one can We

that he

t to a

true hearted

alities of h

;elf-culture,

ire the man

ly upon those

tor his,olvn advance-

111101 - 111 tilt; -Est sense, but at,the same timE
he is workifig for the advancement-of his brother
'pan ; and no ono can labour profitably for the
improvement of others, but- at the,same 'time is
labouring diut:,sently for the improvement of
himself- The steeess of one man het forward
the suceess of-others.- his labour ,ot lost—
they are Propagated throu,gh L ; others
take up his work .vhen he la,
it down Ind thus

ou Without ceasing.
future thus klo-ope,rate with the present, and the
present with the. past ;
.the living , active man, is
the link that binds t)ac two ages together—the age
that is coming with
,the Age that is Passing
y.
There is a duty besides, which each membawa er-of,
.
, neightour,, to impart to him
.a
......Iture .3vhich society has given to
The knowledge which each man
the procludof
.thiS age alone, but
irated by the industry of all pro-
.. ireumstaneed,
uired a larger portion of -it by education,bound by all
than ethers ; and _ such are

11 taw

t go

owes to his
n of that eul

Some, more favOurel

ocial duty to impart to other

peen imparted to thjni. Knowledge
i.nd culture ought to be regarded as the pro-
' at large, and no man has a right
to monopolise tacir benefits to himself, and to refuse
to part to others n share of what is ,common pro-
perty. Individuals can do much to impart educa-
tion and knowledge to those who stand in need of
them ; but, by combining their efforts for the
elevation of the moral .41dmtcllectualirnprovoment
of their brcthren, they"' pp# e.. 9 much more, B
.

p6rty of societ