Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-23 00:00:00

KIREDILE,

DEDICATED To THE
REV. C. E. TITFERTON, B,A,

BY ♦
LIVERPOOL -WORKING MAN.

" Woe unto him that giveth his neig!iboir drink, that purest thy
bottle to him aal makest him dranken."--Eabak. ii. 15.

[Continued from 22th September.]

In rural districts amtion sales we scenes of much dissipation ; the
auctioneer, at the tom nencsment of the sale, may frequently be
beard to exclaim —" I-say, you with that can bring the drink this
way, the men about ma are so thirsty I cannel get a bid front them ;
get some: on 3 to help You ; don't be afraid men of) the drink, ther.fa
plenty in the house, an fit has to be drank, don't spare it ;" consist-
ing, in cold weather, of hot ale ail ram, in hot weather, of cold ale
and whiskey. This material, which can be suited to all weathers and
circumstances, being freely liken, soon gets into the haul, and drises
reasonont, doleg exactly what the auctioneer desires. In this plight
a blind man ani a coblor b3-sane dotarmined comoetitors at one of
these rare! auctions. On the auc ioneor patting a donkey to the ham-
mer, Blind Sam mistaking John for * heifer, made a bold bid, the
cobler determined on out loing Bill 1 S sm, cried half-a crown more,
and thus they went on (the auctioneer taking care that they were
well primed) purchasing drink at hiaf-a-crowa a glass, for that was
the amottat ea-3:s time, until J.)111, was knocked do ma to Blind Sam
for XS not worth 155., and thee Sam paid for all thedrimk
consumed at the sale.

A Parliamentary Commission, reporting on the d ssipation at these
rural auct•ons, stated that co d ale an 4 whisky being fresly supplied
to a t&lor at one of these rural auctions, he suddenly fancied himself
a great m.n, perhaps a baronet, for whatever he might intend per-
chs.ing when he loft hona sober, it was gale evident his wit, did•
not contemplate him pareh ming a carriage. Nitvrrott an lieg, on an,
o'd pest-chaise: being pst Co the hammer, the Coll ala and whisky
impelling his nswii-aeluired a IsLoCratie notiOnt, h'e male a bo Al bid.
The auctioneer knowing that he ha 1 a 1 ttlo ready money, ordered
him to be wall supplied win the sti atilaut, and; in the aoaeace of a
competitor woali cry Oat 53. more, an I this he went on billing.
against h!m.e:f until tin illy the carriage W'43 kneeled down for`
£lO los., not worth £2,h e Ilinos fa 11 og Wm; as wall at b e brsin,
through the cempeund of reason destroying: staff, • a few wzigs
deposited him in hit newly acquired carriage and drew -him to his
owe doer,' to the indignation of niwwifa,:wilo chnstlasd tira,with the
tongue, de igniting him a goose la, eel of a baronet.

Clubs or benefit saciatias, held at public-houses, .are another fearful
tourec of dissipatian; Thomas' II artly, Esq., state Ito a l'ardalsten-
tary CA).nmitte,.., that 112 ha I a man, in hs enaphy wha,
,far many
years,-was ramark3by.saber, ani ccalnetel him elf with great pro -
priety, bat emnenda; hlmaslf with a eub, 1131. d at a public-nuass,
from that moment ho begs t to neglect his work, and gradually
descended in d 3 moralisation until. he, foully c )at nit:A I Wale to
terminate his degradation.

.13A,I)Vier devi...%, of paOlic in 3, which Is te lately dsmam.l33 tie at t env.
Lion of th,e authoriti,s, and unless phackel promises todo mach mis-
ch7er-1 allude to loAaries at Cirist nu% part of nasrly all the prizss
b2lag spirits. By this Infwasue ,ie7ice,.pcao.iceas not only encourager,
drunkenness at their owa bat by intrJdochr; the curse into -
families wholo hau.se'aall7 may be corruplei.

Ftineralariats°, Ilammt to say, are convert .d into seasons of much.,
dissipition. The friends-of the deteasel meet at the house of
mourning, when the; eit for a time Quakers at one of their &Ileac
meetings, producing 11.'86-t o•fdarn silo If of sorrow; the bottle,ho waver,
is introduced, silence is broken, and very soon the whole ceremony, i a
changed. A ratlaimed dradard ente I to me that be ,dated his
Grunion career from attendia; the funeral of a member of a, friendiy
society. After oepoiitiag tie corpai lu the grave, they adjourned to
publ!c-h use, wh!re ace quirt of hot ale teal whiskey w..etprbvided
for each, safficie it to mike them all drunk, him self among the num -
'Der. for.ths first time in his, ire. Having this begin, ha added, I
continued a drunkard until, I attended- a teroperunce_mesating, at,
liirksiale, ant signed the pledge.

Blezkrraed'a Hagariue gives a frightful pletaro of th pra3tice of
drinking at funerals„ iR Scott-old. I 6 was atatomary der the la it
century, at tha funeral of a. relative, to haste a barrel of ay on
toile spigot, and a nail of sugar bylit; side, w:t'►a tp Joe fait. Dun cau
Forbes, of Call.xlee, Wl3 aldiated to drunicenns33 twat. on tile day
of his ineher's fuisral, ha and th 3 raft of tte funeral ps:ty hal got
to the grave balm they discovered that they had left the..corpsa
behind them.

The tier. Mr Titterton read an a?.conat frzno: one of rue lo;:gpspers
to the Temperance meeting, at iirrkdale, of a to y not @its 3i4. years
of age, ge.tting to 4ha w aiskey, wor.ded for ill.] mother's funeral, and
drinking so asuo'a ae to cave his death in atesr hoar].

in all ports of tit kingdom does n 3 reva:ting practice
prevall of driw,ing ial:olicotl,g liquors at fauerols. I say
rovolt'ng without at all referring to tho riotiug as common
on those occasions. It is gta-iugly unna!nrol at so mourn-
ful a ceremony to ass clink so eininanty, caleilitel to hauls
evey moral feeling aad sentiment, auk to salodne that serve or
solemnity so praper-tO the fadtlnicat of the last sad olies whiCh
mortality demand., It ls.cantrory to halt, sal an anomaly to
employ the vino) beveroge for jist the same purpose oa the very
opposite occasion of a birth and faaeral ; it is, in tact, like employing
the mid life aid -.Sesta,' at tag same VIII S. Till
.fact p aiss y demon-
strates that in every 68193 z of weal or woo, into/Coating drink is the
dearest and mot esteeme frien I and companion by the miss of the
people. Perhips ouch oceurronees are not to ba paralleled in auy
other country on eart 1, and it is a most poigioat humiliation, to
think that Britiain, ranking des; as she does, in the scolo of notions,
s mild be toe only one toproctice such bona:3lli ravellinso at the
death of a friend or relation.

Rural wakai aro also 36.143ai of m,ch dissipat'oa. I recnexib:r
witne34log at oao of than sccnai of draa:wn lavriesmess, several
flg tat, a bill bait, and a fu,ieral—tho knall lndicativa of the approach
of thi fariaral ea.: did ¢37:, evzn a'ffe tl3 arti,ika r3?:05.te3 Leto x dud
ob,ery dila o the lait. sti aid B..).arna ritca of th) daa,l.

It /113 oft3a =lured to my _-.31.1d that th cn.te es of co.:dui:in
elections at p:b.ic-hauseu teals to much clieipatiou. Way cannot
Mrs:affairs of an ni.;etien ba cou inet3sl at plan; wholly turonnec Led
vita pla'slichan,el drinAing 1.133;e5? 111.3 nuarchant, the bunker,
and the lawyer tralsc:t the.i'huiluess withmt being surrounded
with is ozicatA;dtiau, mud why is ;t the'bu a*neis Of aleetieus ?, if
the friends of mora:hy, of virtue, cud' free loos, wero to Ssee to-
taa!, aud td set tseanseive: agsiust the presont Wet:ape a 1.,:e engen,
daring practice, the prababiLty is that tha country wee,l be more.
consistently rep: esented.
Of rasinos, the Iwo, or singing 3403113, I do not iThteed to speak :
these 1 Will 13.i're to the Key. g..131'07#12 and uthars. Suffice it to say,
then, tha, a 'pion' inspecor of pol.ce, and I a.n glad, to say
that there ire some in this loin, informed me that 14: went ants one
these d.us of Ina uy or.: sabblth eveniag, sat had the pain of
hearing the 1031 Psal:n and. Epating Liymn song i t daemon, by ale ad
Set of drunkards. Thi otlizer added, " ffe are thy paople,o,l4cd, and
thy sheep of thy pasture, when shall this iniquity coma to an end."
:kola and demestic driuking casto:ns tend la a most appalling
manner to habits of dtunicenacuai.

Mr. Chatiftbaia, r. Traditions of itdiubwgh,7 ra'atas a story of
a pat} of dames, s naaiof t.cial sixty years of aga. returning from a
social pvty, and wh..t.iver effec;l the stiainant had upon them,
it was evident it did. not improve thsir vt-iod, for, coming t,, the
high-et -est, sod thinkiag tilt the shadow of .3t. Gile3's Church W 43
a.strowm of water, they deliberately too: off their aliaes_iind walked
through tho shadow.

A taaversace missionari foaul a inisera!,le drunkard bnciag In
London, the on of a vntletn w i t 3141Chestsr, bslonging to one of
the lead!ng Ins seating bodies of the day, and wh )bAvoithed.f.:o,o3o
to charitsh:e and relighns institutions at his decease, but cut his son
off with .C. 24 and-a snit,-of clothe., for drunkenness, acquired by the
fact of int.)4lc..stlal drink bele; cOglianally in doin3sticinaa at his
father's table.

A woman at Or.nskirk, the denglater of a farm;r who lilted. on, his
owe estate in the neigirbottrhoo I, Lforrned me that she, acquired the
ho.b:t cif drunkenness— n 1 sin was traly's dr'anker.l-Isl the fact of
her mother never allowing her to go to 5,h ,o 1 in the morning with.
out giving her a little spi it to keep the c 11 from her stomach. This
woman had one daughter, ant she is a urostitute.
The followingis a drunkard':: confession : —I la 'ye oftas he t.l my
mothrr say, that when I was a baby she th Jught me the finest child
In the woad. I was the pet of the (easily. I WAS caressed asd pam-
pered by my but too-kind 1111 indulgeett parents before Icottld well
walls. I was often treated with the sweets from the bottom of my
father's glass. When I was a l'ttte older I was a:costomel to sit on
my father's knee, and he would frequently give me a little of, the
liquor from his glass in a spoon. My dear mother would gently chide
him with "Do .'t, John, it will do him hires ;" to which ary fstier
would smi'ingli redly, '‘ That little sip won't hurt hini, bless shin I"
When I had become a school boy I was at times u..;w_ll, then my
affectionate mother would pour me a little wine from the decanter,
at first I did not maze like it, but I Was told it would strengthen
and at last I got to like it. When I left 3171191 to be apprenticed,
my dear mother wept over me,,and am sog other good things and
adviotOtrgeim 3 never to go to the polo:lc-house or glee, theatre. For
a long time I could not be induced to act contrary to my d:ar
mother's wlshes,bat, alas, the love o7liquo his boon implan ed in
me; soma of my.ahoi,mites o 7ercorn'ng my scruples. I crossed the
fatal threolstv.ii. My parents taeght ma that the se d inks would do
Inc good, aal I cannot get, them excepting at the public-hunse.
Stirely, then, it cannot be wrong in gang to purchase them there?
Thus, step by step, I fell. Little did my dear mother think, when
she reeked me in my little cot, that .her child would find a house in
a prison cell. Little did my indulgent father dream, when he put the
first drop of sweetened poison to my lips. that he was sowing the
cede of my ruin. But so he did. My dips are nearly ended, my
wicked s cause is nearly closed, and I am withoit hope for the
future.

In contradistinction to the example of the ptrent of this victim
intoxicating drinks, I will give the advice of a total abstaining
Christian* to her eon, with whom I was well acquainted—" My son, I
hope nothing will iLduce you to relinquish your habits of temperance,