The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-01 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR Or THE SUN.

SlR,—Whilst the prevalence of temperance, a ♦ice
which is rapidly sapping the foundation of the duties and
virtues of humble life, is deplored by the thoughtful and
philanthropic, and whilst the pulpit, the bench, and the
press censure, condemn, and satirise it, there exists in
the reflections they offer and the remedies they suggest
a wonde-rful sameness as regards the absence of intnse-
diate remedy.
An evil tarnishing the lustre of bravery, chilling the
domestic hearth, and decimating the workshop to fill
the workhouse and the gaol, is most grave they say, and
must need a grave remedy.
By these, no doubt, excellent instructors, reforms,
social and educational, are pointed out, but it would
need at least the period of a generation to accomplish
them ; meanwhile the terrible evils of a career of gross
inebriety are less unchecked amongst the present adult
and rising generation.
Grave, however, as the evil is, its remedy does not
alone lie with the schoolmaster; though an ample field
is open for his energy, it is not to his exertions alone
that we must look for reform, nor yet to the divine, the
moralist, or the legislator. Such directors are doubtless
essential guides in the actual business of life, but to
drink cr to abstain is not the actual business of any
life.

Drinking, understood in its obnoxious sense, is re-
sorted to as an amusement, a relaxation, or rather as the
miserable substitute for such ; not as the substitute of
evening classes, or other t.cholastic agencies, but ,if
amusement in its simple and primary meaning—via.,
agreeable and diverting excitement. Excitement is a
want of our nature, and th:et required, while free from
vice, should be diverting, so as to call into play the
livelier and lighter faculties of the human mind, and
agreeable because no exertion, or only such as is conson-
ant to a frame that has already accomplished a day of
toil as compatible with it.

If we would reclaim, we must amuse. The fact is,
in this respect, we are a dull people. With thrice go
population of Paris the people of London have not
half her recreations, whilst our public amusements want
largeness and grasp, both in conception and detail, being
hitherto, with but few exceptions, in the hands of in-
dividuals, who, touching them solely with pecuniary
motives, are content to follow each wayward move-
ment of the public taste.
In Greece, in Rome, in Europe, mediieval and modern
amusements for the public have ever been held of such
national importance as to have their management in-
cluded in the domestics policy of the State ; whilst the
Olympic games furnished the epoch common to all
Greece, excellence in those contests conferred an honour
to be cited by after generations. Rome regarded equally
her Ames as national, confiding their management to
her Adiles, patrician magistrates honoured with the dig.
nity of the Curule chair.

Amusements on a scale arid in a spirit analogous to
these, but in unison with and subordinate to the aspira-
tions and sentiments of our era, are, in fact, the true and
ready antidote to this ghastly epidemic—intemperance.
To accord, however, entirely with our national charac-
ter these amusements must not be the offspring of gover-
mental interference, since our Anglo-Saxon habits lead
us to view with jealousy all that tends to trespass on
the domain of private enterprise. Their management
must combine so much of artistic excellence as shall
make them attractive—of commercial energy as shall
make them competitive and enterprising, andof dilettante
supervision as shall. control and directthe other elements

----
-preserve to the undertaking its most important cha-
racteristic, the elevation and improvement of the public
taste.

in their professional staffs,
Nor need such a combination be regarded as utopian,
since some of our purely philanthropic institutions pre-
sentgo-
vernors, all the elements as needful to insure the success,
botb commercial and moral, of the class of entertain-
ments so much required ; and it is evident such combi-
nations could be directed to public relaxations.
The subject is a large one, but I confine myself here
secretaries and
to indicating the want, trusting that, in these days of
spirited and philanthropic enterprise, the means may be
found of supplying it.—l am, Sir, yours respectfully,
AULUS POSTUMIUS.

[We never urged so foolibh an_ argutnent, and have
more than once recommended the panacea of our cor-
respondent as a likely remedy for the evil we, in cotumon
with him and others, deplore.—En. SUN.]

CO WES, ISLE OF WIGJIT.—Nov, 30.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

---- -
ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON INTELLIGENCE —A general
meeting of the members of the R.Y.S. will take place
on Tuesday next, at the Thatched House Tavern, to
decide on taking•, or declining to take, Cowes Castle for
their future club-house. The members are divided in
opinion. Their present club house will accommodate a
greater number than the Castle will. If the Castle is
taken a new ball and dining.room must at least be built,
and more bedrooms ; besides which the old house has
a never-failing spring of water, from which the whole
fleet is supplied—add to which that the present club-
house is in the very centre of the Parade.
REMOVAL OF THE COURT TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT.—
Her Majesty and suite are expected to arrive at Osborne
ou Saturday, the Bth Dec. The stay will not exceed a
fortnight.
A TURTLE CAPTURED 'WITHIN THE WIGHT.—Some of
our sailors have this week succeeded in taking a turtle
weighing 143 lbs. It was first seen off Osborne about a
fortnight since.
THE NATIONAL FREEHOLD LAND SOCIETY.—The
directors of this society have given notice of their inten-
tion to offer their estate at Gurnard, West Cowes, to
the members during the present mouth of December, in
acre and half-acre plots.

CHURCH RATES.

[FROIi A CORRESPONDENT.]

CARMARTIIEN, Nov. 30.—The Anti-Church-rate party
have won a victory to-day. The poll has just closed,
with a majority against the rate of 104 ! These are
what are called personal votes, and until the poll is
ana'ysed it cannot be known what the real ma-
jority is, as many voters have a plurality of
votes according to the amount of their rating.
William Morris, Eiq., one of the borough naaoi-
strates, after having spoken strongly and well against
resorting to a poll and in favour of a voluntary effort to
supply the needs of the church,, proposed that no
rate should be granted. This was seconded by
the well-known advocate for the
Mr. James Bagnall,
abolition of Church rates, and supported by Lewis Mor-
ris, Esq., who filled the civic chair for the last two years.
A. force-. of hands was held up against the vote, but a
poll was insisted upon by the adverse party, and the glo-
rious result is as above.

LEEDS, Nov. 30.—We have tio• alteration in the wool-
len trade ; ;t continues very quiet, but not more so than
is usual at this season of the year. There have been very
few buyers in the town during the current week, and
only a limited business has been done in the warehouses.
The Royal Academy of Sciences of Stockholm has
elected as foreign members M. Leverrier, director of the
Observatory of Paris, a foreign associate ; and Sir R.
Murchison, president of the Geological Society of
London.

MU DER IN WATERFORD.— On. Sunday morning last
the body of Edmond Cronican was found on a bye road
at Kilwatermoy mountain. The back of the skull was
smashed in, and the left side of the face broken to
atoms. A verdict of wilful murder has been returned
against three persons, named. William, Mary, and
Ilanora Conway. The alleged inotive for the murder is,
that the deceased, Edmond Crtinican, as caretaker, was
obliged to summon William Conway to petty sessions
twice within the last month for trespass of cattle.