The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-20 00:00:00

THE TOTAL ABSTINENCE FESTIVAL.

The members of the Total Abstinence and similar Societies
have been holding a grand festival during the week. On
Monday evening there were a number of simultaneous meet-
ings in different parts of the town. 'On Tuesday evening, at
seven o'clock, public meetings were held in St. Luke's
School-room, Cropper-street; Hanover Chapel, Mill-street;
in Circus-street; and at the Brunswick Chapel, Clare-street.
On Wednesday there was a grand procession of the unit-
ed societies, which formed at ten o'clock in the morning, at
Shaw's-brow and Old Infirmary Yard. From thence the
route of the procession was Dale-street, round Nelson's mo-
nument, Castle-street, Park-lane, St. James's-street, Great
George's-place, Mill-street, to Duke-street, on to Rodney-
street, and the line of streets to the north end of the town.
The procession was headed by a band of ml:sic and banners,
followed by about 500 boys walking two abreast, and adorned
with white ribbands and medals, and carrying small banners
with such mottoes as " Prevention is better than cure," &c.
After these came the Independent Order of Rechabites,
headed by the D. H. C. R. (we cannot .inform our readers
what that is) of the order. About 300 of the members of this
society walked two abreast, and were very respectably clad,
most of them dressed in white trousers and shouldering um-
brellas, the weather being rather inconstant. Then followed
Jolliffe's band, heading about 50 women walking two and
two, some of them carrying the insignia of the sex—infants,
as a substitute for flags, banners, &c. The appearance of
these zealous abstainers from the juice of the grape and the
essence of grain, excited much amusement. We will do
them the credit, however, to say, that few of them looked like
" reformed drunk-herds." After these came the Roe-street
Total Abstinence Society. headed by a very good band, the
rear being brought up by that well-meaning, but rather weak,
gentleman, Mr. Lawrence Hey worth, with two friends, lead-
ers in some of these societies, in an open phaeton and pair.
Each of these " lights" of abstinence were profusely deco-
rated with white silk, we presume as an emblem of ginless
purity. After the phaeton followed one of the Roman
Catholic Associations, bearing one or two handsome flags;
one, our Saviour at the well asking the maid to draw him
water, was very beautiful. After these followed a Welsh so-
ciety, which was brought up by a zealous member in a square
tub-like shandry, with his wife and seven (!) " little uns" in
it—no doubt, to point out to tiplers what temperance could
do. Then followed a number of societies, being an odd mix-
ture of men, boys, girls, and women, music-less, and in no
very regular order,
" Like a wounded snake dragging its slow length along."
We were highly amused with one old lady dressed in black
silk, who certainly had some symptoms of (no, it could
not be; it was most likely rasp-berry brandy) about her, who,
as the procession passed our office, eyed our laughing at the
queer " mixture," as if it were the very height of profanity.
After these followed the Church of England Teetotal Society,
consisting chiefly of children, who were very neat and order=
ly, and carried a great number of small banners. There was
carried amongst them a very splendid painted flag of Moses
smiting the rock in the wilderness, and the water gushing
out; and his receiving the ten commandments. The rear was
brought up by t be usual medley of a procession, a cart or two,
the " mobility," and a few piemen and chelsea-bun men in-
dustriously following their vocation.