New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-09
THE TEMPERANCE REVIVAL.

The temperance revival III England anu the
limited States nearly equals the dimensions OF
tbe religious revival to which public attention
has for more than two years been drawn. 1t
has taken in Ireland the shape of Sunday
closing movement In this all classes-Catho-
lies and Professionals, Churchmen and Dissenters
have Joined. Parliament still hesitates to
pass the necessary law, but the petitioners
for a Sunday CLOSING act persevere. In
England, Cardinal Manning has given
himself up to temperance work with an
ardor not unlike that of Father Mathew.
Several of the English bishops fully equal him
in zeal. A Church of England Temperance
Society has been formed which aims to check
the excessive consumption of spirits by the
common people, Bishop Magee has sided with
the oppOnents Of repressive legislati0n; but
bs declaration that he would rather see Eng
land drunk than enslaved has not been re-
ceived with favor Public opinion sets In
favor of restraint upon the trade III liquor.
The question "what to do" engages some OF
the best minds of the nation. Mr.. Lowe has
written upon it in The EortnighHy Reriew ]; Mr..
Bright has made speech on the "GOthen-
"burgn plan, and the Queen has become the
patron of the Church of England Temperance
Society. There is a growing conviction in
England that something should be done, and
the English people, in their slow, persistent
way, are setting about it.
The statistics OF English drinking, il reports
can be depended upon, are fearful. In 1850,
with population in England and Wales OF
$4,000. 900, the number of cOmmittals for
drunkenness was SS,361; in 1873, with a
population OF "a, 600 900, the cOmmittals were
2O3. S86. At this rate of increase there is no
telling where the evils of excessive drinking are
going to end. Their bearing upon the indus
trial and commercial as well as the social and
moral interests of the nation is very clear.
Among the plans of relief is that described
above as the Gothenburg," so called from the
city of that name in Sweden Ii proposes that
the selling of liquors shall be taken out OF the
hands of individuals and be assumed by the
local authorities. The advantages claimed arc
that each municipality adopting it can at once
reduce the number of liquor shops, prevent the
sale of aduterated liquors, and in many ways
keep the trade under restraint Mr.. Chamber
lain, member of Parliament, is the chief adj
yocate of this scheme. The Town Council Of
birmingham recently voted in its favor.
In our own country the temperance revival
has been more confined to hard drinkers.
They have taken up temperance as question
of self-rcformatiOn. Mr.. Moody has also i'll
his meetings given prominence to this subject
with the very best results Whatever inspires
jntemperate men with the confidence that they
can recover their manhood is an mmixed
benefit TO them. Experience has proved that
they have peculiar power to reach each
other In the past two years the " Reform
"Cubsn of Eastern Massachusetts and Maine
have wrought great change in the social
habits of the workingmen and fishermen the
same effects are already visible among the
lulnbermen of Michigan, the workmcn and
miners of Pittsburgh and the adjacent region
of PENNSYLVANIA and Ohio. The spectacle Of
two nations endeavoring at the same moment
to throw off the burden of a great social vice
is one which must arrest the attention OF both
philanthrOpists and statesmen.