The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-02-25
Boston Advertiser
Drinking Habits and their Rene
dies in Europe.

An English clergyman lately in charge of a
large parish in Manchester, was asked last
week to plain the temperance movement in
England, and from him and his recent docu-
ments submitted some interesting facts were
obtained. His observation of drunkenness
and its cure mas been chiefly in connection
with the Church of England societies. The
dissenters have thsir own ways aud are chiefly
total abstinence men in theory and practice
But both churchmen and dissenters recognize
that Englond must reform or be poisoned to
death by alcoholic drinks. The evil is of long
standing, and while the English climate al
lows, SO to speak, deeper drinking Of pure Ii
quors than ours, yet with the adulterations in
vogue, aud excessive use of them, drunken
ness stands at the head of English social mis-
cries.
Lecky, the historian, says that gin-drinking
came into England like flood in 1924, and be-
came an epidemic: aud as long ago as Lord
Chesterheld's time he calls distillers ''artists
in human slaughter" 1t is true that drunk
enness breeds poverty, but it must also be con-
fessed that, as Kingsley says, poverty breeds
Drunkenness, and the wretchedness of the
GuSliou pOON, OopOCAdliy III ltru IlIuoS, uTlV6S
many men to the gin-shops. Poor women also
are largely victims, both as hard drinkers
themselves and as sharing the hard fate of
drunken husbands. Cardinal Manning, in
stating to Pope Plus TX, shortly before his
death, the English situation, declared that Co.
900 people died in England every year from ex-
cessive drinking. 1t also creates much of that
brutality SO evident in crimes of violence, like
those of assault, wife-beating, and inhumanity
to children. The army and navy suffer fear
fully. Lord Coleridge lately said from the
bench that drunkenness filled the jails of
England, and if they could make England so
Der they could do away with nine-tenths of
their PRISONS"
The Church of England Temperance Society
was founded in 1878. The Queen is patron;
the presidents are the archbishops of York and
Canterbury, and all the bishops are vice -presi-
dents. The name of the Prince of Wales does
not appear among the officers This society
spruAg from the action of convocation. The
basis of the society is union and cooperation
on perfectly equal terms between those who
use and those who abstain from alcoholic
drinks, IN endeavoring to promote its objects,
which are: l. The promotion of temperance.
2. The reformation of the incorporate. 3.
The removal of the causes which lead to in
temperance. Each local society has simple
machinery of officers, and is in two divisions,
or wards the ward of the total abstainers and
the ward of the temperate. e., of those who
in joining do not agree entirely to abstain. Or
these last may make special limitations, as,
for instance, that they will not drink in busi-
ness hours, or socially, or on certain days, or
beyond a certain limit. For laborers and arti-
sans the taxes are penny week, and others
give according to their means The promise
is made that If a man gives up his pledge
which he may do at any time for reasons-he
will return his badge and card to the society
rhsa
deavor to persuade him from his course. Ev-
cry society is divided into knots or classes,
with leader over them, very like the class
leaders of the Methodists, who can overlook