St. Landry democrat., 1884-12-06
TEMPERANCE MASS MEETING.
Held Under the Auspices of the Catholic
Total Abstinence Union ia
baltimore.
Baltimore sun. Nov. q.

Baltimore Sun, Nov. "a.
A temperance demonstration, under
the auspices of the Catholic Total Alb
stinence Union of Baltimore, was held
last evening at FOrd's Opera House,
which was filled with people. nOtWith-
standing, the prevailing heavy rain
storm. The Rev. Edward McColgan,
Vicar General and President of the
Union presided over the meeting The
Eofficers and delegates and number of
the societies of the Uuion were in at
tendance. Among the clergy on the
stage were Bishop Becker, of Whining
ton the Rev. Messrs. Bessonies, Mag
MEN J.. j. Keough, of Milwaukee; e..
/ p. Waters, Of Lafayette, Ind; Jas. Me
| GeIefick, Of Minneapolis H. +. KIM
4 eyney, of Providence j. j. RiOrdan, OF
Chicago NJ. A. Femme, of Mount
Washington Lee Devine, Brennan, OF
Baltimore and Messrs. Daniel j. Foley
and j. j. Pet, Jr.
i Vicar General McC0lgan opened the
meeting in few appropriate remarks,
aud introduced Bishop Ireland of ST..
Paul.
Bishop ireland, who is called the f0-
1 ther Matthew Of the West, spoke for al
hour. He said he WAS pleased to see SO
| large an audience on 50 inctement an
evening He knew that total absti-
ntNce men would be ON hand, nOtWith-
standing the weather. The plain, un-
denfable fact is, that drunkenness is an
evil which afirights those who examine
/ into its effects. It becomes our duty as
/ Christians and citizens to Go what we
can TO stem il. There are 10000 mem
| bers OF the Total Abstinence Union
| Gladstone has said intemperance has
| inflicted more misery upon the world
/ than war, pestilence and famine COM
/ bined The speaker read quotations
/ from the Protestant Bishop OF Canter-
bury and Catholic Archbishop of Ire
| land, and from Gov. Castor, of Massa-
| ehusettS, in which they give evidence
i of their convictions Of the great mise
n wrought by drink.
4 He also read statistics from tie records
of San Francisco, New York, Boston,
! Philadelphia and Baltimore to prove
| that8 very great proportion OF all the
arrests were for iDtoxication and for
offenses committed by people under tie
/ Influences of drink. In 1880 there was
I q saloon for every 270 people in tile
country. In large cities they were most
numerous, Boston having one for 150
! inhabitants, Chicago for 140 New York
for 1876, Buffalo for 100. Sal0ons were
more numerous than provision stores
OF All kinds. For every thirty-tive or
| forty men who drink to excess there lis
a saloon. Over 6,000,000 Of men who
drink moderately contribute to their
support. From this drinking comes
poverty. Examine these who are
helped by charities, in Fefortnatories
and p0orhouSes, and it would be found
that 85 per centum in the strength of
their years brought tlleir dollars and
dimes to the saloon. IntemDeraDce isl
the capital sin of our day. 1t stiIs upI
the foul depths; it raises the demon |
which sweeps souls into hell. tn the
presence OF this prevalent evil are nor
Catholics as Christians ard men.
obliged to rise up and drive back tie
tide ? [Applause.] He has no patience
with those who find fault with those
who further methods in the direction of I
Temperance. II one method does not /
suit employ an0ther-but do sOme- /
thing. We speak a great deal about I
charity. There is no better charity |
than that which prevents misery and /
seeks to reform the wrecked. TADI
plause.l There is the question Of the
salvation Of a soul. A man diving in a
state OF drunkenness is lost forever, /
1t there is iii US a zeal for Gods church
and his service, let us do what we can
TO stem the tide. Let us remember thatI
lntempGrance is undermining the fonnI
dations of our republic. The politics Of
the country are shaped in saloons, and
pubic affairs are controlled TOO rucb
ny the liquor element. III the glorious
liberty virtue and sobriety are most
needed. We do not teach that the use
OF liquor IS IN itself wrong: but we saw
1T is not necessary. TT is not needed for
health or strength. The most skilled
tell us SO. Total abstainers
endure hardships to which moderate i
arlnkefs could not expose themselves.
Liquor selling IN itself is not wrong.
But lf Is too ofen carried on under con-
dlflon Sinch the laws of the church and
OF the land condemn. It is sold to mi
nors, to habitual drunkards, and on
on Sundays. So much capital is in it
that it seeks to break down the laws
9ud to make it a privileged business.
None other goes on every day, but the !
liquor selling demand that their busi-
ness Should. There are so many sa- /
00ns that they cannot live without
the laws. There are few
in America to-day that are
calculated to bring as much honor to :
jhe Catholic Church as the Total Alb
stinence Union. EApplause.1 Too ma ;
~ OF her children are engaged in this !
jraffic in liquor, and serve to dim her
9rilliancy. Many have come from 9TH ,
II lands, and in their poverty have be-
;ome victims TO drink. It is not doing
service to the church to throw a man.
lie over these facts. We owe it to her !
o unite in the great cause of temper
lnce. {