Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1884-11-24
TEMPERANCE WORKERS.
CATHOLIC TOTAL ABSTINENCE
a Large Gathering Of Total Abstinence
Advocates at Baltimore.-Able
Addresses.

B2LTnSORE, Nov. 23-NotWithstanding the
very inelement weather this eyening-for the
rain poured in torrents Ford's Opera House
Vas hiled to OVERLOOKING with people who
weFe not to be deterr2d by the elements.
The occasion was grand temperance dem
onstration, under the auspices of the Catho-
Iie Total Abstinence Union of Baltimore.
The meeting was opened at $40 p. III. by
Vicar General McColgan, President of the
Union in Baltimore, who, afser explaining
the objects of the meeting, and asking Gods
blessing upon their labors, introduced Bishop
Ireland. of st. Paul, Minnesota Bishop
Ireland prefaced his address by saying II was
most agreeable 10 him 10 see so large an at
tendaaee. Some friends of his had remarked
an hour before that it would be useless 10 go
near the hall at ali, because tho weather
would frighten the people into staying
at home. he viewed the material of which
total abstinance societies were made up In a
different light. He was confident that IL 10
raIned a hundred times more, Temperance
men would be on hand. He thanked
fhem that his confidence was not mis-
placed IL - plain, undeniable
fact, he said, that drunkenness has obtained
q fearful prevalence IN this country. With
this terrible evil before Us, il is our duty, as
citizens and Christians, To stay its progress
aud 10 stamp it out. This ia the object of
the total abstinence society, now
numbering upwards of 10000 members
Ia the United States. Temperance lecturers
experience great difficulty IN obtaining Gre
dence of statement ON the ravages of inten-
perance. Great as the evil Is, there are COM
paratively few who lift the veil which covers
lie ravages of drunkenness. The Premier
Fof England Gladstone, said intemperance
did more injury than war, pestilence and
famine combined. Archbishop Canterbury
said that II was dreadful evil, prolific
Of misery, prop rty and crime Records
OF crunlnai courts AL the large cities of this
country showed most of the arrests were
made because of drunkenness or crimes
the result OF drunkenness. In San Fran
cisco IN one year there had been 1890 ar
rests made for drunkenness or disorderly
conduct caused by that vice, and In Boston
l2,22T. In 1881 there were 185, 1863 liquor
dealers, or one to every 270 of the popula-
ton. There were more liquor saloons
than provision stores OF all
kinds He then went on to show the cause
OF mems drinking 10 excess, and the pitiable
results. God" he said, never gave To the
sons of men a country of greater promise, or
greater resources, than the United States,
and N all men were sober, We would not
md tn poor creatures In wretched tene-
ment houses, and In cellars, crying for food,
nor suffering from cold winter because their
fathers frequented the saloons too often.
lntemperance ~ the capital sin of our day.
wrecklng reason and igniting passions that
lead 10 the commission of crime. Intemper-
ance Is the hand of demon, sweeping the
souls of Its victims into hell. de said
that intemperance is undermining the
foundations of our glorious repub-
lie; that public officers were too often
controlled by the liquor traffic; tnat
so much capital Is invested IN the liquor bust
ness that there Is not Judge in the country
who would convict salOon-keeper. He
closed with an eloquent appeal TO his
hearers to use every effort in stemming the
tide of Intemperanee that Is sapping the life
of the country.
Addresses were also made by Archbishops
Elder, of Cincinnati, Reordan, of San Fran
sisco. and by Bishops Spaulding, of Peoria,
Ill.,, and keene, of Richmond, Va.