News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-10-28
History of the Temperance Move
ment.

| Lie OIlSlI Vi Tile temperance ulONO'
ment dates from the beginning of the
present century, and the merit of having
taken the first step in the matter belongs
to America, where the vice of drunken
ness appears to have reached an alarm
ing height about that time. In 1908 a
/ society was established at MORGAN, N.
Y, consisting of 43 members, one OF
whose rules prohibited the drinking, as
a beverage, of any distilled spirits, under
4 penalty of % cents. 1t also had other
rules, prohibiting members, under penal
ties, from offering any liquors. This So
ciety existed IA years. Gradually the al
tention of the clergy and philanthropica
laymen was called to the subject, and
after 4 series of sermons had been pub
lished and preached against vice whose
rapid progress was threatening to make
the Americans a community of drunk
ards, a society was started in Boston in
| 1926, called the American Temperance
| Society, ito restrain and prevent the in
temperate use of Intoxicating liquors. -
In 1929 the New York State Temperance
Society was formed, and before the close
of that year 1000 local societies, with
100. 900 members, were in existence, and
a periodical entitled 1.-The journal of
Humanity" was established to promote
the new movement. Rumors of the pro-
gress of temperance societies soon reached
the Old World, and in 1929 a society was
started at New Ross, Ireland, the mem
bers pledging themselves to abstain from
the use of distilled spirits, except as a
medicine in the case of bodily ailment,
and further. neither to allow the use of
them in their families, nor to provide
them for the entertainment of friends -
simultaneously movement in favor of
hnpln
Ireland, and in less than a year 60 socie-
ties with $500 members, including both
Protestant and Catholic, were in eXis-
tence. Meanwhile Scotland had not been
influenced. In 1929 John Dunlap, of
Greenock, Justice of TIE Peace, formed
a society at that place, from which other
societies sprung. Mr.. Dunlap is thus en-
titled to be considered the father of tenn
perance societies in Great Britain. The
rules of the societies in Scotland and Ire
land were substantially the same as those
of the American societies. In February,
1880. a merchant of Bradford, England,
happening to be in Scotland on business,
attended one of the meetings of the Glas-
gov society, and on returning home Or
ganized a society. and by the close OF
the year, thirty were in operation, num-
bering 10000 members. The movement
continued to progress until in 1892 So
ciety was formed in Lancashire, Eng,
pledging themselves to abstain from all
liquors of an Intoxicating quality, etc.,
the more fervid friends of temperance
having arrived at the conclusion that Il
crusade against alcoholic liquors was not
enough; that beer was the great cause OF
drunkenness in their country, and that
nothing but total abstinence from all in
toXicating drinks would cure the evil.
In 1888, according to the commonly re-
ceived story, the notable word ''teetota''
was first used. Richard Turner, who
was much given to holding forth in the
Lancashire dialect at the meetings of the
new sect, happened, in the course of a
philippe against temperance, to say, "Fll
hev nawt to do wi this moderation, both
GRAFTON pledge; I'll be rect down tee-tee-
total for ever and ever" "Well done.
Dickey," said Mr.. Livesy, the founder of
the new society, THAT shall be the name
of our new pledge" This origin of the
word, which appears to make it but a
suffering pronunciation of ''total," has
however, been disputed, and it is affirmed
that the term is simply Lancashire
phrase for FINAL thorough" or "com-
plete." Whatever may have been the
origin of the term, the new sect was re-
solved to be thorough. Other societies
sprang from this one and teetotalism got
footing in Scotland and Ireland, as we'll
as England, and continued to progress
steadily, if not rapidly. In 1916 the
Worlds Temperance Convention met in
London, 302 delegates being present, rep
resenting different societies in the United
Kingdom and United States. The most
recent developments of the temperance
movement is that known as Good Tenn
plarism. 1t originated in New York in
1851, and rapidly spread through the
United States. By 1870 the order had
established itself in all the British Isles.
Its progress has been singularly rapid.
The members, of course, do not repre-
sent, absolutely, new adherents to the
cause. some being drawn from other So
cleties, but it is an undoubted fact that
the order has been very successful in
making fresh converts to the cause of
total abstinence. ~