The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-01-06
TEMPERANCE IN ENGLAND.
The Rapid Advancement of the Cause II
the Mother CnnDtrv.

The Rapid Advancement of the Cause In
the Mother Country.
The cause of Temperance has GER
tainly advanced with long and rapid
strides in the mother country, and the
advance in public sentiment has pro-
duced an amount of enthusiasm which
is extraordinary among the classes
who, only a few years ago, secuted the
idea of total abstinence, and regarded
the whole Temperance movement as
a piece of impertinent fanaticism, or
ignored it as something beneath their
notice. When once our English
friends, and especially English Chris
tians, are convinced of the rightful-
ness of a reform, they do not mince
matters in espousing its cause and
pushing it to an issue.
The united administration in Lon
don, in favor of the Temperance move
ment, under the auspices of the Ma
tional Temperance League, signaled
the fact that, for the first time this
year all the evangelical denomina-
tons, with the exception of the Episco-
pal church, observed the fourth Sun
day in November as Temperance
Sunday. The meeting was held in
Exeter Hall. under the presidency of
the Bishop of London. The chairman,
in his opening address. spoke hopeful
ly of the progress of the Temperance
movement, in forming healthy pub
lie opinion and in comforting physical,
mental and spiritual blessings on the
community, and he sought to impress
upon his audience the force of person
al influence in molding sentiment and
producing permanent results in favor
OF Temperance principles and practice.
The great necessity in Temperance
work now was, not to set forth
and define its principles, but by pri-
vate example to swell the numbers of
its adherents, to make men see as they
saw, and act as they acted. We had
now to remove the temptation from
the man as we'll as the man from the
man say to himself: "What can / do?
My influence is so small" The power
of the influence which each executed
he would never know till he stood be-
fore the judgment seat of Christ.
Rev. Hugh Price Hughes said
''every great social movement had
been carried on by Christian men; he
was convinced that the final victory
of Temperance would not be achieved
by moral suasion alone; he himself
had political convictions, hut he would
heartily support any political party
which would produce good Temper
ance legislation. He believed if all
Temperance men would do the like
they would see great progress, even in
twelve months 1t would not take
even twelve months to sweep the rum
traffic from the United States, if all
Christian men would thus consent to
yield party to principle.
DR.. Clifford, of the Baptist Union,
spoke of the great change in the minds
of ministers and churches, in regard to
this question, which had taken place
of late years. "a minister who, thirty
years ago, preached a Temperance
sermon was regarded as an irritating
enthusiast and wild fanatic, and he
remembered that only twenty five
years age one of the ministers of his
own denomination refused to have his
school-room 'disgraced' by Band of
Hope meeting. All that had been
changed. To-day ninety per cent. of
the students in their colleges, and a
large proportion of ministers, were alb
stainersn
Rev. Thomas Whitehead, Primitive
Methodist, emphasized the necessity
OF educating the homes of the people
with information on the drink ques-
ton. He was able to announce that
large proportion of the Primitive
Methodist ministers were practical alb
stainers and observed Temperance
Sunday in all their chapels.
Another branch of the Methodist
family, Bible Christians, reported that
all its ministers were abstainers, and
that more than fifty years ago the Con-
ference directed that all its chapels