The Portland daily press., 1895-12-10
AN INTERESTING LECTURE.
Large Gathering at Kavanagh Hall Last
Night.

last night the occasion being a lecture
by Rev. Father A p. Doyle, secretary of
the Catholic Total Abstinence Union of
America, who spoke on the temperance
question. The lecture was under the
auspices of the Young Mems Total
Abstinence Society of Portland.
Hon. W. II. Looney made a few re-
marks and announced that the lecture
would be preceded and end with music.
Then followed vocal solo by Miss Min
ME Burke, which was finely rendered
and elected hearty applause.
Bishop Healy, chairman of the even
ing, then spoke for a few minutes, and
said that as he was not feeling we'll he
would stay but a short time He spoke
OH the subject of Father Doyle's lecture,
s'Total Abstinence and of his own
travels in foreign lands. He closed his
remarks by introducing Rev. Father
Doyle, the speaker of the evening.
Rev. Father Doyle then stepped to the
| front of the platform and was warmly
welcomed. He is most eloquent speak
er, young man of striking appearance
lie said that he came to Portland to
speak on subject that was very dear to
his heart, the temperance Question.
Portland said Father Doyle has the
reputation OF being very temperate CITY,
at least legally SO, and to come here to
talk on temperance is like carrying GOALS
to Newcastle, and trying to tell you
what you already know. I come as one
OF the national officers of the Catholic
Total Abstinence Union. This organi-
zatlon is as wide as the country and is
known in every part of the Union, having
membership of 20, 200 Catholic abstain
ers. 1t is body that has been alert by
the Holy church and has the appreciation
of the priesthood. It is Catholic organ
cation. Content ourselevs with personal
practice. With great many people the
practice of sobriety is absolute temper
ance. But while we say that legal enac-
tions are good the practice of total absti-
nence is just as necessary. The basis of
all our work is the part that we hate
drunkenness and therefore we are willing
to do all we can to STAN it out. There
fore we do all we can to help the cause of
total abstinence. We know what terri
bic vice intemperance is, we know wha
it leads to. 1t makes reason slave to
vice and we look out over the country to-
day and see it everywhere Investigate
and read statistics and it would seem
that the terrible vice, intemperance, had
settled down like pail. The demon
drink seems to be going through the
country today like a destroying angel. 1t
seems as il it was going from one end
of the country to the other, and was in
nearly every family. Of all evils there
is none like this evil, drink. I might
quote statistics and give figures to show
how widespread is the evil We are told |
by the best statistlcians that there is a /
vast army of $4,000 going down every
year. You will then comprehend why
men and women form themselves into
societies and endeayor to save the victims |
of this vice. Not only is this army Of
intemperance widespread, but we know
the vice is so peculiar in its nature
that it destroys all alike in it's jolly
social relations to them. It is good
thing to have our health, good thing to
have strong bodily constitution to car
ry out Gods laws. When our health is
gone we are unfit to do So Many thous-
ands have been blasted in health by the
drink habit. Alcohol is poison and when
taken into the system is the rankest kind
of poison and is so pronounced by the
leading physicians. The principle of self
preservation is that the system is trying
to eject something which should not be |
in it. Most insurance societies have
inserted clause into their laws and
will not insure liquor drinker. 1t is |
a long since exploded theory that |
liquor must be used to keep up good
health. On an Arctic expedition the peo-
pie who do not use liquor stand the most |
fatigue. Most of the drink sold now is |
adulterated with the vilest poison. OF
course none is sold in Portland but |, am |
speaking of New York where Tammany
reigns supreme and the whiskey kills at T
forty rods Put it in the boilers of the
locomotives and they would not get
out of the yard. 1t would eat through
the boilers.
''Let me speak of one of the highest re-
lations man has-that to his family. It
is the family that makes the homo and
the homo is to each and every one of rs
the happest spot on earth. What miser.
able spot this would be if we were to blot
out the sun. If we take away the sun
life would not be worth living. Home
makes the man a real man and makes
him true friend and brother His
heart goes out in sympathy to his fellow
man If we blot out home we soon die.
= = s'The cursed demon. drink, if it goas into
the family destroyes all hopes and rem
ders it the ante chamber of hell When
the demon, drink, comes into the home
the angel departs. We see thousands of
cases of happy homes and lives destroyed
by liquor every day. We read of it in
the newspapers, wee Sc it in the courts of
justice and priests hear the stories near
ly every day and it is the same all over
the world. What must we do? If drink