The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-26
PUBLIC EoUsE REFoRMERS.

The Latest Temperance Movement in
 Ecngland-Qood Men Trying to Lessen
 tho Evils of Rum by Selling 1t Them
 House Association nnd the Public House Trust Company.
 London, Oct, 16. To the Editor of the Journal and Courers
 A most unheard-of thng-some of the best people in the country, really liChristian people, including bishops, lords, professional men and eminent philanthropists, so astounded and dis tracted by the problem Of the liquor traffic, that they are actually trying now to lessen the evils of this business by going into it themselves" This was remark shot out last Sunday with raised eyebrows and look of horror, by Dr. John Clifford, whose ss prominence in London as a great Non Conformist preacher is almost equal to that of Dr. Joseph Parker, But Dr. Clifford, horror stricken as he seemed at this new departure. didn't really
 
 that intemperance and the saloon had a grown to such amazing strength in \ England that a real we'll wisher Of his kind might we'll look tolerantly upon d any effort to lessen these forces, how ever misguided that effort might seeh, \ hoping for good even out of what he \ might think evil, and still hoping even 4 against hope. This, too, is largely the % latitude toward this daring movement Hssof Other advanced champions of tenn perance, including most of the large Stemperance societies. What is known # as the Church of ngland Temperance { society is so little hostile that it pub x lishes the literature of these public 6 house reformers. Not, however with z Endorsement, for it is careful to say z that its attitude toward the scheme of < reforming the drink traffic by engaging S tn 1t "is one simply of interested watch Yulness and benevolent neutrality" s Meanwhile, however, the movement NEains headway and is on small scale, Eo far beyond the merely experimental x stage that it deserves an interested watchfulness from all classes; no less from those who uphold the liquor bsi- x s1lness than from those seeking to stop
 
 or limit it.
 The first serious effort to apply in z England a modified form of the sys- terms of Norway and Sweden was made ' in the House of Commons in 1877. This was proposal to put the traffic en- tirely in the control of the municipali- ties. Its author was Joseph Chamber X lain, who, whatever he may have be- rofO pf first water. Failure met this first ef \ furt to reform the traffic by legislation, Nand the same fate overlook a, bill intro- duced in 1893 by the Bishop of Chester. x Thie, had it passed, would have au- thorized local companies to acquire all X the licenses within their own districts with view to conducting the business orl Improved methods. But it didn't pass and efforts at legislation met such Overwhelming Encouragement that x tliey were abandoned. Evidently what ' was done would have to be done under " lie laws as they were. This conclu- sion led in 1896 to the organization Of the Peoples Refreshment House asso- A ciation, society which now has eigh- # feei1 public houses under it's control. Ifss nresdent is the Bishop of Chester, hit the originator of it was a retired army man, Major H. J. Craufurd, who S in his army experiences had been so fn1pressed with the well-managed can teen as 8 promoter of sobriety, that he ESWas determined, if possible. to try what effect good management would have Tn reforming public houses.
 Since an army officer originated this movement, it seems not inappropriate x that another of this ilk, Captain F. C. Roehrner. should be its secretary. In \ Broadway chambers. Westminster one finds the interesting center from which, under the patronage of the Bishop or Chester Captain Boehmer, as he 9af11okes his pipe with true English as- Esiduity. directs the operations of eigh- N teen drinking saloons. Excepting in their management, these places are just like the one hundred and sixty thousand other public houses in Great Britain. Even their names are char acteristic. One doesn't, it is true, find " amongst them "The Silent Woman" although this name illustrated by < woman with her head off, adorns the front of more than one English drink dnp place. But in the Bishop of Ches- ' tHr'S list or 1CeIS6u HouSc5 oiic .'OS" ind .The Mermaid" the Dog and E1otiblet." and the Green Man." the K latter being so common and so sugges- five as the name of a bar-room that 1t X has been a standing jest at English temperance meetings from time imme- ,norial These eighteen reformed pub lic $ are widely scattered. Mostly < they are in villages and hamets' ss.No.n said Captain Boehmer, we've no foothold i'll London yet, but were sSiust getting one. It's dirty public t Shn,Ise fin one of the slum districts We shall try to make it respectable but :shall no doubt have hard work until sthe neighborhood is cleaned up. We didn't seek this place, it was offered to sus.. With other property in that sum section it has been bought by the Elec- 9trica1 Supply company. Soon they will X Erebuild on a large scale, and in improV- inc the street they want our help as x,,,snagers of this public house.
 General principles can be best eX- ,,lained by particular examples, and to shnw now. in it's management of public 1,nuses the Peoples Refreshment 1Iouse association is aiming to raise +he standard of sobriety and promote