The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-20

~ array of glasses.
But the American reader will understand
all these matters more fully from al n
te'v view had with a leading English minister
by OF the London daiIies Ii this emil
Eent gentleman, an official of the late con-
ference. correctly reported. what
says may be taken as the defense or Eng
lsh Metho6ism against the censure passed
upon it by the more advanced temperance
sentiments of the church in America.
Yes he is reported to have said. lit is
true that Americans have expressed their
surprise at some of our habits. l don't
mean that they have made any strong or
unkindly protest. but they have made re-
marks on the matter. My answer is simply
that this is free country and America Is
not. Here we reserve the right TO drink
alcoholic liquor in moderation IL we choose
TO do so. ministers and people alike. Our
American friends, l noticed, drank ginger
beer or. lemonade with their luch but we
should have thought none the worse of
them if they had taken a glass OF beer.
John Wesley used wine till his death. yet
| for doing that his own followers in america
would turn him out of the church he found
ed. AS TO smoking, we reserve the same
| liberty TO ourselves. American Methodists
| over here have been seen chewing tobacco.
| Surely that is worse than smoking.
A NOTABLE UNDERTAKING.
There is, of course, in the Methodist min
| istry over here a considerable proportion
of total abstainers and the number is grow
ing. So ii is also in the other denomina-
tions. not excepting the Established
| Church. But in England a man may be
classed as a temperance man and still
be moderate drinker. He may not him
self sign the pledge. yet may sanction
heartily a crusade to gec others to sign
it. Many of this kind undoubtedly are Civ
ing their Endorsement to the great move
ment foot for getting a million
new pledges by the end OF this first year
of the century. This is really a notable
| undertaking, and the specific object OF II
| as fully illustrates the difference between
| England and America the other facts
noted. In the United States the efforts OF
| temperance reformers chiefly directed
against the traffic: here the effort is to-
ward personal reformation. The most
hopeful of temperance enthusiasts will adj
NIT that for long years to come there will
be no chance in England for prohibition
or for any worthy measure of local option. :
The traffic is bound to 60 on here much
as it has been doing. 1t will be modified
and further restricted. no doubt. Progress
on these lines is, In fact, going forward.
But at this stage of the game IT would
be as idle TO talk in England OF abolish
ing drinking places in toto as 1t would
be to inaUgurate crusade for wiping bake
| shops and groceries out OF existence.
What are known here as the Free
Churches, embracing Baptists. Congrega-
tionalists, Presbyterians, Methodists, and
others, appear to be unit in this move
ment TO get a million people to sign the
| pledge. To lead them in this effort they
have drafted into service DR.. ]. @. A. Hen
| ry. secretary Of the Anti-Saloon League OF
| New York. DR.. Henry is at present holding
great meetings in London, and will later
make a tour of the provinces. He is ably
| helped in drawing and holding the crowd
by the Fish Jubilee Singers, another
American combination. How little these
| dear English cousins of ours can do without
! American enterprise to lead them! Wheth-
er the problem be the great one of getting
a million people pledged to teetotalism, or
| the trifling one OF building an underground
| electric railway, it's ell the same An
American must show them how to do it.
1t would not surprise me a bit IT, before
this is read, the British government had
asked the loan Of one of our generals for
the supreme command in South Africa.
| VIII they ever end that war unless we show
them how? But il was OF the temperance
war l was writing, and that crusade, we
are told, is to be short and decisive. If
public meetings fail to bring the new mil
lion of pledged abstainers there will be a
| house to house canvass for them through
out the whole of England
OBJECT OF THE MOVEMENT.
This movement has in view as its i'm
mediate object the reformation OF indivi-
dual drinkers. but concurrently with this
reform, though in no way part of it. there
are two movements on foot for the reform
OF the places where drink is sold. One of
these is the gradual introduction, under
| powerful patronage and with ample fnan-
cial backing, of the main features OF the
Gothenburg system. This movement is
gaining such Roadway and promises such
good results that one cannot possibly de-
| scribe 1t In paragraph; IL will be treated
| as 1t deserves only when full letter shall
| be given TO ii. But the other Of these two
reform movements is working Just as sure
ly in the direction OF the less drinking and
| up TO this time has been even more fruitful
of practical results. The main actors in
whose
| hands is the licensing power. Relief from
| this quarter was not thought possible a few
years ago. With a monotony that was
dreadfully exasperating TO those who felt
| that a limit ought to be put upon the man.
| ipulation of public houses. these function
aries used TO go steadily forward year by
| year, renewing old licenses and granting
| new ones, against the most powerful pro-
| tests, and often. as ii seemed, in opposition
| to what the law laid down as their duty
| But different times. different men. and the
| magistrates of England are a different class
| to-day, and are showing in their annual
| overhauling OF drink licenses that they
have growing sense of responsibility. In
| the big towns new licenses are granted now
| with extreme caution, and old ones have
nothing like the security of tenure they
| formerly had.
This licensing business is done at what
| are called the Brewster Sessions and the
Brewster Sessions are now being held.
| Many of them are over. and not few
| have done excellent work in reducing the
| number OF public houses. Liverpool and
Manchester will each hereafter have about
| fifty less than formerly. and there is ex-
! cellent promise that before long Birming-
ham will have a hundred less. The total
number which justices OF the peace re-
m Ia orc