The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-07-01
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
MEMORIES or FATHER MATTHEW'S
CRUSADE.


writing his Recollections for the
Weekly Freeman Of Dublin, writes as
follows of Father Mathew and the
movement begun by that great Apostle
Of Temperance:
Il was only a boy when Father
Mathew began his great crusade
against the use of alcoholic liquors.
The great Apostle of Temperance, as
he was justly called, lived in Cork
City, and made it the citadel from
which his crusade against intoxication
set out on it's unceasing enterprises.
There can be no question as to the
fact that drunkenness had then come
to be the great evil of Irish life, espe-
cially among the poorer classes. Of
course, just the same has to be said
of life in Scotland and England and
Wales, and it was not to the poorer
classes in any of the four countries
that the vice of frequent drunkenness
was confined"
| 1t has always seemed to us that
those who consider Father Mathew to
have been temperance reformer and
only that, belittle very much the move
ment which he founded; and Justin
| Mccarthy in these tRecollections"
shows that the influence Of the Fa-
Their Mathew movement spread afar
and accomplished much more than to
wean the people from their habits of
intemperance in liquor. The temper
ance movement was the beginning of
a great moral uplift in all directions.
Mr.. Mccarthy writes:
"The influence of Father Mathew
unquestionably had marvellous effect
in creating better order Of things
among all classes, and many of my
seniors have told me that the change
within their recollection was the OPEN
life Father Mathew devoted much of
his time also to the promotion of a
taste for the reading of books among
even the poorest classes of the COM
munities over which he was able to
exercise some influence.
Father Mathew founded in Cork a
| Temperance Institute, which had a
large room provided with many books,
and another room i'm which discussions
took place on literary subjects, and
essays were read which were them
selves offered for the purpose of pro-
noting such discussion. 1 we'll re-
member that it was in the reading
room of this institute I first saw the
periodical number of Dickens Pick
wick Papers, and these I read with
thorough delight and genuine admira-
Cn 20 r
the first time I ever saw the name
of Charles Dickens was when my eyes
first lighted on a number of the
'Pickwick Papers in the Temperance
Institute.
II have already referred TO the
great influence exerted by Father Mat
hew in the promotion of sobriety
among all classes in Ireland. OF
course, where the vice of drunkenness
prevailed it was detrimental in it's ef-
fects upon the poor, but it was also
prevalent and conspicuous among the
classes who had money to spend and
stately or comfortable homes to live
in. The Irish landlord, the wealthy
Irish manufacturer or trader, the men
of the professional orders, the well-to-
do shopkeepers could drink too much
bring their wives and families to pen
ury and ruin. But when the poor
peasant, the humble shop assistant,
the clerk with small weekly pay, in
dulged himself too much in the favor
lite drink he was almost certain to
bring himself and his family into utter
poverty. The habit of drinking too
much, was, however, far more COM
mon among what was called the better
classes of Ireland in my early days
than among the very poor. The whole
condition of things has greatly chan
ged from what it was at the time of
, which am writing, and I should like
to give my readers some description
Of the social habits which were pre-
valent among the better classes-to
use the familiar and descriptive phrase
lin the years of my boyhood and
early manhood. The respectable citi-
zen or county resident was not sup
posed to indulge his tastes for wine
or whisky during the greater part of
. the day. But at night it was quite
understood that he might fully give
way to his inclination for wine and
spirits at dinner, and for as long after
dinner as he and his guests felt dis
posed to keep up their convivial COM
partnership.
Even with all the effect produced
: by Father Mathews beneficent 1abors
it is quite certain that there still ex-
listed among the middle and upper
} classes of Irishmen an amount of
drinking which is not to be found in
any decent order of society at the
present day. Nobody then protested
! to be in the least surprised IL one of
J his companions at the dinner table
had brought himself into condition
of actual drunkenness before the BAN
quet came to an end. III he made him
self ridiculous his friends laughed at