The American issue., 1922-12-15
SIxTY.SIx NATIONS
SIT DOWN TOGETHER
IN WORLD BANQUET


By common consent one of the most
interesting events connected with the
Convention was the banquet held in the
ballroom of the King Edward Hotel,
Toronto, on the evening of Saturday, No
vember 25, about seven hundred persons
being present. Delegates from countries
other than the United States and Canada
were guests of the World League Against
Alcoholism. An excellent menu had
been provided, to which ample justice
was done. 1t had been expected that the
Right Hon. Left Jones, p. c., of England,
would preside at the banquet but he
was prevented from attending the Con-
yention and his place at the banquet
was filled by Bishop Thomas Nicholson,
D. d., who proved to be an admirable
toastmaster. After God Save the King"
had been sung the toastmaster announced
that it had been arranged to call upon
the representatives of the vnrious ma
tions of the world to respond in one
minute speeches; and this part Of the
proceedings was an epoch making event
in the history of temperance gatherings.
Indeed never before in the history of
the world had there ben gathered to-
gether so many representatives of differ
ent nations all of whom were engaged in
fighting the common foe, alcoholism. As
one veteran guest, who had attended
many Temperance conference, re-
marked st was the most inspiring
occasion have ever experienced, to see
men and women from all parts of the
globe rise in their places and recite
what was being done in their several
countries to combat the evils of the
drink traffic"
A notable figure at the high table
was the Hon. w. E. Raney, attorney
general of Ontario, who, on rising to
speak, received great ovation, the ban
queters standing as they cheered hin
to the echo. "This," he said, "com-
pensates for great deal" He declared
that he was really ashamed of what Can
ada was doing to impede the enforce
ment of the Prohibitory law in the
United States. Ontario had, however,
gone as far as the province could in
temperance legislation, and the rest
would have to come from the Dominion
Government.
| No fewer than sixty-five nations were
represented at the banquet, and the re-
plies of many of them evoked both in
terest and amusement. The Rev. DIR.
Landrith humorously remarked that
while he was glad that the ladies had
secured the Nineteenth amendment to
the Constitution of the United States,
he would remind them that the men
had s'put over" the Eighteenth. The
delegates from India appeared in their
picturesque native costume and were Civ
en- cordial greeting, Interesting re-
plies were given by Mrs. Ella A. Boole,
Miss Agnes Slack .tof England) and
Miss Milne (of Scotland).T DR.. C. w.
Saleehy, on concluding his speech, was
"encored," and he good -humoredly re-
sponded by mounting to the musicians
gallery and rendering a couple of songs
in excellent style.
The toastmaster remarked that the
proceedings would be incomplete without
some remarks from Jimmy" Simpson,
well known in labor circles, and Mr..
Simpson brought the company to their
feet when he said that il there we're
among the nations of the world as much
unanimity as there was among the fight
ers against alcoholism, there would be
no more wars. Monster Gustave. Cauyin,
editor of the French paper Fraternite,
responding in French, stated that when
he was a young man he had thought it
a grand thing to drink wine, but that
now he thought it greater thing to save
men from alcoholism Representatives
from Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Rms
sia, and Turkey all had something to
say about the combat against liquor in
their respective countries and in the
new world delegates from Argentina and
Peru told how the cause of temperance
reform was progressing there.
! Altogether this banquet proved to be
one of the most outstanding features of
the Convention, serving to demonstrates
the immense area over which the world
movement against alcoholism had ex-
tended, and inspiring the gratifying hope
that before many years have passed the
combat in which these peoples of many
nations and widely differing creeds are
engaged must issue in victory.