TEMPERANCE MEETING.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3129, 8 July 1881, Page 3

TEMPERANCE MEETING.

The public meeting held last night under the auspices of the Church ot England Temperance Society was largely attended, notwithstanding several coun-ter-attractions.

Tbe Bishop of Waiapu, President of the Diocesan Branch, took the chair, and opened the proceedings with prayer. In his preliminary remarks he indicated tbe position of the society, as distinguished from other temperance organizations. Recognising the value of aid from all quarters in tbe crusade against the great evil of the day, they admitted both abstainers and non-abstainers to membership, under separate pledges. He also read striking extracts from a late leader in tbe Times, on Mr Hoyle's statistics of tho liquor traffic. Dr. Menzies gave a very able and interesting address on the physiological aspects of the temperance movement. He recommended entire abstinence from alcohol, both on moral and physical grounds, and strongly urged that the young should be brought up in this principle and practice. Abstinence total and immediate was the only cure for drunkenness, and he condemned without exception tbe quack nostrums recommended as specifics for alcoholism. Milk was the best beverage for those who had given way to excess and wished to overcome the craving. Alcohol was threatening the whole race with degeneration by tbe hereditary penalties its use entailed. If the young were brought up without alcohol, the time would not be far distant when illness, except from accident, would be rare indeed, and we might " throw pbysie to tbe dogs." Mr John Harding followed with his lecture on beer," illustrated by diagrams. The object of the lecture was to show that the idea that this beverage was nourishing was founded in error. Every process to which the grain was subjected tended to destroy its nutritive properties, and convert their elements into a poisonous and fiery spirit. Supposing two shillings to be spent in beer, tbe buyer paid sixpence for the barley, threepence to the maltster for spoiling the grain, fourpence to the brewer for turning the malt into an intoxicating drink, fivepence to the landlord for selling it, and sixpence to the State for allowing him to Bell it. The same amount of two shillings would buy 281b of barley. If turned into beer, 41b would be destroyed by the maltster, 221 b by the brewer, and only 21b would be left to the consumer.

The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman and the speakers, proposed by Judge Kenny.