YOUTH RALLY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 229, 26 August 1935, Page 9

YOUTH RALLY

TEMPERANCE ADDRESS. Following upon an address given earlier in the day at the Baptist Church, where there had. been a parade of temperance societies. Mrs Moffatt Clow, of Belfast (Ireland), conducted an excellent youth rallv at the Municipal Hal] yesterday afternoon. Rev. John Paterson, M.A. (Wanganui) presided. Members of the Salvation Army Band assisted with the musical side of the programme. Mr R. Parker was song leader, and Mrs Parker, L.R.A.M., was pianiste. The attendance by young people was a large one. Rev. H. L. Richards, speaking as chairman of tho local executive of the New Zealand Alliance, extended a welcome to Airs Clow. Personally, he said, ho could not realise how anyone could look at tho prohibition question with indifference and ho felt that those favouring the abolition of drink would never ease up in their fight against the traffic. Mrs Clow was given a very hearty reception on rising to speak. “I see in my audience a large number of young men and women, and 1 am very pleased,” she said. “I have not only a great respect for tho veterans in our cause, but for youth, because I realise that the future rests in their hands. It is youth’s day. Youth is at the helm. Young people have a tremendous amount of freedom to-day-in choice, in action and in will. I would like them, then, to realise that this freedom should not he used purely for their own interests. Von are the makers of to-morrow —those who went before in this wonderful country of yours did their work well, particularly in opposing tho liquor traffic; and it is your duty to carry on the fight.” Mrs Clow added that most young people had been brought up teetotallers by accident. It was taken tor granted they were abstainers, but when they left the shelter of Christian homes they, would find it much different. Everywhere in the world temptation would come to them and they would have to fight. “If one is a teetotaller by accident one is liable to be bowled over, but if one is a teetotaller by conviction one can stand up to the onslaught,” she stated. Naturally youth could not see the menace as clearly as older folk.. A great authority, thowover, had pointed out that the four greatest scourges of the world to-day were cancer, consumption, disease and alcoholism. In Great Britain statistics revealed that deaths due to alcoholism and kindred disease had made strong drink a decided menace. Ut 164 occupational groups the first 30 (with the highest number of deaths through alcohol and the diseases it induced) included men and women occupying the highest places in the land. Teachers and clergymen seemto be the only exceptions. This indicated that position or ability did not safeguard against moderate drinking* “I was greatly alarmed when I learnt that in Australia and New Zealand, particularly in the Dominion, social drinking by young people was greater than in England. It was spoken of in whispers, hut I say that it should be shouted from the housetops in the hope of putting a stop to this practice,” continued Mrs Clow. Those who wanted freedom and progress should fight the evil at once. They had grown apathetic in tho past ten years because people were getting away from God. Mrs Clow concluded by urging all young people to take advantage of the privilege extended them in voting—and to vote for total prohibition. Rev. J. 11. Allen, of Feilding, also addressed the meeting. He felt that the gathering had met not as a company of alarmists hut as a party interested in a great moral reform. He appealed for a new sense of urgency to be awakenerl as tho forthcoming poll was faced ; n new sense of unity between the generations and the churches and a new sense of fellowship. He pointed out that it had been estimated that 181,000 new voters would have a voice in the country s affairs at the next poll and of that number 115,000 were to bo young people. He saw in this a great oppoi-tunit-y for the youth of New Zealand. Rev. R. Simpson moved a hearty vote of thanks to the speakers of the day and said that Mrs Clow was undoubtedly a magnificent advertisement for the cause and a splendid speaker.