SIR HENRY THOMPSON’S WARNING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 133, 10 January 1874, Page 21

SIR HENRY THOMPSON’S WARNING.

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In a letter addressed to his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, as president of the Church of England Temperance Society, in March last, Sir Henry Thompson, M.D., F.R.C.S, made a startling declaration on the dangers of even the moderate use of fermented liquors. It was reproduced in the “ Times” and most of the daily and weekly papers of England. No more emphatic, truthful, and valuable utterance has ever been made on the topic the letter relates to. Sir Henry Thompson, in his letter, said : I have long had the conviction that there is no greater cause of evil, moral and physical, in this country than the use of alcoholic beverages. I do not mean by this that extreme indulgence which produces drunkenness. The habitual use of fermented liquors to an extent far short of what is necessary to produce that condition, and such as is quite common in all ranks of society, injures the body and diminishes the mental power to an extent which I think few people are aware of. Such, at all events, is the result of observation during more than twenty years of professional life devoted to hospital practice, and to private practice in every rank above it. Thus, I have no hesitation in attributing a very large proportion of some of the most painful and dangerous maladies which come under my notice, as well as those which every medical man has to treat, to the ordinary and daily use of fermented drink taken in the quantity which is conventionally, deemed moderate. Whatever may be said in regard to its evil influence on the mental and moral faculties, as to the fact above stated I feel that I have a right to speak with authority ; and I do so solely because it appears to me a duty, especially at this moment, not to be silent on a matter of such extreme importance. I know full well how unpalatable is such truth, and how such a declaration brings me into painful conflict —I bad almost said with the national sentiments, and the timehonored and prescriptive usages of our race. My main object is to express my opinion as a professional man in relation to the habitual employment of fermented liquor as a beverage. But if I ventured one step further it would be to express a belief that there is no single habit in this country which so much tends to deteriorate the qualities of the race, and so much disqualifies it for endurance iu that competition which in the nature of things must exist, and in which struggle the prize of superiority must fall to the best aud to the strongest. The “ Birmingham Daily Post,” in its leading article on the letter of Sir Henry Thompson, remarked : ‘‘Men are fairly startled by it, and we think not without reason. The tone of the letter, its quietness, and the confidence of absolute knowledge with which it is written, are specially calculated to make an impression; and

this is deepened by the profeession of the writer, and by his eminent rank as a medical man. It is no theorist or ‘ fanatical’ teetotaller who gives a general warning on the evils of drinking ; but a medical practitioner of European reputation, who speaks from long and intimate observation, and who is impelled by the highest possible motive, a sense of duty, prompted by special knowledge of the babit be condemns, and of the dangers which it entails.”

THE GOOD TEMPLAR MOVEMENT.

The Good Templar movement continues to make rapid and wonderful progress. At the annual session of the Grand Lodge of England, held in Colston Hall, Bristol, in July, the report of the committee on political action was an able document, recommending “ electoral action in each constituency, with a viow to return such candidates as are favorable to the suppression of the liquor traffic, whether by Imperial enactment or by the Permissive Bill; ” and pledging the committee to “ cooperate with the United Kingdom Alliance, or other organisations seeking to obtain the same end.” The Grand Lodges of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland are equally well pronounced in favor of the Legislative prohibition of the liquor traffic, and the earnest support of the Permissive Bill, as a means towards that end. The Right Worthy Grand Lodge held its nineteenth session in London, in July, on which occasion deputations from the Alliance and from the London Alliance Auxiliary presented addresses of welcome and fraternal congratulatiohs to the lodge, which were kindly and enthusiastically received and responded to. During the progress of its proceedings—which extended over a week—the lodge discussed and adopted an able and valuable manifesto on political action, expressing the most thorough aud advanced opinions, and resolutions as to principles, policy, and action. The Good Templars of Manchester and Salford gave a welcome demonstration to tho leading members of the Right Worthy Grand Lodge in the Eree-trade Hall, Manchester, on which occasion excellent and eloquent speeches were delivered, and well seasoned with pronounced prohibitory sentiments, and most enthusiastically responded to by the largo andience. The speech of Judge Black was a most able and eloquent deliverance, replete with very valuable information and weighty facts. The following extract from the speech, as reported in the “Alliance News,” August 26, deserves to be put on permanent record ; “It was emphatically true that throughout the length and breadth of America not a single Protestant minister could hold his position, or retain respect who tippled with the drink. Of course there were exceptions; but the great body of the ministry and officebearers of all the denominations were abstainers from drink. (Hear, hear.) There was within his knowledge no ecclesiastical body of any magnitude that had not emphatically protested against both the use and sale of strong drink amongst their members. He held in his hand the mission book of the Methodist Episcopal Church—the Wesleyans of the United States —numbering 1,110,000 members, and more than 20,000 ministers, fully half of whom he believed were Good Templars. (Hear, hear.) With affiliated religious bodies, there were 2,500,000 communicants and 30,000 pastors who held similar abstinence and prohibitory principles. Judge Black read some of the resolutions passed in the quadrennial session of this body of Christians in 1872. Their testimony had bean from year to year as distinct, though probably not so extended, as that now given in the book for the government of ministers and members.”

AN EFFICIENT REMEDY FOR INTEMPERANCE.

The “ Times,” on January 19th, 1863, made the following announcement : —“ The man who shall invent a really efficient antidote to this system of voluntary and daily poisoning will deserve a high place among the benefactors of his race.” The truth of this statement cannot be questioned. It is really important that an efficient antidote be invented, for it is a question of life or death, to a considerable portion of the human family. The loss of life and property by war, famine, pestilence, storm, and earthquake, cannot be compared to the fearful loss occasioned by the drinking of alcoholic drinks. It is, however, worthy of our serious consideration that man has no control over the storm and earthquake; and famine and pestilence are frequently produced by causes that his wisdom could not foresee, nor his power avert. No doubt war might be avoided ; but even in this the great body of soldiers are but the instruments of designing men to accomplish their purposes ; whilst the “ Times ” speaks of this system of voluntary and, daily poisoning ! Intemperance is there fore the result of this voluntary drinking. It is purely man’s own act —done willingly, done deliberately, done daily, done with the sad fruit in various stages of growth before his eyes. If the act is thus voluntary, and the article drunk is poisonous, an honest, unprejudiced mind would naturally conclude that there would be no difficulty in inventing an efficient antidote. The voice of reason and common sense, when allowed fairly to speak, would at once say, “Cease to wilfully take the poison, and you will never be the victims of it;” but this is too simple, too easy, too effectual; this would annihilate the evil, and then there would be nothing to dispute and differ about. The real truth is, that the editor of “ The Times” and thousands of others are in search of an antidote that will prevent drunkenness, and yet permit the system of voluntary and daily poisoning. This has not been accomplished, and we believe never will. Even our legislators have been acting on this principle, or have been in search of this “ philosopher’s stone,” hence the hundreds of

acts that have been passed for the government of the traffic in drink, and the prevention of drunkenness ; but the evil continues, and today the traffic is as destructive to health, wealth, peace, and happiness as ever it was, and still the cry is for regulation instead of prohibition. The fact is the article has been clearly proved to be a poison, and consequently cannot be sold and used and no berm follow. It is surprising how many cures and palliatives have been proposed from time to time ; but when we consider that they all assume that strong drink in itself is a good thing, and really necessary to man’s comfort, and only bad when abused, or taken in large quantities, we need not wonder that they have proved ineffectual. Drunkenness was very common in the days of King Edgar, about tho year 957, and, by the advice of the Primate, he ordered drinking pots to be mado with pegs or pins at equal distances, and each thirsty soul was commanded to confine himself to the quantity between the two pegs. We are distinctly told that this method failed to improve matters. Let us not stnile at the strangeness of the remedy, for it was not more absurd and unavailing than many more modern proposals to accomplish the same desirable object. Education has been propounded as a panacea for the evil, hut somehow many of the highly educated become the victims of the bottle, and these include ministers of the gospel, literary men, lawyers, doctors, &c. If educated persons were free from the charge of being intemperate, there would bo force in tho plea that knowledge would bean effectual antidote. We value education, and wish it waa more general, but some more potent remedy is necessary for the drunkenness of our country. Better dwellings for the working classes have been proposed. This is very good in itself, but the hard, unbending fact stares us in the face, that the drinking of poisonous drink is the principal cause why so many live in poor houses. Thousands have been dragged down from mansions to hovels by the bewitching cup. This, therefore, as a remedy will not do. Light wines and weak beer have been highly recommended, and we may add, extensively tried, but have they proved efficacious ? Did the passing of the Beer Act improve society ? Were the glowing hopes of its promoters realised ? You know they were not. Has the late Wine Act done the good its great author said it would ? Alas ! alas ! It has made confusion worse confounded, and many fair sisters have been insensibly led astray by it, and are now poor victims of stronger potations. As a rule people do not descend from tho stronger drinks to the weaker, but rise from the weaker to the stronger. Mr Gladstone never committed so egregious a blunder, or perpetrated a greater act of unintentional folly, than when he persuaded the House of Commons to pass the Wine Act. Even houses of refuge for inebriates have been proposed, in which they may bo either willingly or forcibly detained, and weaned from the love of strong drink. This is done in the face of the tact that thousands have been led to break off the habit at once, and with the happiest results. It does seem wonderful that it does not occur to these gentlemen that it would be far more rational to shut zip the drinJc, or in other words prevent the public sale of it. All these schemes are defective, because they do not go to the root of the evil. Tlie efficent remedy is ceasing to drink poisonous drink. The sure, simple, effective, and cheap. It has never failed, and never can fail. Tens of thousands are rejoicing in the thoroughness of their cure, and the whole host of drunkards may be made whole by taking the same medicine. The late vote in the House of Commons on the Permissive Bill is no real ground for discouragement. In present circumstances it was a great matter to get eighty-one real votes; All honour to those noble-minded, brave men. Victory is only a question of time, and the length of time depends upon the zeal and well-directed labor of temperance men of every name. We hope our readers will prove themselves true to their obligation, and never cease to proclaim “ Abstinence for the individual, and prohibition of the liquor traffic for the community.”