TEMPERANCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 746, 18 June 1886, Page 8

TEMPERANCE.

Mr William Noble, the celebrated temperance lecturer, addressed a Fairly numerous audience at the Wesley Church last night week. Mr FuJon, M.H.R, occupied the chair, while on the platform were Rev L. M. IsiU, Rev W. O. Oliver, and Sir William Fox, Mr Noble delighted hi 3 and ance with a most powerfully interesting address on temperance. The Wesley Church choir sang some very pretty hvmus during the coarse of the eveuing, Mr Noble accompanying several of them on the English concertina to the great delight of his audience. Mr W. Noble gave another of his sMrring temperance addresses at Weslev Church last Friday night, the attendance again being large. Mr Hobbs, M.H.R., occupied the chair, and the Rev. Messrs Oliver, Isitt, Pendray, Elliott, and Mr Noble’s son also bad seats on the platform. Mr Noble took as his text *' Do thyself no harm,” and iu the course of his remarks drew a number of vivid word pictures, illustrating the effects of intemperance and the false doctrine of moderation. Mr Noble has a wonderful store of homely phrases at his command which, by the aid of gestures and marked facial expression, enables him to bring out boldly, and faithfully convey to hia bearers the type 3 of character he illustrates. His anecdotes are short and mostly full of humor, and are often related when least expected, thus easily sustaining the interest at first created. . Mr W. Noble addressed a very large meeting at the Arcade on Saturday night, numbers being unable to obtain admittance shortly after the doors were thrown open. Major Atkinson occupied the chair, and Mr G. V. Shannon and several ministers of dissenting bodies were present oa the platform. The title of Mr Noble’s address was “Lights and Shades of English Life,’’ and on this comprehensive theme the lecturer dilated for about an hour and a half, sketch ng picture after picture of scenes he had either witnessed himself or had related to him by other eminent temperance advocates. He wound up his remarks with an earnest appeal to all—young men particularly—in Wellington to fight the driuk, and concluded his peroration amid a load outburst of applause. Mr Noble played a number of well-known and pleasing selections on three different kinds of concertina?, his manipulation of which indicated more than average ability He addressed another crowded meeting at the Arcade on Sunday afternoon, and preached at Wedey Church in the evening. Consequent on the large sale of furniture and furnishings by Messrs F. Sidey and Co., at the Oxford Hotel on Monday, a rumor was extensively circulated that the Temperance party had at length resolved to purchase and work the hotel in temperance principles. Some color was given to the as-ssrtion from the fact that several well-known temperance men were present during the eale, and that one at least of the party was securing several

of die lots going. From inquiries, however, -we ar= in a position to state that the hotel has not been purchased by the party, nor is there any present prospect of negotiations being entered into with that object. While there is, of coursp, a very general desire on the part of temperance people to have a first-class hotel established in Wellington on stiictly teetotal /principles, there is a strong feeling that if a building is taken at all, it should be nearer the Te Aro end of the city. At present definite has been done in the matter.