THE GROWTH OF TEMPERANCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1832, 17 April 1907, Page 19

THE GROWTH OF TEMPERANCE.

Let' us give the fullest credit to trie extreme prohibitionists. No douot they have done good work in their notwithstanding their extravagant disregard of -that temperate life which not only scripture, but also all reasonaole men, advocate and practice. “Draw me and I will come unto thee.” “Cqpipel me and I’ll see you —further first. It is the old fable of the wind and the sun and the traveller and his cloak which he wrapped closely around him rude Boreas, and disrobed himself unaer the gentle, warm influence of the rays of old bol. !80, despite the 6tern demauds of Messrs Isitt and Co., for total prohibition, which creates natural, antagonism among moderately living people, there is a growing and still increasing tendency to more and more temperate living, and less and less abuse of alcoholic liquors. As . time goes on, the mere tippler, and the occasional drunkard, who periodically indulges in fits of intoxication, are becoming more and more discredited by both his employers and his comrades. The gentleman drunkard it the adjective is tolerable, is eyed askance by his fellows. The artisan, no matter how high his workmanship, is deemed independable and untrustworthy if he drinks, and he glides down to lower and lower levels and loses the respect of his friends. These are facts growing more and more prominent as years advance. A higner tone is spreading itself, thunks partly to improved education and a loftier example among all classes of the community both at home and in other British dependencies. This is true even while admitting the unwholesome examples that still display themselves in the slum districts of large cities, and occasionally in our own colonies in these seas. But it should be here said that notwithstanding the attractions of the bar, the young mon of this colony provide only a very small percentage to the list of intemperates. They are steadily learning, no matter what their rank may be, that intemperance not only damages their respectable status, but also injures their prospect of employment, and degrades their personality. These discursive observations are induced by the cabled news from London announcing that the consumption of beer in the United Kingdom during 1906 was about five gallons less per head of the population than it was in the year 18 »9, the reduction being from 32£ gallons per head in the latter year to 27| gallons in the year 1906, while at the same time the consumption in wines and spirits lias also considerably decreased. This is satisfactory intelligence to all classes of people. The decrease is not only positive as regards the actual percentage of five gallons per head, but that figure becomes considerably larger when applied relatively to the enlarged population of 1906 as compared with 1899. Nor is this decline in consumption altogether new. It has grown steadily for the last seven years. Official statistics slioav that the decrease has been marked every year since 1899. In the latter year the expenditure in Great Britain on alcoholic liquors was £185,927,227. In 1905 (we have not at hand the full figures for 1306) the expenditure was £164,167,944, a decrease in six years of £21,759,286. It will doubtless interest all readers to see how steadily this decrease has shown itself annually during the six years under notice. Here are figures for each year: Decrease in £ 1900 1,046,031 1901 3,142,952 1902 2,238,426 1903 5,054,546 1904 ... ... 5,458,106 1905 4,819,224 A total decrease in 6 years of ... £21,259,286 And this, too, while the population of the United Kingdom has increased fully two millions seven hundred thousand since 1899. These are consolatory facts to all thinking men, and should teach denunciatory extremists of the Isitt pattern to remember the old saying, ‘Oh Goody pray moderate the rancour of your tongue.’’