PENINSULA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 13

PENINSULA.

(vnnti OVR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

March 27tb.

The Rev A. C. Gillies preached in the Portobello road Church yesterday : subject •' The Prodigal Bob <•" Healso this evening delivered ft locturo in connection withtfi^^^ gentleman dwelt principally on the evils i ol "M*"*" drinldmr relating numerous anecdotes illustrative of his subfe'et He mentioned that the word "mtoxica. Eon? which^ conies from the Latin word toxioum, amply means in plain honest English "an overdose :of^ohon.» The speaker then said "That alcohol is in ■nature, I don't think anyone will deny-but load a also hi nature, and I think no one will asscit that the piopwuseof lead is to melt it down and drink it. <Qodh» also put steel and iron into nature, and I hold that it is the abuse, and not the proper use of these metals to convert them into swords and eabros, and suns), and bullets in like manner It is the abuse and not the proper use of alcohol, to useit as a beverage. Its proper place is among other poisons, on the chemist's shelf; to bo sold under similar restrictions," As to moderate drinking, he said :— It is difficult to find out what that meanfc, as confirmed drunkards declare that they are moderate dnnkors. The most of the crimes that are committed are traceab'e to moderate drinking in tho beginning. In my native country, Canada (and it is tho most moral Country I havo ever been in), out of 5000 people incarcerated for various crimes, 4000 were directly caused by the use of alcohol. Here, there aro additional attractions in publichouaes ; decoy ducks are placed there to induce men to spend their means on drihk. It is not so in Canada. The Canadian girls think too much of themselves to serve grog, from behind a bar *o swearing, tobacco-spitting larrikins." As regards total abstinence, the speaker remarked that "It tends to strengthen the physical and mental faculties Haßtan, who is regarded as the champion sculler of toe world, the son of a tavern-keeper in Canadabrought up with drink foaming on every side-is a totel abs^iner on the ground that total abstinence tenders him capable of greater endurance." The leeSal a whole, was wel! delivered and extremely interesting, and was listened to with marked attention throughout.