A TEMPERATE ARMY.

Southland Times, Issue 14685, 3 July 1900, Page 2

A TEMPERATE ARMY.

LORD ROBERTS'S PRAISE. The theatre of the Royal United Servioe Institution was crowded when General Sir George White presided ever the annual . meeting of the Army Temperance Asnocia* tion. ; The Rev. Dr Edghill, Cha plain Gentera!, said a'l the ohapl&ine had told him that the s old ier 3in South Africa were doing honour to their nation. The absence of temptations to drinking and other worse vices had pat the soldier at hia best. Oar ttoutb African army was the worthy successor of Cromwell's army, which in its day was the honour of England. The Cha plain -General conoluded with an earnest appeal to the con* ' science of Britain thab on their return the soldiers should be received as they ought) to be, and that the wretched syst em of " Great* iDg " should cease. If people wanted to do something for the soldier, there were pleofcy . of military charities to be supported.--* (Chesrt). The lion. Conrad Dillon read a letter from Lord Robeits, who aaid "I sappose ther« never was a more ' temperate ' army than that which marched under my command from the MoJder River to Blonmforteiu. I earnestly hope that the association may con* tinue to flourish, and I believe thab nothing but good can result from so many soldiers from all parts of the Empire beiojj brought together in an arduous campaign when they see how splendidly oar temperance men have borne up against the many difficulties and dangers which they have had to face." Sir George White, who was enthusiastically greeted, said he thought; all f,he officers of the association had shown the greatest tact in carrying with them the general officers and almost all the command* icg officers. It had not betm bo at first. He himself |BJ| had to overc;me-the opposition of commanding officers, who had not always been men of the widest mental range. He was thoroughly in accord with the suggestion that the Government should provide temperance rooms in barracks. Th* tendency of war, and not of the present war alone, was to deplete an association like this. The men, when thirsty and dusty, naturally wanted some stimulant, and some of the young members invariably fell — small blame to them. Reference had also been made to the enforced system of temperance at a placecalled Ladysmith. There had been enforoed temperance in the matter of food supply also. The orime with whioh he had moat often had to deal was tlu.t of deeping on sentry, to which the conditions of ■arvioe had been very conducive. Aftsr spending the day sheltered, perhaps, by a black tar* paulin under a very hot Bun, men naturally, felt sleepy and heavy. If, in addition, they had had to work very hard on entrenchment* with small rations, to sleep on sentry wasthe result of physical inability rnther than of indulgence in drink ; and he had almost 4 always remitted a very largu portion of the M punishment which younger effioera were inclined to give for what wa* always avtfy grave military crime. — (Cheers). The amount subscribed to this association struok him aa extraordinarily small, and ho would like to ace this great came treated with more liberality.— (Cheers.)