Mrs Harrison Lee.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11741, 19 September 1902, Page 2

Mrs Harrison Lee.

WELCOME SOCIAL

' There was a very good attendance at St. Paul's Hall las* evening, on the occasion of the welcome social to Mrs. Harrison Lee, who is just new touring New Zealand in tihe interests of the no-Jicense campaign. After prayer and the singing of a hymn, the Rev. Mr. Ryburn, who occupied the chair till the arrival of Mr. Bntwett, said he was sorry to have to" aa- > Xi'atQ that, on account of illness, Mrs. ■_'ui-i-json Lee would be able to address ;}'6 meeting for a few minutes only. Mrs. Lee, who was received with loud applause, after expressing pleasure itt being present, said she wished to impress v.mm ail that the local 'option poll was drawing very nigh, and that "unless they worked earnestly, faithfully, and persistently right up to the day of the poll, lihey would .have another three years in which to regret their inactivity. Hie duty of each was to get some one who was not now deeply intermitted to become interested in the matter and vote against the liquor. To do this they would have to give reasons, and the speaker said she would like to give a few illustrations' in o-der that reasons could! be more easily given to those who questioned the wisr uom of "no license." Mrs. Lee tiheni quoted an anecdote which she heard) given at j ueeting- which she attended in Falwk (Scotland) last year. She referred to the stotemenjiuaf an old minister, who, in the course of his remarks, said that they did not have >a machine for gatheringi s rawberriesi; the berries had to be gathered one by one. This was the case in the greait prohibition movementy The votes had to be gathered one by one. They would remember that before the last election the liquor party had worked their best;, and the temperance party had done the same. The result was that the liquor party polled 4000 votes more than at-the previous poll, but at the same time the temperance party had gained! over 22,000. (Applause.) Noiw, where, asked Mrs. Lee, had those extra voltes come from". It did not mean that they .had been gathered in any oes big city. One had been gathered at a counter, another from a man in the street, another from a busy mother, and so on. They .had ween gathered one by one until they totalled mp 22,000. Every effort should be made between now and the general ©lection to do the same. Every apportumtv should be used, and none wasted. We must not think that our votes affected New Zealand alone; they effected the whole ofi the Empire. Since the last election the whole of the Empire had_ been brought together in a wonderful manner. The **>ns of the Empire had met _on one battlefield, the na<tion had .gathered round the coffin of the late beloved Queen Victoria, and still more recently the peojpjLe of the Empire had stood anxiously around the sick bed of out King. We had! realised that we were one people, bound up in each other, and the speaker wished it to be remembered that whatever was done at the local option pol in New Zealand concerned the whole Empire. A vote cast against tha liquor traffic wouM be cast for the feeiing df hungry children, and for the clothing of homeless waifs in England and Scotland. A vote against the traffic would strengthen the hands of the people at Home, and enable them to fight tha only enemy Englandl had to fear. (Applause.)" Every vote would have a wonderful moral effect., Mrs. Lee then referred to the terrible misery in which many of the people at Home lived, and stated that it conid in nearly every instance be traced to liquor. She graphically described one of the tenements which she visited in Glasgow,, and showed how a whole family lives in one small roomi. Yet, said Mrs. Lee, many of those who- had these time-room hwtaies Were earniing splendid wages. But^hey could not afford a larger home because they HkecF liquor too well. It was no use people in New Zealand sending Home money for the better housing of the poor. If they used the money to stop the liquor trade, it would be much more effective. Contrast the liquor bill of England with the amounts spent on necessaries of life, on education, and so forth, and then the people of New Zealand would see that the time had come when we should grapple wittti the foe that Lord Rtosebery said wouldf throttle; the people if they did not throttle it. The speaker, by means of very apt lllustra.t'ons pointed out the necessity for aboli>!hing the liquor trade before the great cra?h came. For every argument mWour of liquor there could be brought 20 atrauist, Mrs. Lee concluded by grvmg sdhne pathetic stories of the misery that was occasioned by liquor, and .made a very strong appeal to a)'.l to use thedr best endeavours to putaway that, which was a curse to the nation. On resuming her seat, Mrs. HaiTison Lee was loudly applauded. . After expressing her regret at not being able to remain! longer, Mrs. Lee retired, remarking that she would be quite well and ready for the address she was to give next evenkig. Speeches were atew delivered by Mr. Baseett and the Revs. Ryburn, Cocker, and Dewdney, and during the evening refreshments were handed round. Mi's Harrison Lee will speak again at St Paul's Hall at 7.30 this evening.