BLUE RIBBON ARMY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3767, 11 August 1883, Page 4

BLUE RIBBON ARMY.

Tho folloAving letter, over tho signature of "Nil Desperandum," appeared in a recent number of the Feilding Star, and contains some remarkable interesting facts: — The cause of temperance is gaining ground to a most encouraging extent. In Newport, in the Isle of Wight, some of the Avorst drunkards havo beon reformed, and the receipts of a publiohouso iv tho locality are £20 a Aveek loss than formerly. Another house in Halifax, £100 a Aveek loss. A brewer iv Barrow makes the same confession. Sixty thousand individuals are wearing the blue ribbon in Bristol. Thirty thousand donned the' badge in Dundee during six weeks. In Birmingham over 7000 persons donned the blue ribbon in three nights, and tho misson thero closed Avith 50,181 recruits. Tho mission in Leicester and neighbourhood resulted in -10,000 pledges. In Oswestry one-fifth of tho inhabitants (1500) signed the pledge in one week. At Northampton 3000 blue ribbons wore put on in five nights. At Sivansca 21,000 pledges shut up two broivorics _ and twelve publichouscs. In Neiveastle thirtysix drink shops have beon closed and two brewers have given up their licenses. Leeds is using 400 barrels of beer less per Aveek. These arc only a few facts which arc quoted, but to como nearer homo, Sandou can boast of 280 members, while Feilding now numbers 180.