Sermon on Temperance.

Patea Mail, 24 February 1882, Page 3

Sermon on Temperance.

Father Le Menant, Catholic missionary, delivered an eloquent address on “ Temperance ” in the Patea Catholic Church last evening. He compared intoxicating liquor to a crocodile, which quickly devours its prey. He admitted that drink taken in moderation is strengthening, and said the Church condemns those fanatics who say that drink is a poison. It was not a fact, as some would make you believe, that drink was the cause of nil the misery in the world. It was well known that strict total nbsfainers are frepnently more immoral than those who drink. Buddhists, Brahmins, and Turks, as a rule, are total abstainers; yet they are very immoral. While not agreeing with those who say that drink is the cause of every misery, yet he would say it is the cause of a great many. By the statistics of the British Empire,-it is shown that one-third of those confined in lunatic asylums are there througli the effects of drink. The second part are there through failures in business. Probably if a man drinks more than is good for him, he forgets Ids business, and in the end goes mad. The third part are there through immorality. A young man goes to a hotel, gets excited with drink, and commits excesses which he wonld abhor were he sober. Those excesses soon tell on him. He gets thin ; his spine begins to get injured, and then his brain becomes affected. He is then sent to a lunatic asylum. The same cause sends many to the gaols. A man is brought before a magistrate for being drunk ; another for fighting, another for assault ; and others for more serious crimes. They may receive sentences varying from forty-eight hours to ten or twenty years, -or perhaps penal servitude for life. A man who would not hurt a child when sober, when under the influence of intoxicating drink is capable of committing any offence. Take again the hospitals. It is an incontrovertible fact that many patients are suffering from liver disease, galloping consumption, and various other maladies brought on from excessive drinking. If you ask a clergyman of any denomination what section of his congregation bring most disgrace upon the church, and are most negligent in their religions duties, he will tell you : “ Oh, the drunkards.” There was a family in Flanders who were very poor. The husband used to spend all flic money ho could get in drink. One night in winter the family were without candles, food, or fire. One child said “ Mother it is very dark ; why don’t yon light the candle ?” The mother said she had neither matches nor candle. After a while, the other child said ; “Oh, I’m so cold, why don’t yon make a fire 7” The mother replied she had no material for lighting a fire, but added : “ I will go out, and look for your father, and if I can get any money from him, I will buy candles, fuel, and something for tea.” She went straight to an hotel situated at the corner of the street, and found her husband there in company witli two or three other men. As soon as he perceived her, ho used horrible language, and said “What do you want here, yon brute?” He then pushed her out. The woman went home, and when the children heard her coming, they danced about, thinking she was bringing the things they desired. But when she went to a corner of the room, and sat down weeping, they understood the cause of her sorrow, and commenced crying also. Then a thought struck the mother. She said, “ I cannot bear to see my children suffering.” She then got a knife, and cut her two childrens’ throats. After this, she thought of vengeance on her husband—the cause of her trouble. She lay down on the bed, in the far corner, and awaited his coming. At last he arrived, and in passing the bodies of his children, he kicked them as if they had been bundles of rags. He lay down on the bed and went to sleep. Then his wife rose, and saying “ You are the cause of ray murdering

my little children, and you shall die,” she plunged the knife into his heart. The blood gashed forth, and with a groan he turned over in the bed and expired. The next morning the wife was in prison, and was eventually sentenced to doath. Thus drink was the cause of the doath of a whole family. There was more money spent annually in drink than in purchasing land or erecting houses. Many of the publichouses and gin-palaces in London belong to members of the Houses of Lords and Commons. They are ashamed to publicly own it, but when any bill is introduced into Parliament to restrict the sale of intoxicating liquors, they always vote against it. Many men in the colonies are making fortunes from the sale of drink. Thus it was that when any. movement was made to keep down the sale of liquor, those men would get. up a counter movement, call a public meeting, and invariably carry their point. By returns it will bo seen that in the British dominions there is one public-house to about every twenty inhabitants. After relating various stories to illustrate the evil effects of excess in drink, Father Le Menant advised those who needed it to take the pledge. ;He hoped they would take it in earnest; not take it to-day and break it to-morrow or the day after. They should act as men of honor. Ho related an incident in the life ot the famous French general, Canrobert, who when he was a young officer and under the influence of drink, struck a superior officer. He was sentenced to be shot, and the sentence would have been carried into effect but for-a general officer, who obtained his \ ardbn on his promising to drink no more. He promised on his honor, and kept the promise. Those who did not require tlie pledge, should take it to set a good example; it would be a meritorious act. And those strong persons who could do without drink, should also take the pledge, as it would be a grand sacrifice to abstain from it in order to set an example to those who wore addicted to its use. He intimated that the pledge will he administered in private to those who desire to take it.