N.Z. Alliance.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2094, 14 April 1898, Page 2

N.Z. Alliance.

According to an advertisement, a public meeting in connection with the above took place at the Wesleyan Church on Monday week last. Rev Griffith presided, and addresses were given by Mr R. J Wright, M A , and •Vl iss Powell* The later proved to. be a quietly, effective, and fluent speaker, and was listened to with close attention

Miss Powell said she represented not only the N.Z. Alliance, but also the Women's Christian Temperance Uuion. The latter organisation had its rise in America, and was the largest and oldest women’s organisa tion in the world, having a member-; ship of over 300,000. In December 1873, Dr. Lewis, of Boston, went through the United States on a lecturing tour. He narrated how, forty years ago, his mother, driven to desperation by the almost hopeless misery of her lot, went to the saloonkeeper who supplied her husband with drink, and begged him to do so no more. After reading from the Bible the woes pronounced upon those who lead their neighbours astray, she knelt with him in prayer beside the barrels, and he rose from his knees determined to abandon his trade. Dr. Lewis called upon the women to follow his mother’s example, and everywhere met with an enthusiastie response* Large numbers of women banded themselves together, meeting in the Churches for prayer and counsel, then going the round of the saloons, praying and singing. This they continued until they had closed them all up. in many cases the saloonkeepers bringing out their barrels and pouring whisky, beer, wine, etc. dowa : the drain amid the shouts of the mob. In"Venia, a town of 10,000 inhabitants, the struggle lasted six weeks, one saloon keeper being provided with _ free liquor by the wholesale dealers, and keeping up dancing and fiddling inside, while the “ crusaders ” sang and prayed in the street, but tiie latter won the day. In Cleveland a mob of roughs, drinkers, and saloonkeepers, headed by the brewers, set upon the women, attacking, them with their fists, kicking, throwing brickbats etc.. The police locked the women into a store until the mob was driven off, but next day the crusaders were at" work again, accompanied by husbands and brothers. An extra force of police was put on, and a regiment of soldiers in attendance, leaning on their arras. This frightened the mob, but the women kept on until thur work was done, and a great wave of moral reform passed over the States., In October 1874, a convention of women . was called at Cleveland, and the W.C..T.U. was organised l .' It had since spread alloyerthe world, having’ ' been, introduced 'in 1883; into New Zealand, which has now a European membership of 1293, in addition to 113. Maoris. Among the latter a ' splendid work had been done, large numbers having not only abandoned the drink, but became Christians. The- speaker went on to, describe the great difficulty experienced in- temperance work, by the fact that doctors so . often, order alcohol, and patients thereby learn to drink, and drink to excess. Sixty years ago there were hardly a dozen abstaining doctors in- England, now there were 180 Q and a large uumber of students. Every year these ; medical men asserted more and more emphatically that alcohol was neither a food nor a tonic, but a fatal poison, and that a large number of sick persons had in the past fallen victims, not to the sickness, but to the drink prescribed as a means of cure, Particularly was this the case in typhoid fever.. Another difficulty was the idea that if the drink were abolished, increased taxation would follow. There never was a greater mistake, as those localities which had tried it had proved* Doctors testified that sevent}' per cent., of the beds in the hospital were occupied directly or indirectly, as the result of drink* Judges unanimously stated that mne-tenths of the crime was due to the same cause,, and a similar proportion of applications to the Charitable Aid Board. Then add the number of lunatics, kept by the .State, who had become insane through drink-, and the revenue derived from it did not by one-half suffice to cover the expenditure. The Prohibition party suffered a defeat at the last local option poll, but the fact that in less chan three years their vote had risen from less than 49,000 'to 98,312, gave great encouragement. They must work on and they were sure to win, for they had God on their side, Miss Powell announced that a meeting of ladies would be held at 3 o’clock on Wednesday next, when she would deal with the nature and scope of the W*O.T.OV A cordial vote of thanks to the speakers brought an interesting meeting to a close.