NO-LICENSE CAMPAIGN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 265, 2 November 1908, Page 4

NO-LICENSE CAMPAIGN.

" FROM PUU TO PARLIAMENT." j Mr. Albert Uruntnell, the no-license advocate, gave his well-known lecture, "From Pub. to Parliament" in the Theatre Royal Friday night. There was a small attendance compared witli the audiences which greeted him at his meetings where no charge was made for admission. Mr, Fred. Bellringer presided. Mr. Bruntnell disclaimed any idea of delivering a lecture, refusing to dignify it by such a term. As lie later termed it, this was just a "rambling discourse" down through the years of his life. But a ramble with some people is very interesting and 'enjoyable, and Mr. Bruntnell certainly entertained, amused, and instructed his hearers as he brought them along through the years, turning aside every now and again into avenues of laughter, pitfalls of misery and degradation, wells of infinite pathos, a;l tending to .prove, not only what is possible for a man of humble birth t ) achieve in a nation of democracy, but also that there are obstacles in his way, and temptations to stay his upward tendency. Starting at his birth-place, in a little public-house in South Wales, he had a straight talk with the young fellows in the audience upon their duty U their lathers and their mothers. H wis not much of a recommendation for a high-collared young gent to be ashamed of the lowly cottage of his home anil of his mother whu had toiled away at the wash-tub to give him his education and a start in life. Reverence for elders w-'s touched upon. "it is not a sign of good breeding," he said, "or of manhood, when we see a young man interrupting a speaker older tlian himself." He had heard one of the " smart young fellows interjecting at uu open-air meeting "onve in Christehurch, An old man crossed over to him and remarked that Hie young man reminded him of Nelson. And he grew a couple of feet high in hiestimation as he eagerly inquired "Why liecause the last thing Lord Nelson did was to die fpr his countrv. And 1 can quite fancy it's the last thing you'd do." The smart young man subsided. Continuing his story, which was something like the theme' of a phiy, merely a string on which to hang a variety of anrcdous and some pleading for the " e:iu<e.' be regretted the loss of his

mother at an early age, and told of how as he grew the customers at his lathe;' s pub, used to give him liquor, and lie was drunk beforejie was seven years of age, According to his own version, ill- liruntnell had a breezy, boisterous, mischievious boyhood, and lie told some of lii.s escapades, Precocious boys and their humor took up some bright moments, A .school story was one of the host. All American teacher, remonstrating witli a dunce, said, "Why, at your age Georje Washington was a. surveyor." '' Yes/' the boy replied, "and at <K'our age ho was President of the United States.'' Another smart youth, asked why a dog hung out his tongue guessed it was to " balance his tail." lie mentioned these and half a score of others to .show that the boys were smart, and they should be looked after. ■' Knd for end," he would say to social reformers. L et them start their work on the children. With many of their reforms they were starting rather late. He mentioned that ill Ins boyhood days he had to entertain the customers in the tap-room by his recitations. Then he treated his audience to a couple of recitations, the humorous "Who stuffed that owl ?" and "The Heavy Brigade," showing himself an adept at the art. lie then referred to his dark days, when the drink had him down, there were lots of people who would deplore a man going' down, bat t' u M would do mighty little to help him up. Xo one tried to keep him right. He had to confess that there was a

humorous side to the drunken mail, there were time when tin.' antics of a dtuuk would almost malio all ang'd laugh. He told some stories of the lu lierous lido of the picture, and thou instantly changed to the other, depicting the ravages of drink in the home, alleging that in one instance a father stolrthe Silver tube from the throat or a dying child to satisfy his craving lev drink ; in another, that a man and iii< wile, drunk, the centre of laughing lads, had got their drink by cutting up the colli,, of their dead child and selling tho sticks. 11l- ISrunliicl] came to tin" (lav when he met and joined the Salvation Army, lie hr.d never l'clt prouder of that bod_\' in his life than when lie sawl by the "War fry'' the other dav that the Liquor parly had had m. viglif to use any >tatrineiit by (loiiera! Ilooih il. advocacy of Hi,, trallic. At this stage ,\lr | I'lunlnell brought his baritone voice into the I'lilerlaiiimi'iit. and he did it w.;!i excellent ollect. from the night lu; Icid joined the Army he had been working along the lines ~f ('lnitial, and social

; reform. n,. |,a,l enabled his la Hum- to, \ sec that lupinr-selling wan a bud- bus'i- , »ess, with the result that he hail gone , out of the trad.' and become convwt.vl In (ioil. Hi. had been privileged to benelit Jus family. ll t , had been (ho means of helping and saving the drunkard, lie luul seen much i»f the world, its darkside and its brighter side, lie luul seen scores id' drunkards who cursed the day they had started („ drink, lint nev'r hoard an abstainer iomplain because ho

j Jiad never began to drink. |] ( , had 1)0..|| called frciH the Army to the ranks of tin' holders in urn temiieranoe ennse. He had fought his wav into the New I South \\ ales Parliament, and don,. Lis share in having the local option introduced in that Stale. And lie was ril'.lil on i u the wort, lieeaibe he beli-" ed 111 ii. and liecatisi! lie. having been in the loiU hiniself, could svniiiathise W'.'li the Picliins id' ihc drink. During the evening Mis, tlo.xla sane. "Tell .Mother I'll | K . there.'' The meeting dosed with (he of Hie 1 " Doxology." " . I