MRS STEVENSON'S LECTURE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 180, 3 September 1909, Page 3

MRS STEVENSON'S LECTURE

There ■wag a well-filled house to greet Mis. L. Stevenson last evening, when she delivered ill tiie Uluteiov iiaii .leriecluve on ••'lne Bright Side'ot tne Temperance Reform." Alv. 11. Okey presided. Mrs. Douglas, aetmg-presiueiit oi the j 1-jeii. biancn of the >\.L'.T.U., and several prominent workers in the laraiuki | lit-U of the Union, had seats upon the j platform. -.ii's. 6>tevenson gave a mo6t interest-1 ing address, ana an address that must; ha.'e proved an inspiration to tne lem- ] peniikc workers present, she has u ' f-oovi delivery, capital cnoice of words, a togtnt style of putting her Vase, and a knack of introducing juet sunieii.iit anecdote to break up her speccn into convenient sections. In openhg, the speaker dealt with the phenomenal growth of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, from a small ihody ot women in a comparatively remote American town a hundred years ago to the world-wide organisation of to-aay. Then sue passed on to- various instances which hiui been brought under her notice of the growth amongst employers of a fee'ing of intolerance of men wno ai-ink nlcouolic liquors, and quoieu cases wh/jre' men in prominent positions in Hie S-tates than been dismissed because tiiey had the habit even in a minor degree. Capital declared ..s.U lor .ik *;ii-[,,u, 'u unu me system wliun wou.d g.ve the i*e. letuin for in.csliiiem, anu capital 'wfc» -ee.aii.-ig—i. ,youiu iii.R.;.,.!igij dc-; dai.— for to.al au'unence uiuoiys" .'m- j ployces. A great Tailroad company in : j America insisted on total abstinence amongst its hands, hut, finding it difficult to secure that state whilst its own c'rinking-bars were open at the railway stations, wiped the whole of them out, recognising that the profit from the liquor was more than offset by the consequent danger to life and limb. The

lecturer expressed her .pleasure that the (.'ovenimcnt of this country had also a'oolished railway -station liquor licenses, and predicted that the day was coming when Governments would be logical as the .private employers and the corporations, and insist on total abstinence amongst State employees. There had never been so many signs as there were to-day that the great fraud of the liquor trade would soon cease to fool the people. For instance, the word "prohibition," applicable to hundreds of things, was nearly always understood to mean prohibition of the legalised liquor traffic. There was a marvelloas growth of sentiment in favor of the temperance movement. In her own country there were' now 40 millions of people living in districts whence the legalised liquor traffic had been banished by the popular vote, and those districts were for the most .part the great manufacturing centres. The day was coming when the reformers would gain complete and final victory. Meanwhile', there was work to do, It would be' fatal to rest upon the laurels already won. The great evil was still the tra'l of the serpent over every land, standing against and threatening to ruin homo life, school life, the life of the Church, national health, and the nations' existence was imperilled by it. Lord Rosebery had truly said:' "If Great Britain does not settle the liquor question, the liquor question ivill settle Great Britain. One of the brightest feature? in the work was the unifying of effort which had previously been directed along different channels. Kow all temperance organisations worked hand in hand for the one common end, the heart unities being far in advance of head differences. Another ground for rejoicing was that the routing of the traffic'was being .c----cognised as a world problem. Miss Dowling played a violin solo in a most capable manner, Mrs. Dowling accompanying on the piano. Then followed expressions of gratitude by country delegates for hospitality shown during the conference, and hearty votes of thanks to the speaker, and to the chairman. the proceedings concluding iwith the singing of the Doxology,