TEMPERANCE LECTURE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1496, 22 April 1886, Page 3

TEMPERANCE LECTURE.

The first of the series of lectures advertised te be delivered by Mr Thomas Seatree was given by that gentleman on Tuesday evening in the Good Templars’ Hal), Geraldine, his subject being •* London by Day.” Mr W. Maslin occupied the chair, and Miss Andrews presided at the harmonium. The attendance was not large, no doubt owing to the evening being wet, and a temperance meeting having been held the previous evening. The Chairman briefly introduced the lecturer, who, he said, had been for many years engaged in evangelical and temperance work. Mr Seatree commenced his lecture by remarking that if he had not a large audience be had at least a large subject to deal with. He bad been once asked if ho intended people to understand that he had been all over London. He certainly did not, for he believed if he had commenced walking in London when he was ten years of age, and had continued till now, he should not have been into 'every street, alley, and lane in the great metropolis. However, he had lived in London for a length of time, and had spent a portion of that time in simply riding about from place to plate in order to see the sights of the great city. He said that a stranger going to London often saw more of it than those living there all their lives—as a stranger made an object of seeing the city, while those who lived there very often never went far from the court, alley, or square in which'' they lived. London was a city that was heard of ail over the world, and it did not matter where the traveller China, America, India, or any other place on the globe—there they heard of Lon-

don. The first thing that strikes a stranger’s attention in London ia the noise of the trifflo, which is one continual buzz. The lecturer next spoke of the view to be obtained from the top of the “ Monument,” the monument itself being 202 ft high. There were 345 steps to be negotiated before reaching the platform, which in previous years was open, so that many persons had chosen it as a place from which to leap, and so end a life which had become unbearable. The platform is now railed, however, so that it is impossible to leap from it. The lecturer then described “ London Bridge,” and the “Tower" with its beefeaters, gigantic men chosen for their size, who sliowed visitors over the tower. The armoury, too, of the Tower was described, and Greenwich, with its college, its renowned hospital, and its park, wore all brought before his hearers’ attention. The lecturer then went on to describe the scene that is presented from the top of the Monument by the thousands of spires that rise in all directions, while right at one’s feet, as it were, was the dome of St. Paul’s—that magnificent piece of architecture, where the dust of many of England’s noted men is laid, Mr Seatree gave a vivid description of Hie funeral of the Duke of Wellington, which he bad witnessed, speaking of the magnificent playing of the Band of the Guards, and describing the car upon which the coffin was borne, which was composed of arms. The description of the funeral was listened to with rapt attention. Somerset House and the British House of Commons were also described. The latter and the Parliament House at Wellington Mr Seatree thought needed to have the hours at which legislation was carried oa changed, and the laws made during the day instead of at night, as was too often the case. He believed that when the people, the House of Commons at Home, and the House of Representatives at Wellington, got their eyes properly open there would be a prohibitory law passed as to the sale of intoxicating liquors, He did not want the prohibition law passed sooner than the people asked for it, but the temperance reformers raUjt educate the people so that they should ask for it, and when prohibition was obtained they would remove out of the way the great obstruction to a healthy labor market and commerce. They must educate the people against the drink traffic. The drink traffic was the great obstructionist to the spread of the Gospel and Christianity. He had read lately that 60,000 parsons were turned out of the Chinches of Great Britain every year for drunkenness. This was a deplorable fact. The number of licensed public-houses in London were stated to bo between 13,000 and 14,000, and at the end of the year 1885 it had been shown that between 9000 and 10,000 of the women of England had been convicted of drunkenness, and between 14,000 and 15,000 men. Here was an army—nearly 25,000—0 f the men and women of England committed in one year for drunkenness, to say nothing about those who drank at their own houses and were never committed. They talked about opium eating, and the English blamed the Chinese, but the lecturer did not know of such frightful results from anything else besides the drink traffic. He had read in a paper the other day that the people of England spend £130,000 every hour of every day on drink, and only £122,000 on bread, and he believed if the sale of intoxicating liquor was prohibited there would be » healthier labor market, and trade would be in a prosperous state. Drink was the curse of Great Britain and of her colonies. The reason why men were walking about with nothing to do in a young country like this, and why trade was so bad, was because of the drink traffic. People talked about the West Coast Railway improving the labor market, but if the per year now spent in drink in New Zealand were spent on railways and other works the cry of hard times would not be heard as it is now. Mr Se 'tree went on to give illustrations of the amount of nutriment a quart of beer contained, and the inflammable nature of alcohol. He also stated that he would lecture the following evening on the subject “Men we have met with, or History teaching experience.” The lecturer was listened to with rapt attention throughout, and at the conclusion any of those who had not taken the pledge were invited to do so. During the evening several hymns from Moody and Sankey’s collection were sung. A collection was made at the door to defray expenses.