The Rev. S. Edger, B.A., on Temperance.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2871, 29 April 1878, Page 2

The Rev. S. Edger, 8.A., on Temperance.

The Rex. S. Edger, 8.A., delirered a highly interesting address on temperance at the Academy of Music last evening to a large, congregation. The rer. gentle* man took for his text the 28th Terse of the 20th chapter of Matthew—" And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; bnt rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell," and said that the text might not appear to hare much bearing on the subject, but on reading the chap* ter through they would see, tfcat it bad a bearing, the link being the final misery to which drink brought its victims. After referring to the evils of intemperance, he said that in all reform movements like this there were two things to be dreaded as more likely to betray them by a fair but false appearance than any opposition was likely to prove an effectual hindrance. They might take apparent success for real, as in the Good Templar movement, and so they might fall into a self satisfaction and security, most fatal to all real reform. Or they might be super* ficial, and content themselves with a success, that was perhaps real, but not thorough, not reaching far enough down to the prolific sources of the evil, the result ot which was the evil sprang up again in some other form, and they found the whole work-had to be done over again. These two mistakes were very nearly allied, and weut very much together ; yet they were different, and he thought the.latter was much more to be dreaded than the former, both as more •asily fallen into and more difficult to correct. They all knew the popular I mind could see and appreciate effects, and hence could form a very good judgment ; but' the same popular mind was notoriously ill at case, and at a loss in looking for causes and carefully tracing results from this. As reform had to deal with causes far more than, effects, jt often happened that the popular ; tendency missed the * poi v t while false friendship directed it to the mere effects and satisfied it; so that reform had often to struggle against mis-directed energy, and to do without the help of many who,-had been persuaded that thoroughness was not required. In nothing was this more the case than in the question of temperance, which dealt with a popular and in one sense a universal vice, the sources of which wire in consequence further removed from common observation. A consideration of this view placed them in harmony with those who said " Legislation cannot bring the remedy which must be sought for in a more enlightened and pure public sentiment." That was true, but it would be seen that legislation bore a very important rcl»* tfon to public sentiment. Those who said that would bepome their coadjutors, as their end wan the sume as theirs, even although the means were not. They mu,9t go to the root of the evil, and that meant moulding public sentiment. There was uo hope of doing anything by legislation

without this, as all their actions and petitions showed. When public sentiment and legislation camo into antagonism there was revolution in some form or another. The questions of greatest moment were, " How far has public sentiment gone—how.far is it prepared to go," and "how the action of our legislation stands related to it." Though not endeavoring to settle the question" he would try to throw some light on it To understand the matter thoroughly they must know that there were two distinct aueslions — (I.) That of men getting runk, and (2 ) Tint of one class of raen tempting another class into getting drunk. They were often reproached for trying to compel men to be sober, but those who knew their principles would not say this. They did not even wish men to be punished fur getting drunk, but they wanted that they should not be allowed to injure other people by their drunkenness, while we would suppress the habit of drunkenness in the individual by no other means than conviction. II the law would take charge of all women and children permanently out of the hands of drunken men, and would put a stop to the degrad ing public exhibitions of drunkenness, they would have no wish to control the individual drunkard: only they would have drunkenness put down in they same category as thieving and other crimes with which it was inseparably connected. They would hare a public sea timent backed by legislation that would unseat a representstive in Parliament who.incapacitated himself from that poeition by drunkenness, and disfranchise an elector who incapacitated himself from giving an intelligent vote. It was the second evil, however, against which they waged unhesitating and relentless warfare, viz., the tempting of one class by another into drunkenness, and here the Government had a right to step in and say it should not be so, at least all such Government as existed for its one true end. It was here there was a discrepancy between public sentiment and legislation as evidence of which no parliament that recognised the principle that one man or class had no right to tempt another to evil, would so much as consider compensating the man whom it disabled from doing wrong, to whatever extent he might have enriched himself over the graves of his neighbors. The advance of public sentiment was evidenced for instance by the late Kaipara - can* vass, which was by no. means an exceptional case, as here and all over the world the principle was becoming distinctly recognisea, whether in the matter of 'smoke or inferior nuisances, slaughter houses, contageous diseases, etc. —that one human being had no right to* subject another unnecessarily to danger, inconvenience, or loss. He argued that the two eases were analagous, and referred to the fact that a large number of the clergy bad ranged themselves on their side. They had, most of them, heard what Father Henneberry had said and done in New Zealand, and whatever were bis eccentricities they could honor him for it; though to him it was chiefly raluable as an evidence of the growth of public sentiment. So he took the utterances of Cardinal Manning, and Canons Wilberforce and Farrar in England, and also the pronounced sentiment on the opinion of the Opium Traffic and the Indian Famine. He would read them Canon Farrar'a views:— " And if you will not listen to the reiterated warnings of the judges in their ermine, will you listen to the noble-hear ted missionaries, who tell us what drink costs to the glory of England in the execration of her name over whole continents, and the rum of her efforts among whole populations P Could I summon the Maories of New Zealand—once so healthy that you might smite a~man with a broad axe, and in a few days he would be well, now, in the language of a high Government official, " almost as bad as the English, polluted and contaminated by their drink,' —what would they say ? If I could summon the Indians of Worth America, once not unhappy, now degraded, maddened, exterminated by our accursed fire-water, what would they say P They hate said that because of it they spit at the name of Christian, If we ask the Mahometans what do they say P Is there a Christian in England with conscience so dead, with heart so rough, with cheek so brazen, as not to blush when he hears that if they see one of their number drunk they have been heard to say, " He has left Mahomet and gone to Jesus." If we ask the Hindoos what do they say ? They hare said by the lips of their eloquent representative, Keshub Chunder Sen, that all the splendid benefits of our Eng'ish rule in India hare been nullified and counterbalanced by our teaching them the use of beer and brandy j that the wailing of widows rends the air of India with curses against the British Government for having introduced this thing. And, again, from the Southern Sea the voice of yet another missionary says to us:—' If you love missions, help, help to dethrone thu demon of intemperance— our reproof before the heathen, the blight of our infant churches.' And.oh, sirs, when you hear such things, are we not —we, the sons of proud, glorious, free England— are we not to our burning infamy what one has called us, the drunken Helots of the world." (Mr Edger here also.quoted* from Canon Wilberforce, and read an extract on the opium traffic.) He said it all showed there was a great awakening of the public mind on this question, and he had no hesitation in saying that if legislation were as advanced as public opinion on the question they would be on the eve of sweeping the curse entirely from among the nations of the world. But when they turned to the side of legislation the prospect was far from encouraging, and as an instance of how Temperance efforts were undermined and thwarted he referred to their own recent parliamentary history of this question, which however was more honorable than the treatment of the Irish Sunday Closing' Bill in the British Parliament last session. Though supported by nearly the whole Irish nation and by an overwhelming majority of members it was allowed to be talked out by some four or fire, bringing into contempt what has been considered the most honorable house of representatives in the world: He referred to the fact of the consideration of the opium traffic being set aside by the English Parliament, and it recently hating legalised prostitution in a manner which wouSd make any gentleman blush with shame, and every lover of justice and virtue burn with indignant sorrow. That law was attempted to be brought into force in Wellington provinoo, and could be in any part of Now Zealand without the consent of the people. To, h.is mind all this indicated two things. (1.) The entire absence of parliamentary conscience and—(£.) Consequently tb/e entire fatal power of vice when money and interest were on its side. It indicated to

them very plainly their future course, Firstly—That the end would not be accomplished so easily as some might think. They were told that religion and education must lend much help. So they must. But there were no signs following either one or the other. If it was as he had said the struggle would be somewhat a desperate ono. While their friends were imagining that because their course was a right one therefore it must triumph, whether they aided it or not, they might find it coming to the ground, even with suih nid c.i liikenarm hearts were HMy to rrnder. Secondly—They required much m>>.'c self denying efforts than had hitherto been put forth. He scarcely knew where t-> find that spirit which it st'cnied to him ohould exist among those who rurliy felt that they were eugagi-d in a contest inrolving the happiness of millions of (heir fellow-men and women,—the purity and stability of near relationships of life—the virtues and vice of Ll'o greater pnrt of humanity,— .the very existence of the native races, and the honor and dishonor of every civilised country. To uame these thingi in conjunction with the moral earnestness displayed seemed too absurd, or ironical. Great decdi were not accomplished but by the spirit which Christ called " Prayer and fasting." Men who were more closely bound together than a rope of sand, and with v horn neither personalities nor entertainments could for one moment stand im the way. Thirdly—They would have to find some means for bringing about greater unity of action. .If they could not lay aside small prejudices; if they conld not act with those whose convictions might differ very widely from theirs; if they could not rise above local interest, and lillipution notions for the sake of humanity, if they could not form some strong united veiee, with which to tell men that they were desecrating their senatorial halls, by the hollow talk against time —their personal jealousies—their place seeking and perfunctory officialism, while a burdened and ill-treated humanity was crying out to them for redress—why then their work would go undone, and deservedly so. so far as they were concerned. It might yet be done in God's way. But the accomplishment of it would be their humiliation; who had neglected so great and imperative an occasion, and, under a ?enic of their own moral incapacity, had bunded dowu the work that should be theirs to a nobler and worthier generation. Mr Edger was listened to attentively throa^hout, and his address had evidently mnch weight with his hearers. During the evening an efficient choir, under the leadership of Mr E. H. Power, rendered several pieces in a pleasing manner. A collection was taken up for the benefit of the Hospital and the Ladies' Benevolent Institution, but as the expenses of the hire of hall, etc., are not yet known, we cannot yet say to what extent the beneficiares will benefit by the collection.