"CATCH-MY-PAL."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10145, 23 January 1911, Page 5

"CATCH-MY-PAL."

SOMETHING BETTER THAN PROHIBITION. The Rev. A. Hod^'-v'"-his sermon in the Congregational Church at Masterton last night, on the subject of mutual help, from the, text, ''Philip findeth, Nathaniel,* ' described a movement which sp'rang';Up* in Ireland some' eighteen months ago, the success of which has been so phenomenal Us to supply the material for a remarkable story of reformation, and to furnish hope that the drink evil has found a new and destructive enemy. The movement was., inaugurated by a protestant minister in his own manse, by persuading six men (hard drinkers) to declare against drink in public, and' in the name of God, and to get six others to do tfie same thing, and now reformed drunkards age bringing their weak friends to great meetings, wheje. they,,with open*, lifted hands, say in unison, phrase by phrase, these words: "For God and homo and native land, I promise to abstain from all intoxicating drinks as beveragesj and to do all that in me. lies to promote the cause of total abstinence by getting others to join the union." Then with closed fists they say, word by word, "We— 1 -will—-see—this—-thing— through." " ' "There is nothing , new in this," said Mr Hodge, "except the remarkable fact that reformed drunkards are realising that not only are there count-, less thousands who, like themselves, would rejoice' in emancipation, but that they who have been rescued ate theimost useful in rescuing others, and so the Philips are so busy in finding! their brothers .that already there are 120,000 members —all men who have been reclaimed, and some Irish, towns of 3000 and 4000 have been so influenced by the movement that almost all the men who tippled have' taken the pledge, and left the public houses without customers. Over the whole province of Ulster the effect has been noted in the marked decrease in crime, so that the judges in the recent assizes had to compliment several counties on their unusual condition of peacefulness. A MORE EXCELLENT WAY. "This is a more excellent way. It is coming, and; although the movement is only eight€en months okl, it is making its presence kndwn" most -unmistakably, and soon" it will bo here. When it comes we'ean drop tho problem of strong drink and go on with something else. In the meantime t,t will continue along the lines thai: v are now going; yet there is nothing that will solve the problem but change-of sentiment on the part, of tho consumer.. The sentiment against the use of strong drink as a beverage is becoming a solid national force, and I in which": way the problem will be sol-' tyed we but I>jii s convinced that it will'be in quite a-different way from that which \ve are expecting.: We think that some day we shall stand in tl\e face of all manufacturers and defy them to put another drop upon the market. And while we are diuckling with righteous delight/over a wellearned fight, and rubbing those hands together that have so persistently struck out the 'top line,' we shall hear the savage imprecations of the drinker saying, 'Curse you, you have robbed the " poor man of his-only beverage.' But I;don't thnik, someho\v, that it will be like that. 'The wind bloweth where it listeth, thou canst:bear the sound thereof, but canst not tell: whence it cometh-or whither it goe.th; so is every one that is borne of the Spirit;' ' I feel that there is a new sentiment born of. the Spirit which will reveal itself in a marvellous way by the public declaration of the drunkard against drink in some such way as that adopted by the members tho 'Catch-My-Pal' Society. v In the meantime Ave cannot relax our efforts for one moment in the direction of reformatory legislation because this very strenuous endeavour is honoured by God and hastens the fulness of the times when not the legislation but the poor drunkard himself will relieve us of the burden that we are carrying for him, by saying, 'We—will—-sec—ibis—thing-through.' "