MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 945, 9 December 1881, Page 2

MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

After the minutes of the previous meet' ing liiul been confirmed and four now members elected, the President (Mr Grundy) culled upon Mr D'Arcy to open the debate in the affirmative on the question " Is total abstinence preferable to moderate drinking ?" In opening the subject Mr D'Arcy hoped members would give their votes on the points raised by him that evening, and not according to any preconceived ideas. Ho considered total abstinence prefcrablo to moderate drinking, although he did not exactly know how to define the latter term, He had known men who could drink a bottle of brandy a day and no one could say they were intoxicated. To others one glass of the same strength made them drunk; to others again the effect of a moderate drink was moro evil still, for it led them to immoderation, and to define the first glass which leads to drunkenness as moderate drinking would be a misnomer. He did uot consider that drunkards alone should totally abstain. Every man who has been used to what is culled moderato drinking must feel that at some time or other it would have been better for him if lie lmd totally abstained, He lielil that it was to a man's own interest to totally abstain, He would be better in health, better in pocket, and he would be in a hotter mental condition to pursue his daily vocation. A total abstainer was in a superior position to that of the moderate drinker, The speaker pointed out the danger of the heads of families indulging in alcohol, even moderately, before their families, as children are quick at imitation. He instanced' a child who had been admitted to Ilia father's wine-table; how from modeva'ion at first the young man had' become a confirmed drunkard, and how ho died a pauper and was buried in a pauper's grave. The example of total abstainers was'well worth imitation, as the money saved thereby would afford an opportunity of doing good instead of harm (o others. He considered that all interested in the moral training of children and ministers of the different churches should be total nb- ' stainprs. Their example to the children v/wiiid do much good, and how could a minister conscientiously ask a member ot his (lock who might be addicted to drink to abstain if he (the minister) was not an abstainer himself and set the example ? Total abstinence should he inculcated along with the teaching of other knowledge by the masters. Moderato drinking was the greatest aid to drunkenness. If there were no moderate drinkers there would be no drunkards. Drinking grow on the best and cleveiest of men, who

wero powerless to prevent it, even when they strove against it. When moderate drinking goes out of faslnon, drunkenness will lie degraded to its proper level, The speaker then went on to show that moderate drinking does not conduce to long life, and quoted from the statistics of a certain benefit society which was composed of two brunches—one of total abstainers, the other members who did not abstain. The statistics of this society proved that in financial results the total abstinence branch were 80 per cent, bettor off, while tho non-ahstainers death rate was S3O per cent, greater than that of the total abstainers, thus a man who would naturally attain the age of CO would, if not a total abstainer, die at an age which should bo his prime, viz., 40. He considered the practice of doctors prescribing alcohol to patients, except in very rare cases, as worse than useless, and deplored the fact that drink is even supplied to the infant by some mothers when nursing. As another instance in his favor he mentioned the Temperance Hospital at home, where the results were better than at any other liospital in London, Many coneeivo morterato drinking is necessary to enable them to do their work, and lie quoted from lna experience to show that shearers who drank three glasses of grog generally wanted more to temporarily nullify the effects of those which preceded. With regard to mental effect, alcohol might stimulate for a while, but eventually the drinker must suffer, and it led to drunkenness. Some consider it necessary as a preventive of cold, hut he could quote the experiences and opinions of Arctic explorers to prove that total abstainers fared better in these regions than the man who imbibed. Others thought alcohol desirable in hot countries, but the evidence of the surgeons of the army in India attributed the improved health ot the army in that country to the reduced consumption of alcohol by the men, Some men who wore not lovers of drink partook of it for the sake of company. Young ladies, too, go to bulls and consider a bottle of champagne necessary to enable them to undergo a night's dancing! The speaker coneluded a. very able speech by saying that every.naan who \vas a well-wisher of his country, family,' and friends - should endorse total abstinence, (Applause.) . - ; - Ml*. Jas. Brown, who, opened on the negative side, said the' opener of the debate based his points more against drunkenness " than' against • moderate

who could not." clot and carry one, 11 He .twitted Mr D'Arcy on his definitions, and asked him how a total abstainer was defined. A man who drank cofiee, for instance, was not a total abstainer—from coffee. Although the opener of the debate could not define moderate drinking, he (the speaker) would define it as hems: as good to one man as you would he to yourself. The story of the glass of wiuo <it the father's table has been hawked round for many years, and as for abstinence prolonging life, he would like to know how anyone could prefer long life in this miserable world when he "might be an angel quickly." Men's iives were a misery to them at the age of GO, and if hard drinking kills at 40 he maintained that was a point in favor of his view. He asserted that the temperance scale of fees were higher than those of any other benefit society; and as for the statistics of the Temperance Hospital iu the Eaat-end of London, they were made out 20 years , ago, and have not been made out since. He derided the idea of joining temperance societies, and asserted that the only advantage members of such societies had was to pay more money and get less in return than from any other benefit society. (Applause.) Mr Bedman believed in moderate drinking, although he thought it should not bo unduly placed in the way of children. He condemned the course adopted 'by temperance societies with a view to stoppin" the liquor traffic—they sought to remedy one evil by introducing another. He thuught the liquor should be taken over hy the Government, and retailed by Government oflicers. (Mr Park: Hear, hear.)

Mr Easthope, who followed in favor of total abstinence, only wished people would thoroughly investigate the question, lie could then rely on their goud sense to become total abstainers. Mr Feilding believed in a man who could take his gluss of toddy at night or his beer at dinner—such men " felt comfortable," Brandy had 'on one occasion saved his life. Mr Hall believed m every argument advanced by the total abstainers. He remembered old an.l promising schoolfellows now ruined by drink. If parents drank beer at home, it must inilueuce the children. Parents' influence-espe-cially that of a mother—was very great upon a child, and she should, therefore, be careful what example she sui her children. Mr Cross lliouglit the total abstainers picked out one or two bad cases, and wished them to believe that every one who tasted alcohol was buund to become a drunkard. All the middle classes at home, as a rule, had beer for dinner and wines on their tables, yet no one could say that they were, as a class, badly behaved. He had known instances in India where champagne had saved thousands from death by cholera. Wine was sent for our use, and we should enjoy it. Mr Hogg agreed with the advocates of moderate drinking; the majority of them lived long and happyly. He looked on the position of a total abstainer as a humiliating one, because it gave grounds for supposing that he was a slave to drink. Lie thought chloral and other stimulants administered by total abstinence doctors were worse and more injurious than brandy, Ho instanced the fine race of Highlanders as heavy whiskey-drinkers as an argument that moderate drinking was not prejudicial to long life, Mr Woodroofe considered moderate drinking as a stepping stone to drunkenness ; and it was tho duty of every responsible person to set an example of total abstinence to his fellows Mr D'Arcy briefly replied, and, a veto being taken, 6 were fouud to be against, and 7 for, total abstinence. Some members refrained from voting. [The above report has been crowded out of oor columns for several issues.— Ed. W.D.]