TEMPERANCE ITEMS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4791, 4 August 1894, Page 3

TEMPERANCE ITEMS.

Judge Hindman, in tho District Court at Fort Dodge, lowa, on Nov. sth, fined a juror,'namodSporick, 10 dollars and discharged him from the panol, for drinking .boor.while on duty, Tho juror admitted drinking fivo glasses of beer during the week. A Now York ■ despatch from Omaha, reports tho occurrence of a terrible tragedy in that city. A man named John Cummiugs, maddened by drink, upset a lamp aud refused to allow his family to escape by the door. He, his wife, his child, and mother-in-law were all burnt to death, and hardly a vestigo of their bodies wns discoverable.

Mi's Hunt of tho W.O.T.U,', says tliat tho Union "has only six more states to win beforo tho wholo United States and territories will bo under compulsory Tcmptraiico education, with their 65,000,000 inhabitants and 18,000,000 school children. Already in 44 States and territories the law says that their 13,000,000 school children should be taught as I a part of their regular school education God's law of abstinence from alcohol and all narcotics, withpther laws of health.

In a recent article on Christinas and Christmas Drinking, the Minnton News says:—" We hear a great deal about the numbers of persons unemployed, especially in the Eastend, and yet in St. George's-in-thc-Knst nlono thoi'o tiro Hi) publichouses in which about £595,000 is spent annually. 'Yes,'says my publican friend, ' but look how many persons find employment out of this.' Let us bring the publican's statements to the test of figures, and these are easily available. A Blue Book on wages and production was issued in 181)1 by the Board of Trado (Sir M, Hick-Bench president), and these significant figures were there given: 'Forovery £IOO received in mining; £55 went in wages; shipbuilding, £37; tramways, £3l: railways, £36; canals, £29; cotton stuffs, £29; iron and steel, £23; brewing, £7.' It, therefore, must be pretty evident that if the money wasted in drink wore employed by ,tho drunkard in providing fucl,food, amlclotliingforliimsclf or his family there neither need, nor would bo very many unemployed, as there would be an enormously greater demand for commodities employing more labour, which would absorb much, if not all, of the surplus labour."

A new inebriate home for men has been opened at Eanelagh-road, Ealing, by the London Diocesan Branch of the Church of England Temperance Society, i, Sanctuary, S.W., to meet the wants of middle-class inebriates who cannot afford to pay the large sums asked by existing homes,

The Independent Order of Rechabites has made another record year iu the United Kingdom, having opened during the year no fewer than 205 new Tents, 115 for adults and 90 for juveniles. These arc distributed over the various countries as follow: —Adult Tents opened: England, 63; ■Scotland, 36; Wales,9; Ireland, 7. Juvenile Tents opened: England, 46; Scotland, 19; Wales, 17; Ire'land, 8. Grand total, 205.

Under the heading of "Menu! Moderne," the Paris Matin devotes an article to the spread of drunkenness in France. The alarming increase of alcoholism in the country attracted tho serious attention of legislators and doctors in 1873, and led to tho creation of the ■' ociete fmwjam de 'temperance and the enactment of special laws against drunkenness. That such weronccded was proved by statistics, which demonstrated that drink killed over 2,000 persons annually in France, while it was responsible for a number of suicides and much crime in the army, Since then the figures have enormously increased, and Le Matin declares that some remedy to check tho practice of alcoholism must bo devised, It concludes with theso words, "If alcoholism constitutes, so to speak, a peril to the human being,it isanationaldanger," and earnestly recommends the Government to check its progress.