The Blue Ribbon Army in Maryport - Cumberland and Westmorland Newspaper Transcriptions

The Maryport Advertiser

Friday, November 17, 1882

The Blue Ribbon Army in Maryport

The Maryport Advertiser - Friday, November 17, 1882

THE BLUE RIBBON ARMY IN MARYPORT

On Monday evening last the Maryport branch of the Blue Ribbon Army continued
their campaign by holding their fourth public meeting in the Athenaeum. The
president, Mr. A. HINE, presided, and the other gentlemen on the platform
were the Rev. J.M. BONNAR, Harrington; The Rev. D. EADES, Mr. T. THOMPSON,
and Mr. L. ADAIR, Maryport. Mr. W. LEIGHTON presided at the American organ.
After the singing of a hymn the Rev. D. EADES read a portion of Scripture,
after which the Rev. J.M. BONNAR engaged in prayer.

The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, said he did not expect to have
occupied the position of chairman that evening, as it was thought that the Rev.
J. BUNTING would be able to take the chair at the meeting, but on account of a
previous engagement to attend a meeting at Flimby, Mr. BUNTING had been
unable to attend, and therefore he (Mr. HINE) supposed that, as president of the
movement, presiding was one of the penalties he must expect to have to pay
for holding such a position. When he was over in Paris he visited the Cemetery
of Pere la Chase, and when walking about with his wife and other friends,
and examining the various objects of interest, they saw a tall man dodging
their footsteps. He seemed to be a veritable Yankee, and such he afterwards
proved to be; for at last he came up to them in a very abrupt manner, and said,
"My dear friends, if I don't speak I will burst" (laughter). That seemed
very strange, and he told the man to speak rather than burst (laughter); and
speak he did. He spoke well, and talked with effect. It transpired that he had
been two days in Paris, and had never met an American or any person speaking
the English language. It was quite a windfall for the American to find
someone who could speak English whom he could hold a conversation with. However,
on this occasion he (the chairman) did not feel like the Yankee: he did not
feel as if he were bursting for want of speaking (laughter). He was very
glad that on that occasion they had two able speakers, who would address the
meeting, in the persons of Mr. BONNAR and Mr. THOMPSON. They had quite
sufficient speaking power without anything he could say he was sure. But he must
congratulate the committee on the success which had so far attended this
movement (applause). The success of a movement like this became very apparent, for
they soon saw the result.   Now in the other orders of temperance, - the old
Temperance Societies, the Rechabites, and Good Templars - well, as Good
Templars they had to be initiated into the meaning of certain mysteries and signs,
and those who were initiated could tell who were and who were not Good
Templars by a grip of the hand - but here the success became more apparent by a
certain sign or the wearing of a certain object, and that certain sign was no
other than a little bit of blue ribbon. They saw at once what progress the
movement was making by the numbers who put on the blue ribbon, and therefore
the success of a movement like this became apparent at once. The number of
members now in the Army in Maryport was something over 300 (applause). When
they considered that that was only their fourth meeting he thought they might
congratulate themsleves - well, perhaps not congratulate themselves so much,
but at any rate, they had no reason to feel dissatisfied with their efforts
during the past week or so (hear, hear). God had in a singular manner blessed
their labours, and to Him and Him alone they ascribed all the praise, and to
Him they gave all the glory (cheers). If the members prayed for God's
blessing, and for Him to give success to the movement, they had faith to believe
that He would answer the prayer; and he (the chairman) trusted that all members
who had taken the blue ribbon and had the success of the movement at heart
would labour for it, and that each one would remember they had an influence
which no one else could exert. Therefore, there was a great responsibility
resting upon every person who joined a movement of this kind. It was not for the
speakers alone to work: they wanted everyone to be a real soldier, to face
the enemy, and to do battle against the great evil, and in the strength of
the Lord they would overcome (applause). They always liked to hear of pledges
being taken, and he trusted the result of that night's efforts would be that
a good many would come forward and give their names and join the Army
(cheers).

The Rev. J.M. BONNAR said he might say in coming there, what he said to the
friends at Harrington a week ago, "I am here with all my heart." He did not
appear upon a temperance platform to apologise for not going the whole length
with respect to temperance principles. His sympathies were with the Gospel
Temperance movement. He was there to convey the good wishes of the Blue
Ribbon Army soldiers of Harrington to those at Maryport (applause).   They had had
over 100 people coming forward at Harrington and putting on the blue ribbon.
He was glad to hear that they had done such good work at Maryport, and
delighted to hear that they had had such a good evening when his friend Mr. BOYD,
of Carlisle, was speaking. Well, to proceed to business. He felt in the
position of a very worthy minister of scotland. he was deputed to go from one
end of Scotland to the other and beg money for the building of manses or
ministers' houses. But others had been begging before him, and he said, when he
appeared before the General Assembly, that he was like the Irishman who was
in front of a very poor field, and who asked another Irishman, "Did you ever
see a field like that? A stalk here and a stalk there." "Yes," was the
reply, "I have seen a far worse field than that; one with a talk here and no stalk
there at all" (laughter). Well he (Mr. BONNAR) had got a field with
scarcely any stalks at all. There had been so many speakers before him that they
had almost taken all the ideas that could suggest themselves to his mind; but
he thought he could find a stalk here and a stalk there. The temperance
question was one for preachers, patriots, and politicians. He would try to say a
word on each of these points. First of all, it was a question for
preachers. He was a teetotaler and a soldier of the Blue Ribbon Army from conviction.
He believed with all his heart that the most potent agency in the world for
the elevation of humanity was the Gospel of Christ. At the same time he
believed there were auxiliary agencies, and he welcomed them all, and wished
them all success; for he was sure of this - the more converts they made from
intemperance the easier would it be for preachers to bring them to Christ,
therefore, the temperance question was one for preachers. They had had for over
50 years Total Abstinence Societies in England, and yet there was a great
field that had not been cultivated. But the Gospel Temperance Union was working
successfully in this field. They heard of thousands putting on the blue
ribbon, and it seemed as if the vision of the prophet was about to be realised -
A thousand born in a day. There had been a diminution of crime, and a great
diminution of misery and vice that would gladden the heart of any Christian,
not to speak of any Christian minister. He thought that in the drinking
customs of the people they had a great obstacle to their work as Christian
ministers. Why were their churches not filled to the doors on Sundays? It was
because public-houses were opened and they were a counter attraction. They
hoped by-and-by to shut the public-houses up on Sundays (applause). The State
was to blame for this condition of things, and what the State had very
wantonly and very foolishly done it ought to be made to undo. When England had made
up her mind the State would not be long in acting. Let all the counties of
England join in demanding from our Legislature the closing of public-houses
on Sundays. Let them see to it that they did all they could to have
public-houses shut up on the Lord's day. Alcohol was the enemy of man: it
deteriorated his nature in every respect; therefore, as a minister of the Gospel, he
upheld temperance principles. And then this was a question for patriots.
They were all patriots in a sense: that was, they were all lovers of their
country. He would not give a farthing for the man who would not say that his
own country was the best in the world. If they really loved their country let
them try to stem this awful tide of intemperance which was sweeping over the
land. Then this was a question for politicians. There were places in
America where public-houses were not known. Why should they not be able to point
in West Cumberland to a place that was not disgraced by a single house of that
description. Now the State could help them in this respect. Let them give
the State no rest until it was done (applause). Mr. BONNAR, after touching
upon Sir WILFRID LAWSON's Local Option Bill and other phases of the political
aspect of the temperance question, concluded by expressing a hope that the
Blue Ribbon Army would go forward in Maryport and prove a great success, and
sat down amid loud applause.

Mr. THOMPSON, who was warmly received on rising, said he had attended many
temperance meetings in his time, and had taken rather a prominent part in the
temperance movement, and he always listened with a considerable amount of
pleasure to any address delivered on the subject. But there was one fact in
connection with intemperance which often struck him, and it was this:   he was
afraid that many people; failed to realise what a terrible evil intemperance
really is. They met its victims so frequently and under so many circumstances
that they sometimes passed them by with a look of pity, and frequently with a
look of disdain. He had recently been reading the autobiography of Mr. John
GOUGH, who was probably the most eloquent temperance advocate that ever
appeared upon a platform. Now if total abstinence could save John GOUGH it could
save any man however degraded and however vile he might be. John GOUGH, in
early life, was one of the greatest drunkards that could possible be found.
At the time when his wife and child were lying dead in the corner of a dark
room, he was lying in another corner with a bottle of rum beside him. He
crept across the floor in the darkness and passed his hand over the cold dead
faces of both wife and child, and then crept back again and drank himself into a
state of insensibility. It was stated in the same book that a printer, who
was a reformed drunkard, was working in an office opposite to a public-house.
from the place where he was working he could see the people going in and
out of the public-house. This produced such an effect upon the man that one
day he threw down the composing-s*ck and ran home, and said to his wife, "For
God's sake lock me up and don't speak to me." The woman complied with the
request, and for thirty hours the poor fellow as alone fighting what Joaquim
MILLER calls the "silent battle" with temptation, and came off victorious
(applause). If there was one thin in connection with intemperance more than
another which shocked him (the speaker), it was the fact that women and children
were the greatest sufferers by it.   He had a good opinion of a man who had an
affection for children, because it proved that he had a noble heart. The
speaker concluded with an earnest appeal to all present to join the Blue Ribbon
Army, and sat down amid general applause.

Votes of thanks to the chairman and speakers concluded the proceedings.

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