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IRISH TEMPERANCE LEAGUE JOURNAL.

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THERE came a wife to the Temperance Hall,
With sad and solemn look;
She hung her head-her tears they fell
Upon the old pledge book!

While joy beamed in her languid eye,
The sacred pledge she took :
Thousands can date their happiness
From that dear old pledge book!

I saw a young man take the pledge,
Determined was his look;
Oh, may his name ne'er be erased
Out of the old pledge book!

I heard him say his drink would be
Clear water from the brook :

It has brought joy to many a home!
God bless the old pledge book!

"See! see! these snakes," the drunkard cried, His frame with horror shook;

But now he is a sober man-
His name is in that book!

Some now are in the silent grave,

The pledge they ne'er forsook; They're far away o'er the ocean wave Whose names are in that book.

I saw a man-oh! fearful sight!
Through drink his life he took :
Oh, would that he had faithful been
To that dear old pledge book.

Teetotalers, to the cause prove true,
Onward and upward look;
And ye who have not joined the cause,
Come sign the old pledge book!

Belfast.

Literature.

:

J. M'K.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL TEMPERANCE AND PROHIBITION CONVENTION. Belfast Irish Temperance League Offices, 5, Donegall Street. Condensed reports of all the meetings in connexion with the great Convention held in London last September, the speeches of the Presidents of the several sections, and the admirable papers read on the important occasion, will be found in this splendid volume, which will be hailed with delight by all Temperance Reformers. We anticipate for the beautifully printed volume a very wide circulation, and those who desire to possess the work, without which no Temperance Library will be perfect, should at once send for it to the Irish Temperance League Offices.

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one of our own most esteemed contributors-J. W. Rumsey, Esq., B.A., of Trinity College, Dublin. The "Life Scenes" of this gifted young writer are truthful and telling, and will add much to create deep and widespread detestation of what he justly calls "the hideous drink traffic."

SIR B. BRODIE'S BENEVOLENCE.-In the year 1845 or 1846, I sent him a valuable old servant, who had been with me for close upon twenty years, and who had lived with a relative of mine for fifteen years antecedently. This excellent woman had deeply cut her finger with a chopper; the wound being neglected, she had sent for a surgeon-apothecary, under whose care inflammation extended. A surgeon was called in aid by the apothecary, and the inflammation continued to increase day by day. In this emergency I sent her to the late Sir Benjamin, who advised speedy amputation of the finger, which he was ready then and there to perform. To this the old creature obstinately refused to consent. "Well," said the great surgeon, "I will save your finger, but it will be a slow business, and never of any use to you." For six weeks he saw the patient twice a week at his own house, saving the finger, though it was a useless member. On the evening of the day after Sir Benjamin dismissed his patient, I called at Saville-row, about seven o'clock, in the month of June. The old servant, who had known me for fourteen or fifteen years, at once showed me into the dining-room, where a single cover was laid for Sir Benjamin, who had not yet returned from his rounds. Presently a carriage arrived at the door, and the master entered. "What! you here, sir; I hope you don't want my aid personally?" "Certainly not," I said, "but I want to write a cheque for your kind services to my cook." "Write a cheque," said the humane and generous man; "indeed you shall do no such thing. Go home strait to your dinner, and leave me to mine." Saying this, he began to quickly disembogue his pockets of a quantity of gold, with which they had been freighted between one p.m. and seven p.m.-Fraser's Magazine.

GRECIAN GUIDES.-These poor agoyates, or guides, have a hard life of it. They sometimes journey for fifty days by the side of mounted travellers. They are the first to rise, to look after their horses; they lie down to rest after other people are fast asleep. They often keep watch over their charge all night long, when they are traversing a suspicious neighbourhood. They live at their own expense, themselves and their horses ; they sleep in a cloak in the open air; they are exposed to the sun and the rain, to the cold of the mountains and the heat of the plains; and after all this fatigue, "their lords," as the call them, give them just what they think proper, for they can claim nothing beyond the hire of their horses. The agoyate travels on foot without tiring; he goes through the water without getting wet, and frequently he takes his meals without eating. He provides for everything he carries about him nails, thread, needles-in short a complete haberdasher's and druggist's shop. He shoots game, when you have a gun to lend him; as you jog along, he gathers by the wayside wild plants wherewith to season his bread. On approaching your resting-place, he plucks a fowl, as he trots by your side, without seeming to be aware of what he is doing. The agoyate has friends in every village, acquaintances on every road. He knows by heart the fords of the streams, the distance of the villages, the good paths and the bad ones. He never looses his way, rarely hesitates, and, to make assurance doubly sure, he shouts to the peasants when he passes, "Brother, we are going to such a place; is this the way?" The term brother is still in universal usage, as in the good old times of Christian charity, although it has lost somewhat of its force; for it is not uncommon to hear say, "Brother, you are a scoundrel ! Brother, I will give you what you won't like!"

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IRISH TEMPERANCE LEAGUE JOURNAL.

NO ROOM FOR CHRIST IN THE INN.-As for the Inns in Modern Times-who would think of finding Christ there? Putting out of our catalogue those hotels and roadside houses which are needed for the accommodation of travellers, what greater curse have we than our taverns and pot-houses? What wider gates of hell? Who would ever resort to such places as we have flaring with gas-light at the corners of all our streets, to find Christ there? As well might we expect to find him in the bottomless pit! We should be just as likely to look for angels in hell, as to look for Christ in a gin-palace! He who is separate from sinners finds no fit society in the reeking temple of Bacchus. There is no room for Jesus in the inn. I think I would rather rot or feed the crows, than earn my daily bread by the pence of fools, the hard-earnings of the poor man, stolen from his ragged children, and his emaciated wife. What do many publicans fatten upon but the flesh, and bones, and blood, and souls of men? He who grows rich on the fruits of vice is at best preparing for the slaughter. Truly there is no room for Christ among the drunkards of Ephraim. They who have anything to do with Christ should here him say-"Come out from among them, and be ye separate; touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters." There is no room for Christ now-a-days even in the places of public resort.— Rev. C. H Spurgeon, Dec. 21, 1862.

DISTILLATION AND FARMING PROFITS.-It has been customary for farmers to look upon distillation as beneficial to them from the ready market which it affords for barley, and more especially for the lighter qualities of this and other grain crops. But this is a very short-sighted view of the matter; for careful calculation shows that, when the labouring man spends a shilling in the dram shop, not more than a penny of it goes for the agricultural produce (barley) from which the ginor whiskey is made; whereas, when he spends the same sum with the butcher or baker, nearly the whole amount goes for the raw material and only a fraction for the tradesman's profits. And not only so, but the man who spends a part of his wages upon strong drink, diminishes, both directly and indirectly, his ability to buy wholesome food and good clothing; so that, apart from the moral and social bearings of this question, it can abundantly be shown that whiskey or beer, is the very worst form for the farmer in which his grain can be consumed. Were the £50,000,000 at present annually spent in Great Britan upon ardent spirits (not to speak of beer), employed in purchasing bread, meat, dairy produce, vegetables, woollen and linen clothing, farmers would, on the one hand, be relieved from oppressive rates; and, on the other hand, have such an increased demand for their staple products, as would far more than compensate for the closing of what is, at present, the chief outlet for their barley-From "British Farming," by Mr. Wilson of Edinton Mains

"When the Tabernacle of the Lord of Hosts had been reared up in the wilderness by the children of Israel, and when God had instituted Aaron and his sons as priests to minister in His sacred habitation, he gave Aaron this express command: "Do not drink

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wine nor strong-drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, "when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, "lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout 'your generations."

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"The Lord thus communicated his dislike to be served by men whose senses should be troubled by the use of strong-drink. He intimated His will that the priest, standing in the Divine presence, should be in the full possession of all his mental faculties, and truly represent the image of God, in which man is created. The manner in which the priest was to appear before the Deity may surely be taken as a prototype for man to appear in his most dignified position. God calls the Israelites a kingdom of priests.' He wills that He

should be worshipped, not only by those whom He especially appointed to offer sacrifices and burn incense, but all should be priests worshipping their Creator, in the temple of the universe, all the days of their lives. Where then is the place, I ask, when is the time, that we may consider ourselves dispensed from the duty of Divine service? Should we not strive, therefore, at all times to be worthy of standing in the presence of our Creator. Should we ever allow ourselves to be carried so far as to disavow the stamp of divinity which the Almighty has set upon us, and to degrade ourselves below the brute creation?"-Jewish Perseverance, or the Jew at Home and Abroad. By M. LISSACK. 2nd Edition. 1851, p. 124.

LICENSED DRINK SNARES.-We must get rid of the temptation, banish the system, and sweep the snares away. They are disgraces to our country. It is strange that our Government should not see their duty in this great matter. We read that the pelican-perhaps it is fabulous-tears her own breast to distil her blood that she may nourish her offspring; but our own beloved land is reversing the picture, and instead of giving her own blood to nourish her young, is enriching her revenue by the life-blood of her children. A more suicidal act it is scarcely possible to conceive. Is it revenue solely that they want? Why, I would pledge myself that in ten years after they have passed this act (the Permissive Bill of the United Kingdom Alliance), they will get five times more revenue, and get it not from the demoralisation and degradation, the ruin, temporally and spiritually, of persons, the noble working classes; but by their elevation, dignity, moral majesty, and by their Christianity. Then would the trade of the country be in all the legitimate materials of social comfort; our shoemakers and tailors would be engaged; then we should have no coats out of the elbows, and no stockings undarned, and no children barefoot or in clogs, but all have good comfortable shoes, and husband, and wife, and children decently clad. Why, the revenue would come in ten-fold, because of the increase of legitimate traffic and commerce.-Speech of Canon Stowell, at a great meeting in the Free Trade Hall, Manchester. HOW TO GROW BEAUTIFUL.-Persons may outgrow disease and become healthy by proper attention to the laws of their physical constitution. By moderate and daily exercise men may become active and strong in limb and in muscle. But to grow beautiful, how? Age dims the lustre of the eye and pales the roses on the beauty's cheek, while cowfeet, and furrows, and wrinkles, and lost teeth, and gray hairs, and bald heads, and tottering limbs, and limping, most sadly mar the human form divine. But dim as the eye is, and palid and sunken as may be the face of beauty, and frail and feeble that once strong, erect, and manly body, the immortal soul, just fledging its wing for its home in heaven, may look out through those faded windows as beautiful as the dewdrop of summer's morning, as melting as the tears that glisten in affection's eye-by growing kindly, by cultivating sympathy with all human kind, by cherishing forbearance towards the follies and foibles of our race, and feeding day by day on that love to God and man which lifts us from the brute, and makes us akin to angels.-Dr. Hull.

DIAMOND DUST.

The despised enthusiast of to-day is often the honoured prophet of to-morrow.

Take care that your thoughts be well ripened ere you pluck and preserve them.

Don't be too readily familiar with people from whom animals instinctively, and children intuitively, shrink with dislike.

Whether a sovereign is to be real or nominal, a monarch or a puppet, depends not on his parchment prerogative, but his mental constitution.

IRISH TEMPERANCE LEAGUE JOURNAL.

A Physician's Fallacies.

MANY times, since Newton published his Principia, the
whole theory of gravitation has been assailed by pseudo-
scientific minds that did not understand it. Even
a barrister, but the other day, published a heavy book
against it. No wonder, therefore, that such absur-
dities should find their parallel in physiological science.
No wonder that illogical, but theorising men, should
fail to recognise the certain, and build upon the
mythical and the fanciful And when we recall the
bitter sarcasm of Hobbes-that if men had an interest
in doing so, they would cavil about the principles of
geometry-we need not be surprised at the absurdities
which now and then appear in defence of the drink-
interest and the drink-appetite. A Liverpool doctor has
now come into the field, who even transcends the tre-
mendous trash of his predecessors. Several pot-house
papers, up and down the country, have given currency
to his lucubrations, and one of them introduces them
with the following polite and characteristic preface :-
"Does Dr. Lees wish to impress upon the public
mind, that the Queen, the nobles, the clergy, statesmen,
philosophers, in fact all who taste wine, are doing
wrong; and that himself, and others who agree with
him, are alone in the right? If he does, his self-right-
eousness is on a par with the Pharisees of old.
We are
as much opposed to drunkenness as any of these temper-
ance mountebanks can be ; but we do not conceive it is
necessary that all mankind, those especially who can
control themselves, should be deprived of a cheering
luxury because a few set themselves up as the directors
of the morals of a whole people. We cannot do better
than close with the summary of the facts elicited from
a lecture delivered by Dr. Thomas Inman, at the 13th
annual meeting of the British Medical Association, in
August last. We may be asked, who is Dr. Inman ?
Dr. Inman was, for more than twenty years, house
surgeon of the Liverpool Infirmary, a sufficient proof
that he must have had very great practical experience.
He has published several works, and is looked upon as
a high authority in the profession."

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"Nature has provided in the salivary glands, the liver, and the lungs of every mammal, an apparatus for converting all food, especially farinaceous, into alcohol; and we have no evidence that such conversion does not take place."

Did the editor ever believe in his infancy that the moon was made of green-cheese, because he had no demonstrative evidence that it was not? If so, he has not improved in his logical powers since that verdant period. Has Dr. Inman any evidence that food is changed into alcohol in the body? Was it ever detected in the saliva, the gastric juice, the bile, the urine, the blood, when men had not drunk it? NEVER! Dr. Inman does not even attempt to explain how the vital organs can be a brewing-vat for carrying on the purely chemical process of vinous-fermentation. What the editor calls a 'fact' is a pure fancy; what he calls a 'proof,' pure fudge.

"One form of alcohol or another is available for the support of life-and for restoration to health when no ordinary food is, or can be, digested."

Alcohol never restored any one to health or strength. Dr. Inman asserts as fact what is either false inference, or mere fiction.

"Alcohol, after being taken, is incorporated with the blood, passes into the various tissues, and ultimately disappears-a small portion only passing away in the breath."

Alcohol is never incorporated with the blood; on the contrary, as the microscope has shown in the experi

The writer says here-" Commit a sin"-showing that he either does not know the difference between doing wrong wil fully, and doing it ignorantly; or dishonestly confuses the two propositions.

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ments of Böcker and Schultz, the blood discs, so long as they have life, repel the attempt of alcohol to combine with them. The account of the course of alcohol is misleading; for it is found being eliminated, not only from the breath, but from the skin and the urine, even 30 hours after it has been consumed. To suppose that the vital organs should so treat alcohol in the system, as to kick it from chamber to chamber as an intruder, and eject it from door, window, and drain at every opportunity, for so many hours, and then suddenly treat some supposed small remainder as food and friend-is the wildest of risible notions, and more worthy of a Royal Lunatic Asylum than a Royal Infirmary.

"Alcohol in the form of ale, porter, wine, &c., relieves hunger and quenches thirst simultaneously, and with a completeness that is not equalled by water, infusion of gentian, cayenne pepper, or by turpentine; i.e. it does not act as water simply, or as a stimulent alone. Wine, beer, etc., satisfy the appetite when taken alone, and act for the time like any solid food would do."

It may be said of tobacco and opium, as truly as of alcohol, that they "satisfy hunger,"- "for the time;" but to tell a starving operative that you will feed him with a good dinner, and then present him with a paper of tobacco, would be the cruelest mockery. It is an untruth to say that it "acts like any solid food," for it acts altogether unlike. Cold will induce sleep, and so will warmth and comfort,-but do they act alike? Such sophistry as Dr. Inman's, is altogether reprehensible.

"When alcohol is mingled with other food, a less amount of the latter suffices for the wants of the system than if water had been used as the drink."

No doubt alcohol lowers life and retains excreta, i.e. effete matter, in common with other narcotics. What then? No doubt, also, water promotes change, and health, and consequently appetite. Is that an argument against it?

"The various forms in which alcohol is taken, have as marked and specific effects as have animal and vegetable articles of diet."

Alcoholics have marked effects. They leave evil marks everywhere-in the blood, the tissue, and the brain; in the household, the church, and the world; in the body and in the soul. Their use by the venal advocates of them seems judicially to deprive them of common sense and just perception.

"Individuals have subsisted wholly upon one or other of the various forms of alcohol in common use for periods of great length; and, as it is illogical to conclude that they must have lived on air, or on flies, like chameleons, the conclusion is irresistible."

It is an impudent and incredible assertion that any one has subsisted either for long or short periods by the use of alcohol alone ;-though why men should not live on an innocent atmosphere containing nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and salts, as well as upon the burning and volatile fluid alcohol, passes our compresion. In fact, however, men are nourished by food only, not by either air or alcohol. Alcohol, by lowering life, may delay death-THAT IS ALL. Even the Cornhill concedes that when people partly try, they succumb under this nourishment, and die of mal-nutrition in a few months. "If it be food at all, it is bad food."

WORDS FOR WIVES.-I believe the influence of a wife, to be always, for good or for bad, very decided. There is not a woman living, unless she has forfeited all claim to her husband's respect, but is making her mark day by day upon his character. We men are foolishly proud, and do not like to let the women see how they influence us, but we know that, outside of our business, and sometimes even in it,-all our doings are more or less controlled by our wives, and he is a knave who will not honestly own it. Is it a disgrace to a man that he is kept at home, away from bad company, away from doubtful pleasures and foolish expense, through his wife's influence? Some poor, cowardly souls think so, and utter senseless cries against her who, as a guardian angel, stands between these and their victim.

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IRISH TEMPERANCE LEAGUE JOURNAL.

Family Pastime.

GARDENING FOR FEBRUARY.

To those who have a garden we would say, be not afraid to work in it with your own hands, and diligently, too. Watering, weeding, destroying vermin, removing all kinds of litter-such as dead leaves, decayed plants, and the like-raking the borders, clipping box edgings, mowing, &c., we need scarcely tell you, are most essential points to be considered.

This is the month for propagating that much-esteemed flower the dahlia. Examine diligently amongst polyanthuses for slugs, snails, and such-like destructive vermin Top dress auriculas with some good and substantial compost. Flowers and shrubs for forcing should be removed to stoves and hot-beds, and others may be placed in the greenhouse, to prepare them for the greater heat. Prune roses in general; also graft on common stocks; and plant more stocks if you have not a sufficiency already. Plant out perennials of every description to places where you intend them to bloom, if you have not already done so. Give abundance of air to plants in pots, weather permitting; and keep them as dry as possible without injuring their health.

ENIGMAS.

1--I am brighter than day, I am swifter than light, And stronger than all the momentum of might.

2-My first, I believe I may venture to say,

Is at your tongue end every hour of the day;
Though my next can no great achievements relate,
Yet it is not unfrequently called "the great;"
Though my whole I don't think you could ride on
with ease,

Yet you may walk on it whenever you please.

3-I have no head, and a tail I lack,

But oft have arms, and legs, and back;

I inhabit the tavern, the palace, the cot,
"Tis a beggarly residence where I am not ;

If a monarch were present (I tell you no fable),
I still should be placed at the head of the table.
4-I am a word of letters seven-

I'm sinful in the sight of Heaven;
To every virtue I'm opposed--
Man's weary life I've often closed;
If to me you prefix two letters more,
I mean exactly what I meant before.
5-Though I'm small, yet, when entire,
I sure could set the world on fire;
Let but a letter disappear,

And I will guard and keep your deer;
And another, and you'll find

What once took care of human kind.

6-My first is a woman-
My second a man;
Tell me my whole,
If you possibly can.

Answers furnished will be published next month.

[Our friends will see that we have made some selections for their Amusement. We hope, however, by the kind aid of those interested in this department, to be supplied with abundance of original matter for our "Family Pastime."]

SHERIDAN is reported to have once fallen into a coal cellar on his way home after a good supper at Drurylane, and his abuse of the vendor, for not keeping a light at his cellar door, was warmly retorted by the wife. "Do you think," cried Sheridan, "I want to pocket your coals?" "No!" retorted the wench, "but your nose may set the coal-hole on fire."

YOU'RE RIGHT, PAT!-An Irishman once said to another who had taken the pledge and received a medal from Father Matthew, "And so you have signed the teetotal pledge-have you?" Yes; and I am not ashamed of it, either." "And did not Paul tell Timothy to take a little wine, for his stomach's sake?" "So he did," said the teetotaler; "but my name is not Timothy, and there is nothing the matter with my stomach."

Housewife's Corner.

NOTHING is more important in the affairs of housekeeping than the choice of wholesome food.

Fish should be fresh, and are generally known by firmness of the flesh and clearness of the eyes.

Beef.-The grain of ox beef, when good, is loose, the meat red, and the fat inclining to yellow. Cow beef, on the contrary, has a closer grain, a whiter fat, but meat scarcely as red as that of ox beef.

Veal should be delicately white.

Mutton. The meat should be firm and close in grain, and red in colour, the fat white and firm.

Fowl.-In making your choices, the principal thing to be attended to is age. Common domestic fowls, when young, have the legs and combs smooth. Fowls and chickens should be plump on the breast, fat on the back, and white-legged.

RECEIPTS.

Plum Cake.-One pound of flour, quarter of a pound of butter, quarter of a pound of sugar, quarter of a pound of currants, three eggs, half a pint of milk, and a small tea-spoonful of carbonate of soda. The above is excellent. The cakes are always baked in a common earthen flower-pot saucer, which is a very good plan.

Bread Pudding.-Take light white bread, and cut in thin slices. Put into a pudding-shape a layer of any sort of preserve, then a slice of bread, and repeat until the mould is almost full. Pour over all a pint of warm milk, in which four beaten eggs have been mixed; cover the mould with a piece of linen, place it in a saucepan with a little boiling water, let it boil twenty minutes, and serve with pudding sauce.

Red Currant Jelly.-An excellent jelly may be made with equal parts of the juice of red and of white currants, and of raspberries, in the usual way.

How to Wash Kid Gloves.-Have ready a little new milk in one saucer, and a piece of brown soap in another, and a clean cloth or towel folded three or four times. On the cloth, spread out the glove smooth and neat. Take a piece of flannel, dip it in the milk, then rub off a good quantity of soap to the wetted flannel, and commence to rub the glove downwards towards the fingers, holding it firmly with the left hand. Continue this process until the glove, if white, looks of a dingy yellow, though clean; if coloured, till it looks dark and spoiled. Lay it out to dry, and old gloves will soon look nearly new. They will be soft, glossy, smooth, shapy, and elastic.

Flannel should always be washed with white soap, and in warm but not boiling water All flannels should be soaked before they are made up-first in cold, then in hot water, in order to shrink them.

To Keep Moths, Beetles, &c., from the Clothes.-Put a piece of camphor in a linen bag, or some aromatic herbs, in the drawers, among linen or woollen clothes, and neither moth nor worm will come near them.

To Loosen a Glass Stopper.-Pour round it a little sweet oil close to the mouth of the bottle, and lay it near the fire; afterwards wrap a thick cloth round the end of a stick and strike the stopper gently.

Our Correspondents.

As we have allotted a space to correspondents, we will be glad to hear from our friends on or before the 20th of each month, and will try to make this department as useful and interesting as possible.

INQUIRER.-Love's Labour, the new Temperance Tale by the Rev. J. B. Kane, Incumbent of Annaghmore, is now ready.

H.B. The publications issued by the United Kingdom Alliance are on sale at our offices, 5, Donegall Street. MARY. We will be very glad to have contributors to our Family Pastime Department, and hope it may prove a source of amusement to our young friends especially.

[WE regret being compelled to hold over papers by the Rev. Dr. Morgan, Rev. Henry Osborne, and Mr. William Brown.]

IRISH TEMPERANCE LEAGUE JOURNAL.

Temperance Progress.

THE IRISH TEMPERANCE LEAGUE, BAND OF HOPE UNION, AND PERMISSIVE BILL ASSOCIATION.

IN Ireland, cheering progress is the order of the day. At the close of the past year, a gratifying arrangement was made with the United Kingdom Alliance, the executive of that powerful organisation engaging to assist the League in more fully bringing the principles of the Permissive Bill before the people of Ireland. By that arrangement the Committee were enabled to add to their staff of agents. In November last, Mr. John Pyper, of the Belfast Mercantile Academy, was ap pointed Agent and Lecturer; and at the first of the present year, Mr. Wm. Church, for many years connected with the News-Letter, became Secretary and Editor of the LEAGUE JOURNAL. Central offices have also been secured at 5, Donegall Street, for more efficiently carrying on the great Temperance Reformation, and the Committee look hopefully into the future.

We now proceed to place before our readers a brief record of the meetings held during the past month. It is earnestly requested that Secretaries of Temperance Societies act as correspondents of the Journal in their respective districts. By this means, we shall have prompt notice of the progress of the good work in all parts of Ireland.

The

BELFAST.-The first public gathering last month, in connexion with the Temperance movement, was the annual meeting of the Revival Temperance Society, which was held in the Corn Exchange. Mr. John Pyper, vice-president, occupied the chair, and read a very satisfactory report for the past year. Addresses were delivered by the Rev. G. Cron, Mr. Wm. Church, Sec. I.T.L.; Mr. C. Pelling, Rev. Wm. Gorman, Mr. Robt. Stevenson, and the Rev. James Martin. A resolution in favour of the Permissive Bill, was unanimously adopted.Monday, 12th, the Wesley Place Society held a meeting in the Wesley Place Chapel-Mr. J. Greenhill in the chair. Mr. J. Pyper delivered an address. On the motion of Mr. Mackie, seconded by Mr. Threlkeld, a vote of thanks was conveyed to the lecturer.- -On Monday, Jan. 12, a meeting of the Friends' Total Abstinence Association was held in the rooms of the Irish Temperance League, 5, Donegall Street. John Pim, Esq., president of the association, occupied the chair, and the meeting was addressed by Messrs. J. Pim, jun., H. C. Knight, G. O'Brien, C. J. Smythe, and others. At the close, eleven new names were added to the list of members.- -On Friday evening, Jan. 16, the first annual meeting of the Ladies' Temperance Union was held in Fisherwick Place School-room. chair was occupied by J. P. Corry, Esq., President of the Irish Temperance League. Dr. Morgan opened the proceedings with devotional services, and afterwards delivered a brief but telling address. The Chairman said he felt he was in the way of his duty when he consented to take the chair on that occasion. It was very gratifying to read in the newspapers of the labours of such women as Mrs. Wightman, and he was glad to know that there were ladies in Belfast doing as much, silently it might be, as any ladies in the kingdom. He was rejoiced the ladies were actively employed in the great temperance reformation, and he hoped they would persevere in the good work in which they were engaged. (Applause.)-Mr. John Pyper, President of the Ladies' Union, read a very gratifying report of the progress made during the past year. The Rev. W. Gorman, in an eloquent and impressive speech, moved the adoption of the report. Mr. Charles Hendrick seconded the motion, which was unanimously adopted.-The Rev. J. Macredy moved: "That this meeting, believing in the right of the people to the entire control of the traffic in intoxicating liquors, hereby resolve to encourage all lawful endeavours to secure the enactment of a Permissive Law empowering two-thirds of the ratepayers of any district to abolish the pernicious traffic within their bounds."-Mr. L. A. Brown seconded the motion, which was put and carried.-Mr. Wm. Church moved the hearty thanks of the meeting to Mr. Corry for his kindness in presiding, and for the deep interest he takes in the great temperance reformation. (Applause.)Mr. H. J. Wright seconded the motion, which was

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carried by acclamation. -Mr. Corry having returned thanks for the vote, the Rev. Wm. Gorman pronounced the benediction, and the meeting separated.Tuesday evening, Jan. 20, a conversazione was held in the new offices of the Irish Temperance League and Permissive Bill Association, No. 5, Donegall Street. Grace was said and thanks returned by the Rev. J. Mecredy. After tea, which was placed on the table in excellent style by the Misses Gilmour, of the Belfast Arms Temperance Hotel, 20, High Street, J. P. Corry, Esq., President of the League, took the chair, and delivered a brief introductory address. He referred to the fact that they had now an efficient staff of agents-Messrs. Pyper and Church-and they had rented central and commodious premises for more efficiently carrying on the great temperance reformation. The secretary (Mr. Church) read letters of apology from Rev. E. J. Hartrick, John Smyth, jun., Esq., Milltown, Banbridge, &c. Rev. Dr. Morgan and other ministers were prevented from attending in consequence of a previous engagement. Interesting addresses were then delivered by Mr. G. D. Leathem, Mr. E. Allworthy, Mr. W. M. Scott, Mr. H. C. Knight, Mr. Charles Pelling, &c. A resolution pledging the meeting to assist the committee in zealously carrying on the temperance work in Ireland was unanimously passed, and it was also agreed to hold, in connexion with the annual meeting in April, a convention of the Temperance friends in Ireland, in order to arrange for more unitedly carrying on the crusade in Ireland. -The monthly meeting of the Ladies' Union was held on Friday, Jan. 23, in the Irish Temperance League Rooms, 5, Donegall Street. Mr. J. Pyper delivered an appropriate address. -Monday evening, January 26, J. W. Rumsey, Esq., B.A., Trinity College, Dublin, delivered an able and eloquent lecture, in connexion with the Irish Temperance League and Permissive Bill Association, in the Magdalene School-room, on "Successful and Unsuccessful Men." The Rev. E. J. Hartrick occupied the chair. the close of his address, Mr. Rumsey very forcibly referred to the Permissive Bill for the suppression of the drink-shops, and claimed for the United Kingdom Alliance the hearty support of the people of this country. The Chairman stated his cordial approval of the important measure so vigorously promoted by the "Grand" Alliance. This statement was very heartily applauded. -Wednesday evening, Jan. 28, the twentysixth annual soiree of the Belfast Total Abstinence Association was held in the Donegall Place School-room. Mr. Wm. M. Scott, president, occupied the chair. After tea, the Chairman delivered a brief address, and then called upon Mr. Wm. Church, the former Hon. Secretary, to read the annual report, which he had been requested to prepare. This report was very gratifying, and showed the great importance of having an intelligent and earnest agent (Mr. J. Reid) labouring amongst the sons of toil in this large manufacturing town. Addresses were delivered by Rev. C. J. M'Alester, Rev. J. Mecredy, Rev. J. Calvin, and Rev. G. Cron. An excellent choir, under the leadership of Mr. Williamson, sang at intervals a selection of sacred music.

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BALLY DUGAN.-The society at this place, which is in the neighbourhood of Downpatrick, is under the auspices of Miss Keown, who labours assiduously to promote the well-being of both old and young. Monday, Jan. 5, Miss K. gave a soiree to the members of the Band of Hope, and in the evening a meeting of adults was held in the large barn devoted to this good work. Both these meetings were addressed by Mr. Pyper, the Agent of the League.

BANAGHER.-A meeting of the Banagher Temperance Association was held on Friday, the 2nd ultimo, in Banagher Presbyterian Church. The Rey. John Witherow presided. Addresses were delivered by two members of its committee, namely-by Mr. William Long, on "Intemperance: Its Evils Considered, with a View to their Remedy;" and by Mr James Miller, on "Reasons for Total Abstinence." There was a large and respectable audience in attendance.

BESSBROOK.-Friday evening, Jan. 9, the Rev. J. B. Kane, Incumbent of Annaghmore, hon. deputation of the Irish Temperance League, delivered an eloquent address at Bessbrook, near Newry. At the close of his speech the Permissive Bill received the hearty approval of the meeting.

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