Temperance and teetotalism : an inquiry into the effects of alcoholic drinks on the human system in health and disease.

  • William Benjamin Carpenter
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Temperance and teetotalism : an inquiry into the effects of alcoholic drinks on the human system in health and disease. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    8/32 page 8
    pliilauthropical. Combinations against drunkenness have existed in America i from a very early period. At first tbey j merely insisted on general moderation in the use of strong drinks. Afterwards I their rules and regulations became more j stringent; and abstinence from ardent ; spirits at least formed part of the con- federate agreement and pledge. About I 1815 or 1820, regular societies were J formed on this basis in America, and be- ' gan to e.xtend themselves widely. The method of abstinence from everything iu- I toxicating was at a later period introduced j there from Great Britain, j Early in the year 1828, Mr John Dun- j lop, (a name worthy to be placed by that _ I of Father Mathew, among the benefactors I of mankind) began to agitate the subject in Scotland, and took various plans of I doing so ; such as collecting statistics and j proofs of national intempeiance ; demon- strating the good effects which had fol- I lowed association against inebriation in I America ; exposing the evils of the system I of compulsory drinking—an usage peculiar I to this country; also by travelling about ] and conversing with influential individuals I and philanthropists throughout the country; 1 writing in newspapers, composing and dis- seminating tracts, lecturing publicly in I large towns, ike. Notwithstanding Mr Dunlop's enthusiastic and energetic pro- ceedings, he did not succeed in gaining any regular disciples to the cause till about the latter end of 1829 and beginning of 1830, at which period the Greenock, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Paisley, and other societies were instituted in Scotland; the Bradford Society in Yorkshire, by Mr Forbes; and the Old British and Foreign Temperance Society in London, by Mr Collins of Glasgow. Mr Dunlop had pro- posed that all wines should be abandoned as well as spirits, but only partially suc- ceeded in that point. In the summer of 1829 Dr Edgar of Belfast, without knowledge of Mr Dun- lop's proceedings, set on foot the Irish tem- perance movement assisted by Mr George Carr ; and it is believed that the first Eu- ■ ropean temperance society was established by the latter at New Itoss about June or July, 1829; Mr Dunlop's first societies not having been established till October of that year, 'ilius the Irish and British move- nieuts were separate and independent in their commencements. Things continued on the original footing for some years, with only in general a pledge again.st the use of ardent spirits. But it soon became evident to reflecting persons engaged in the cause, that hau measures would not suit the urgency of tho case, and that a prodigious and nearly uni- versal national evil must be met with cor- respondent strength of remedy. It was remarked, too, that all drunkards who were really reformed by joining the socie- ties, not merely confor>i.ed to the actual rules but uniformly abstained from using any thing intoxicating. Many individuals connected with the societies accordingly made it their practice to abstain totally, and in 1832 it is believed that the Paisley institution made total abstinence a part of their regulations. Teetotalism, or total abstinence from all intoxicating drinks, was not, however, fairly established generally till 1834; when the seven working men of Preston, (who may be truly called the Seven Wise Men of I'reston,) with James Teare and Joseph Livesey at their head, assisted by Mr Pollard of Manchester, and others, started societies fairly and exclusively on the tee- total principle. The published lectures of Mr Livesey constitute an era on this sub- ject ; and the labours and lectures of a gentleman in the iron trade at Liverpool (whose name we forget at the moment) were extremely useful at this period. Shortly after this the New British and Foreign Temperance Society was estab- lished at London on teetotal principles, under the management of Messrs Janson, Oxley, Meredith, Green, and others ; and very soon almost all the original temper- ance societies in Great Britain adopted the rule of total abstinence. The doctrine was pushed over into Ireland by the Liverpool gentleman we have mentioned, to be brought into the most brilliant success in due time afterwards by Father Mathew. About 1836 the teetotal element was established in the American temperance societies, which, it is believed, are now universally conducted on this principle. The total abstinence reform has extend- ed itself successfully into Canada, New Brunswick, India, the West Indies, and our other colonies. It has also made its way into the South Sea Islands, and else- where among the half-cultivated races; and has been partially adopted in Sweden and other parts of the nortli of Europe. The following are the terms of the cer- tificate to which wo have referred, as
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3