TRAITS OF A TEMPERANCE DEMONSTRATION. THAT which is eccentric to
one system is concentric to another. The Temperance orbit may be consistent with itself, but in rela- tion to the common orbit it has its eccentricities. The Temperance nation seems to be as alien from the English nation as the inhabit- ants of the moon might be were they actually dwelling amongst us. The consequence is, not only that some of their sales appear wonderful to us, but our most ordinary conduct appears to be equally wonderful to them. The encounter between an English- man and a Temperance-man is like that described by Hazlitt be- tween a Lamar and a chimney-sweeper; each amazed at the other's blackness, not because it was blackness, for that might pass as a matter of course, because of the peculiar mode in which it was obtained—in the one case ab intra, and in the other case ab extra. A considerable number of Temperance people mustered in Drury Lane Theatre on Monday night ; and the British public had an opportunity of observing their manners and customs, and also a very interesting opportunity of seeing the view which the sober Laputeze took of English manners and customs.
The Temperance people, to judge by the expressions of one of their chiefs, were very much impressed with the oddity of our scale of prices for theatres, and still more when. they learned that a somewhat higher scale than they desired was stipulated, by the lease of Drury ne Theatre, in order " to maintain the respect- ability of the house." Now, with oll.deference for popular rights, and with a very strong conviction on the subject of the Soap- duties, we cannot shut oureyes to the fact, that very low prices • for theatres do let in a class of people to whom the word ." respect- able," in its conventional sense, would not well apply. Persons who desire low prices go to one theatre, and those who desire to hear the play go to another ; and low prices are the cheaper luxury of the two, if we consider mere outlay. It would seem that a low-priced audience picked from a Teetotal public is as re- spectable as a high-priced audience; that the Temperance plebs is as sesthetical and well-behaved as the Temperance populus, and ' even the: patrician class. This is highly creditable to the Temper- ance nation ; but the surprise at our English custom indicates the remarkable ignorance which that people must have of neighbour- ine nations. e Duke of Wellington has some relation with the Temperance people, which is by no means clear to us. The fact appears from his
note in reply to an invitation from a Temperance officer : the Doke expresses his concern that his "public duty would prevent him from being in London on Monday the 28th of this month"; which implies that if he had been in London, he would have felt bound to attend. We are aware that the Duke of Wellington has estates and titles in Spain, and also that he is an abstemious man ; but we were not aware that he had any vested interest or cognizable re- lation with the Temperance body., Whatever it is, it appears to
be somewhat equivocal; for his name was received with general cheering and 'some hisses ; though in what capacity he was hissed —whether as the conqueror of Waterloo or the chairman of Water.. be dinners—or in what capacity indeed he was cheered, unless it might be with some -Temperance hallucination regarding the name of the field on which his crowning' battle was fought—we cannot conjecture. Somebody cried out "He is not a Teetotaller, and neither is Lord Ashley"; on which' another voice cried, -" We want to make them." And the' Duke's. letter certainly implies that he is open to an invitation when it shall be oonvenient. The Duke of Wellington's position in the House of Lords and in the councils of his Sovereign makes his equivocal position in the' Tem- perance councils a matter of some moment;
Another distinguished Temperance gentleman made the round assertion that Solomon " was a Teetotaller to all intents' and pur- poses," because he says, " Look not upon the wine when it bestirs itself in the glass," since " it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder" : but is not this said with a gusto of experience, imply- ing .anything but Teetotal habits? • Upon •the whole, the highest authority in the world tends to the impression that Solomon was • not among the wise men• of the Teetotal nation ;—unless indeed it may be said that he who takevvvine over night very-plentifully is often a thorough Teetotaller, in conviction, next morning.
A third gentleman stated the remarkable fact, that the Tee- totallers have no "religious men" or "clergymen" among them ! This is very curious. The Chinese people are -described by Basil Hall as assigning to their Bonzes a very low position ; but a people without religious men or priests is, we believe, singular in the world, unless we might place the Gipsies with Teetotallers in that peculiar category. The same gentleman has the wonderful but firm hope that he " may live to see the time when neither a drunkard nor a drunk- ard maker will be found on the face of the globe." We-have no statistical information as to the longevity of the -Teetotal race; but from this it would appear to be very extended indeed. Per haps we are to find the explanation in the mouth of another candid speaker, who averred, that "if the '[English]- aristocracy ever re- turned to drinking habits, there would be an end of them—they
would be swept away by the mighty flood of •Teetotallers." So there is to be " a mighty flood of Teetotallers" ; which would ac-
count for the sweeping process indicated by theprevious speaker. Still this explanation does not forbid the idea of very extended longevity, for the " flood " prophet " had great pleasure in saying that at present there was little fear of such a result " ; so that the " flood " promised- by Mr. George Cruikshank, when the water- drinkers are to be let loose upon the surface of the earth, is to occur at some far later day, and yet it is to happen in the life- time of Mr. J. Cassell !
Among the ceremonies of the occasion was the presentation of a bunch of grapes and a bunch of flowers to Kah-ge-ga-gah-bowh; who had spoken so eloquently about "fire-water," that a brother. Temperance man rushed forward to bestow upon him those Bacchic em ms.. The functionary who performed this interestiug cere- mony wound up the proceedings, and. the 'astonishment of the English part of the audience, by proclaiming that he himself was a " Teetotal-Vegetariam-Divimirian.'! .
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