On Saturday night, the Temperance Hall was filled to overflowing by an audience composed of members of all classes of the community, including quite a number of ladies. There was also a good attendance of officers and seamen; and, taken altogether, the entertainment was the most successful of any of the fortnightly series yet given. Mr. C. P. Blethen, the president of the Society, discharged the duties of chairman as usual; and, after a prayer by the Rev. G. D. B. Miller, and the singing of the usual opening chorus, he called upon Mr. Jones, a petty officer of H. M.S. Modeste, who sang that well-worn but excellent sea-oong, "O, Pilot, *tis a Fearful Night." Despite the effects of a cold, the song was well given, and was received cordially. Mr. J. de Cordova read an amusing story in rhyme, "The Rape of the Lock, or, the misadventure of Captain Jones and' was followed by Mr. Rogerson, who, from his seemingly inexhaustible' catalogue, recited the legend from Ingoldsby anent a "Little Vulgar Boy." Laughier was contagious during its recital. A pleasing, and to many an unexpected, innovation was next presented, in the form of a "musical selection," as it was styled in the programme. It proved to be a pianoforte duet, by the youthful daughters of the Chairman, and the selection was one of the most charming of all English airs, "Home, sweet Home." 'The little players were loudly encured, and next gave a sparkling polka, in equally clever style. Mr. H. J. E. Barlow read, from 'The Christmas' Carol," Scrooge's interview with the ghost, and its pathetic result with respect to.the fortunes of Tiny Tim and all others of Bob Crackit's family. The reading was well received, The Rev. GD. B. Mmnter then delivered an address, which was remarkable for a bold, yet judicious, comment upon the uselessness of legislative prohibition of the sale of intoxicating drinks, and also for the practical suggestions contained in it, upon the best means of conquering alcohol-drinking as " habit, and also its too frequent result, drunkenness, We regret that our space will not permit us to report the address in its entirety, Commencing with a familiar exposition of the beginning of "Habit" in anything, the speaker went on to say Habit is the element of practical charac-for. See a strong, sensible, self-reliant, manly man, who sees thinge with a clear eye, never wrongs others, and makes every step count for something, and much of what h is the growth of habit; and on the other side, the man degraded, dishonored, and discrowned. of his manhood, is what he is because of habit. There is an important difference between the two, however; the trae man has kept the upper hand of his habits, and cultivated them as instruments to make something of himself, but the debased man has fallen under the feet of a tyrant, and given up that which constitutes his life and strength to habits, to whose imperial sway he bonds, a crawling slave. Laying aside the cases of those who take to drink as naturally asa boy takes to bread and butter, it is a matter worthy of earnest thought, and a serious matter too, that drunkenness is the imperceptible growth of habit. We cannot assume that every man who drinks at all, will, therefore, by a rigid necessary consequence, become adrookart, for known facts will not support such a sweeping conclusion; but it may be safely assumed that most men who reach the gutter have found the bottom by gradually yielding to the unrealized force of a fascinating habit, There is " point, where he habit passes into a disease. Where that where the line of separation between man knows, 0 mau is conscious when he crosses it, and here lies the unseen danger. Before he has reacheil that line, while he is in the region of habit, a mau is his own master, if he is a man, and he can, if ho choose, bring his appetites to heel by a vigorous will; but if he once passes that line, he has lost his mastery, and the chances are very slight that he will ever release himself from the massive and cruel grip of a pitiless and powerful habit. We take it for granted that everybody considers the evils and sulferings produced by the abuse of drink to be simply enormous and frightful; and in what contribution we may make toward diminishing these evils, it is well to keep to the truth of things, to face facts as they are, and to remember that. many persons naturally crave stimulants; with some the desire for them fait becomes a disease which is seldom cured, habitually stronger, and with some the
Of course, all possible devices have been tried, and must be tried, but truths like these have been much ignored; for the extreme temperance agitators, in America especially, are wretchedly intemperate set of individuals, and ritually get a single idea into their heads, shut their eyes and rush atitlikea bull," and generally with some such effect as thatauimal
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.