BISHOP NOT A TEETOTALLER.
Shortly after the arrival of the Right Rev. Dr. Perry in the colony in February, 1848, the Total Abstinence Society of Australia Felix resolved upon having a grand field-day (or rather evening) in the Temperance Hall, and they booked the new bishop as a certainty to support them. A n invitation was consequently forwarded, asking the pleasure of his Lordship's company to preside on the occasion ; but, m u c h to the disappointment of all, the ready response expected did not arrive. His Lordship favoured them with a lengthy epistle strongly sympathizing with any movement directed against intemperance generally, but declining to accede to the particular request m a d e upon him to occupy the Chair. H e took this course, he wrote, " as he was not (nor did he intend to become) a m e m b e r of any Total Abstinence Society. H e considered wine and beer, equally with bread and meat, the gifts of a Gracious G o d for the use of His creatures, and believed it to be contrary both to reason and the Scriptures to denounce, as many advocates for total abstinence have done in England, the moderate enjoyment of them as sinful." H e did not disapprove, however, of the existence of Total Abstinence Societies, and without being a m e m b e r was ready to promote the objects of the Society in any manner he could. In this latter respect his Lordship afterwards amply kept his word. As a curious statistical remanet connected with the subject of this chapter, I present the following copy of a scrap discovered in an old Melbourne newspaper:— Return of the number of persons (male and female) apprehended, fined and discharged for drunkenness, befoie the Melbourne Police Court during the years from 1841 to 1847 :— Females Discharged.
Year.
Males Fined.
Males Discharged.
Females Fined.
1841 1842 1843 1844 i84S 1846 1847
1603 1357
59 134 46 41 33 68 70
11
412 299 240 37o 345
86 no 29 9 14 9 9
Totals 4626
266
45i
55
18 5 9 0
3 3
It is a singular fact that, of the above period of seven years, the years 1842 and 1843 w e r e o n e s of s u c h extreme depression that the Province was on the verge of general insolvency; property had become almost unsaleable at any price for cash, and cash was a very scarce article indeed. Relatively, 1845 might be considered a period of revived prosperity as compared with the others. In 1849 two other non-drinking Fraternities were established, viz., T h e Philanthropic Total Abstinence Society, and the Salford Unity. O n the 3rd June there was a grand Teetotal Festival in the Temperance Hall, at which the Resident Judge (A'Beckett) presided, and extremely eloquent addresses were delivered by him and Bishop Perry. Amongst the other speakers were the Rev. Jas. Forbes, Messrs. R. Heales and Henry Langlands. O n the 21st May, 1850, the Salford Unity members strode in procession through the streets to St. Peter's Church, where there was a special service, and the evening wound up with an extensive tea party at the Protestant Hall. In the course of this year Mr. Richard Heales, junr., an ardent teetotaller, as a member of the City Council, protested against the pernicious practice of conducting the Municipal elections in public-houses, and proposed as a substitute places apart from licensed taverns, or booths erected for the purpose. T h e principle laid down by Cr. Heales was not denied, but m u c h diversity of opinion existed as to the proper remedy to be adopted. T h e question was referred for consideration to the Public Works Committee, a body not m u c h disposed to do other than shelve it, and so nothing came of the point gained. T h e truth was "the Mayor, Aldermen, and Councillors" of the time were to a large extent pecuniarily interested in wholesale and retail spiritselling and those who were not in the trade were so partial to systematic " nobblenngs," as it was termed,
