CRUSADE AGAINST DRINK IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND

CRUSADE AGAINST DRINK IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND

Crusade against Drink in Victorian England Lilian Lewis Shiman Palgrave Macmillan UK

ISBN 978-1-349-19186-4 ISBN 978-1-349-19184-0 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-19184-0 Lilian Lewis Shiman, 1988 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1988 978-0-333-40886-5 All rights reserved. For information, write: Scholarly & Reference Division, St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 First published in the United States of America in 1988 ISBN 978-0-312-17777-5 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shiman, Lilian Lewis. Crusade against drink in Victorian England. Includes index. l. Temperance--England-History. 2. Temperance societies-england-history. I. Title. HV5446.S55 1988 363.4'1'0942 85--26081 ISBN 978-0-312-17777-5

To my husband, Paul L. Shiman

Contents Preface Introduction lx 1 PART ONE AN UNPOPULAR CAUSE 1 The Temperance Reformation 9 2 The Teetotal Lifeboat 18 From Moderation to Teetotalism 18 Working-class Teetotalism: A Self-help Movement 29 Teetotalism and the Public 34 3 So Many Christian Icebergs to Melt 43 The Church of England and Teetotalism 45 'Teetotalism in the Non-conformist Churches 53 The Teetotallers and the Ministers 63 'The Cup that Bites and Stings' -The Sacramental Wine Issue 68 4 Legal Suasion 74 Moral Suasion versus Prohibition 75 The United Kingdom Alliance 81 The Sunday Closing Movement 86 PART TWO THE GREAT CRUSADE Introduction 5 To The Rescue The Church of England Temperance Society The Blue Ribbon Army Permanent Missions The Salvation Army 6 Come All Ye Children The Band of Hope Band of Hope Literature The Membership A Changing Movement 93 99 99 109 121 130 134 134 143 147 150 Vll

VIII Contents 7 'A Wave of Blue'- The Temperance Army 156 A Total Temperance Community 157 The Birstall Temperance Community 161 Agents and Societies 169 Benefit Societies and Fraternal Orders 174 Women's Work for Temperance 182 8 The Temperance Party 189 National Temperance Federation 190 Local Temperance Parties 193 Anti-Drink Reformers within Local Government 199 Temperance and Labour 207 The Great Compensation Campaigns of 1888 and 1890 213 9 A World Free From Drink 221 The Campaign of 1895 225 Consequences ofdefeat: The National Temperance Congress, Chester, 1895 229 The National Prohibition Convention, Newcastle, 1897 233 Government Action 236 Temperance at the End of the Century 240 Conclusion 244 Notes and References 249 Bibliography 292 Index 305

Preface My interest in the temperance movement was first aroused when I was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin. It was at the suggestion of Professor John F. C. Harrison that I started my research in this field and I am grateful for the initial help and guidance he gave me. I should also like to acknowledge the assistance I received from the Department of History at the University ofwisconsin with their award of a Martha L. Edwards scholarship which made possible my first research trip to England. I should like to express my appreciation to the Bunting Institute of Harvard University which supported this work for two years with an independent research fellowship. The material for this work could not have been gathered without the help of many individuals both in England and the United States. To Muriel Daniels and her staff at the British Temperance League's headquarters in Sheffield go my warmest thanks. They were generous both with their time and their knowledge. To J. B. Harrison and K. Underwood of the Church of England Council for Social Aid (successor of the CETS), to the late Philip Mallendar of the Yorkshire Band of Hope Union, to T. Garth Waite of the United Kingdom Alliance, to Joanna Dawson of Harrogate and to Mark Hayler, son of Guy Hayler, I owe a debt of gratitude for their help and patience. I should like to acknowledge a considerable obligation to the teetotallers of Birstall. Alderman Stone and his wife, who were instrumental in introducing me both to temperance materials and to individual teetotallers of the area, were very helpful, as were all the individuals who allowed me to interview them. They gave me their time and knowledge of their experiences with the temperance movement. Printed words cannot express the personal attachment many of these lifelong teetotallers have to the temperance reformation. To the administration and colleagues at Nichols College I owe a special thanks. The help and support I received from them was important in bringing this work to its fruition. One of the great joys in bringing this book to publication is the pleasure of my children Daniel, Philip and Elizabeth in it. Their IX

X Preface large contribution has been the ungrudging acceptance of a mother often buried away in her 'temperance writings', which became a natural part of their lives. But I am sure they will understand that I dedicate this book to my husband Paul, whose help and encouragement enabled me to keep going during difficult times. His critical eye has helped me immeasurably in my writings. Needless to say, I accept full responsibilities for any mistakes that any reader may find. LILIAN LEWIS SHIMAN Note. 'Teetotalism', 'teetotal', etc., was created in Preston in 1834-5. In the nineteenth century it was usual to spell 'teetotaler' with one 'I'; even in the official evidence of the Royal Commission on Liquor Licensing it was spelt with one '1'. Only rarely do we find it with two 'l's.

Round about, round about, applety pie Daddy loves ale and so do I Mammy gets up, and fills us a cup And Daddy and me we sup it all up. Sup it all up Sup it all up (old Yorkshire ditty) My drink is water bright Water bright, water bright My drink is water bright From the crystal spring. (popular Band of Hope song)