- A Female Minister of the Society of Friends, at the age of 76, has given the following testimony to the benefit of Teetotalism :

"I had been in the practice for many years of taking at my dinner a couple of wine glasses of Dublin porter, pretty much limiting myself to this quantity, and which I took with a relish, but at any other part of the day it would have been unpalatable. Being on a visit to two friends who were total abstainers from all alcoholic drinks, they used their endeavours to persuade me to enrol myself on the list of such. I told them that it would require some consideration, for I had bad digestion and bad circulation, and I thought my stomach required a stimulus; yet, from time to time when we met, they renewed their solicitations and as often did tell them, that I approved of total abstinence for drunkards as much as they did, for I could see no effectual cure for them, but "touch not, taste not, handle not ;" but as regarded myself, I hoped ever to be able to say, "Hitherto shalt thou go, and no further." This they admitted might be my case, but said they wanted example and influence. I also pleaded, it was so little that I took; to which one of them replied if we were not willing to make the sacrifice, and give up our little drops, how could we expect the drunkards to give up their great draughts? "The little drop" was startling to me, because I thought I recognized in it the frequent expression of the drunkard, and which I could not at all relish; and also after my return home, "the little drop" would recur again and again; and I began seriously to think of discontinuing my beverage, though I then doubted the propriety of it, as it regarded my health; yet I considered the cause was one of such important magnitude to the well-being of our fellow mortals, both in time and in eternity, that if my example and influence would be of service, I would no longer hesitate, the sacrifice should at once be made, and I would give it up.

It is now about ten years ago, and about seven since I signed the pledge. I have never had cause to regret it, in any sense of the word. My health has been much improved by it, having much less of the heart-burn and acidity at my stomach, and very little of the rheumatism, compared with what I had for

merly. Experience is the best teacher. And I think I never was more convinced of anything than that malt liquor is injurious to the constitution, even when taken in small quantities, and so I believe are all intoxicating drinks. But if there be one part of the human frame to which they are more injurious than another, it is the nervous system."

In the life of Mary Capper, a highly-esteemed Minister in the Society of Friends, is the following narrative by a Friend who paid her a visit. She died at the age of 91.

"In the course of conversation she informed me, that she had adopted the principles of Total Abstinence as regards intoxicating liquors that though on the first mention of the subject she had doubted its propriety, yet on reflecting upon it, and considering the numbers led away into inebriety, and that ALL those begun their course of drunkenness by taking intoxicating liquors in what had been thought to be moderation, she came to the resolution, that no one should be able to plead her example for taking them at all.

"At the time she left them off, she was upwards of eighty years of age, and in the practice of taking a single glass of wine, daily, with her dinner; and having been for many years unable to take animal food, this glass of wine had been thought almost essential to her existence, especially as she had been accustomed to it from an early period of her life. She told me that she expected to have something to suffer in making this change, and that she might probably have to endure a greater sense of feebleness during the remainder of her days; but the welfare of those by whom she was surrounded, and on whom her example might have some influence, she considered to be of much greater importance.

"On making the trial she was, however, agreeably disappointed; for although she felt some languor for a few days, she soon became sensible of an increase of strength, and was more vigorous without the wine than she had been with it; so that she had cause to commemorate the goodness by which she had been enabled to make this little sacrifice. And I believe that her example in this respect, as well as her Christian practice exhibited in a great variety of other points, had a beneficial influence on many,"

J. M. Burton and Co., Printers and Stereotypers, Ipswich.

THE VILLAGE OF NEWBRIDGE.

This village, in the Isle of Wight, was, until about eight years since, the haunt of the roughest and most depraved-a nest of smugglers; and the Sessions at Newport were frequently principally occupied with culprits from this place. Two ladies, members of the Society of Friends, and stanch teetotalers, staying on the Island, had heard of the ill fame of this village and its subsequent reformation, and learning that a public Festival was advertised to take place there on Good Friday to celebrate this reform, they determined to go and see for themselves if all they had heard was true; and greatly interested they were by their visit. It proved a novel scene indeed, and reminded them of "the revivals" which we read of in America. The groups of happy villagers, thronging the lanes and fields, during the interval between the tea party and the public meeting, made the air resound for a mile round with their joyous voices, singing temperance hymns. Every public-house being now given up, the two Friends had to depend on the hospitality of some of their new acquaintance for a lodging, for the meeting lasted too late for them to venture back to Newport in the open chaise they drove over in to Newbridge.

They were most kindly entertained by a young man, a farmer, and his wife, thorough teetotalers, who gave the following interesting

statement.

Teetotalism was introduced into Newbridge by two Bible Christian Ministers, in 1840. In 1841 a public meeting was held, which was attended by four men from Newport as speakers; three signatures to the pledge were then obtained, and these converts have held to their principle till this day. Until the time of this meeting, through the demoralized state of the people, the two little meeting-houses were almost deserted. There were between thirty and forty men employed in bringing smuggled spirits into this place, and there were ten houses for their sale constantly kept open, four of which also sold beer. There was besides one licensed house. Since the work of reformation begun, these have been all given up. Out of two hundred and seventy inhabitants, one hundred and twenty are stanch teetotalers, and the places for worship are thronged. One has been much enlarged, and is still often crowded. The following persons have given their names in testimony to the truth of the above statement, and in favour of the teetotal principle as beneficial to the labouring man.

TESTIMONIAL.

"We are all happy to state that we are far better without the use of beer, &c., than we were with it. Our village is now quite reformed. Since it has been so its influence has extended through Shalfleet, Yarmouth, Fresh-water, Wills, Brock, Hulventon, Metson, Brixton, 1. and Colbourne; and many drunkards have been reclaimed." George Pritchett, working at hard labour for Joseph Pritchett, Brick Burner

"

8 years

6 years

10 years

FARMER,

THE TESTIMONY OF CHARLES FLUX,
NEAR NEWBRIDGE.

"I have farmed upon teetotal principles for the last four years, and can affirm without hesitation that I have found the system answer well in every respect. During harvest, and at other times of unusual exertion, my men have performed their work with less exhaustion and in a shorter time than that of neighbouring farmers, who gave beer with the erroneous idea that it enables them to get through hard work more easily. I was told before I commenced farming without drink, that I should get no labourers to work for me. On the contrary, I am thronged by applicants for employ; a proof that the men themselves feel the superiority of teetotalism over the drinking habits so generally prevalent, and the advantage of receiving an addition to their wages instead of beer."

Societies may receive 24 Sixpenny Packets of Tracts and Hand Bills, in any part of London, by a post-office order for 10s. 6d., or 50 packets for 21s., being sent to Richard Dykes Alexander, Ipswich.-Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., London. LOAN TRACT COVERS IN SHILLING PACKETS.

THE MIRROR OF INTEMPERANCE.

Peter Burne, the author of the "Teetotaler's Companion," a work in royal octavo, of some 500 pages, and which the editor of the "Christian Witness" says ought to be called "The Temperance Encyclopædia," concludes his laborious and truly valuable compendium of teetotal information with the following striking

MIRROR OF INTEMPERANCE.

In drawing to a close, a brief recapitulation of the principal evils resulting from the drinking system will not be out of place; whilst the real and awful character of the vice of intemperance will be thereby seen as it were in a mirror. In recapitulating, we shall suppose that drunkenness will be allowed to go on unopposed to the end of the present century; and by the extent of the evils resulting from it at present, show what its statistics must be for the entire century, past, present, and future-that is, from the year 1801 to 1900 inclusive; the middle of the century being likely to afford the average of the whole.

The first object which strikes the eye on looking into the mirror, is the fatal flood of alcoholic poison covering the surface of the land. Adding one-fourth to the reputed consumption of wines, ales, and spirits, for the increase by adulterations, the real annual consumption will amount to upwards of five hundred and eighteen million gallons (518,530,689). If this quantity of liquor were collected, it would float the entire British fleet! Without anything on its surface, it would form a lake 19 feet deep, a quarter of a mile broad, and considerably more than half a mile long; or it would form a river 2 feet in depth, 15 feet in breadth, and 462 miles in length! By the end of the century the consumption of intoxicating liquors will have been upwards of fifty-one thousand million gallons (51,853,068,900); which quantity would form a lake, in depth like the other, of more than 25 miles long, and 12 miles wide; or a river similar in breadth and depth to the preceding, but extending 46,200 miles.

Through the drinking of these immoral waters 500,000 of the population are wallowing in confirmed habits of drunkenness; while there are, at least, 1,000,000 occasional drunkards, and double that number of rare drunkards. In the first class, persons are intoxicated about four times a week; in the second, (comprising Saturday night, dinnerparty, and fire-side drunkards,) each Saturday night, and once in two weeks besides; and in the third, (consisting of such as drink with "great moderation,") perhaps once in four weeks. Every Saturday night 1,500,000 persons retire to their beds in a state of drunkenness, and each alternate Saturday 2,500,000. Annually 208,000,000 cases of drunkenness occur. By the end of the century the number will amount to upwards of twenty thousand million (20,800,000,000!)