This aspect of Temperance has during the past month been brought into prominence by the meeting which was held on Monday afternoon, March 17th, in the Mission Room, Eastbank Road, for women only, and which was addressed by Mrs. Pearson, who also spoke at the Total Abstinence meeting held in the Congregational School, in the evening.

Mrs. Pearson is a most eloquent speaker and we are sure must have made considerable impression on those who attended the meeting. There were about 50 present. The meeting was opened by the Vicar, who commended the good work in which Mrs. Pearson is engaged, to the thoughtful consideration of his women’s audience, and then left Mrs. Pearson to speak to women only!

Perhaps it might not be out of place to reproduce here some of the thoughts which seemed to have suggested the Vicar’s words. He alluded to the fact that the necessity for temperance work amongst women had greatly grown up during the last few years; that he could recollect the time when he should have thought it quite unneccessary to call together a temperance meeting for women only. This arose from two causes: (1) That drinking amongst women has been kept out of sight as much as possible, women who drink are mostly ashamed of it; and (2) That drinking amongst women had increased to a most alarming extent during the last twenty years, a fact which he thought very largely attributable to the introduction of the system of allowing the sale of intoxicants by grocers and confectioners. He pointed out that there was the utmost need for women, on their own account, to enter into the struggle with that arch-destroyer of human happiness and virtue, intemperance! He bid them fight, and fight hard, reminding them that if indeed temptation in the first instance did not prey upon them so strongly as it did upon men, yet, that owing to the greater physical weakness of the sex, when once the drink-crave got a hold, it seemed to exert a greater power over them, and was far more difficult to shake off. He also appealed to all women to throw themselves heart and soul into the cause for the sake of the men; and he pointed out that this could only be thoroughly done by those who abstain for others’ sake. He dwelt much upon the power which was really vested in the women’s hands, a power which properly wielded would give to them the greater weight in the promotion of the prosperity of the country. He told them that this could be done by means of the influence which they could, if they chose, very largely exercise over the men; by the providing by their own energy and industry that which is everything to the man - a comfortable home; and by the powers of their love which, especially in women’s hand, is capable of effecting so much good. Women are very earnestly asked to come forward and help on all they can the temperance cause.

Source: The Hampton Hill Parish Magazine - 1890 April