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MARRIAGE LAWS OF VARIOUS COUNTRIES 263
highly amused, but the Established Church
clergyman asked his fellow cleric whether he
called himself a " temperance man/' and he
replied that he certainly did. " Well," said he,
" my interpretation of temperance is perhaps
different from yours. Now you see I have
been working all day out in the parish, and
you probably have not been out to-day. I
am not a married man, but I come home and
take one glass of whisky, which you call
intemperate." "Which is intemperance,"
cried the other. "Well," said the clergyman
friend :
you have a wife and nine children I ; have
denied myself that sort of thing, and I do
not think you are the person to talk to me
about temperance." This surely was a very
excellent retort ? It only shows that the
very good-naturedly, " look here, my
people
who need instruction are the ones who
seldom get it.
No one in his senses would for a single
instant decry the use and great advantage of
meetings and conferences of thoughtful, responsible,
and good people, and from these
gatherings does emanate a great deal of good.
Nevertheless, when one has to deal with
delicate and difficult matters, especially those
matters which relate to morality as affecting
girls and women of the poorer classes, we
must find a way of reaching them other
than by private meetings and conferences.
The subject requires enormous publicity, and
however much we may regret that such
matters have to be spoken of, it will be a