To show that the practice of Temperance prevailed among large bodies of men, we have only to refer to the history of the Nazarites and the Rechabites, as recorded in the Bible. Nor must we forget that in our own land the principle of Abstinence has been individually adopted and practised by some whose names are as household words to us — John Milton, John Locke, Sir Isaac Newton, Dr. Samuel Johnson, and the great prison philanthropist, John Howard, besides others whose names might be mentioned — all tried the practice, and affirmed its advantage in their respective cases. The use of intoxicating drinks, however, has been in every way so associated with the custom and habits of the people, that any history of the Temperance Movement would be incomplete without some general reference to the prevalence of drinking usages, and the facilities for obtaining intoxicating liquors previous to the formation of temperance organizations. In this, as in many other particulars, we shall find that the " good old times," are not such as would commend themselves to us in preference to the present times.

…During the eighteenth century too, the most dreadful consequences resulted from the introduction of ardent spirits into Ireland, and several laws were passed with the intention of restricting the traffic in these drinks. In 1798 it was stated that in one street in Dublin, which contained 190 houses, not fewer than 52 were licensed to sell spirits ; " a poison," adds Walsh and Whitelaw, in their History of Dublin*, "productive of vice, riot, and disease; hostile to all habits of decency, honesty, and industry : and, in short, destructive to the souls and bodies of our fellow-creatures."…