Penarth Chronicle and District Advertiser

Notes and Comments. PROFITS OF BREWERIES. IN our last week's issue we published a communica- tion respecting the profits made by the W. J. Rogers Limited, Jacob Street Brewery, Bristol," otherwise known, we believe, as the" AK Brewety." And truly this ought to bean eye opener to those who indulge in strong drink. What does it reveal ? Why that an immense amount of wealth is being accumula- I ted out of the drink traffic, and this, principally out of the pockets of the working men of our country. A publican who purchases X200 worth of beer from this brewery, has a bonus paid to him at the end of the year of £ 16, and this comes after substantial dividends have been paid on ordinary and preference J shares (the whole of which are held by members of one family), and allowances have been made fori depreciations of plant, reserves, &c- Does not this go to prove what has been again and again asserted, I that the poor dupe who spends so much of his money in drink gets but precious little in return. It is the big shareholders of breweries, publicans, and a few others who fatten and become wealthy, attending I their churches in the finest raiment money can buy, aad wbo ride in their carriages whilst their customers 4 .9 ,e,' are left; to starve and die, having spent their all in the accursed drink. The paragraph says it is to the irtereat of every share-holding customer to trade as largely as possible with the Brewery, and to intro- duce as many rew shaie-holding customers as he can and thereby give the system that support which its liberality justifies." What is this in other language —" The man who succeeds in blasting the characters of the greatest number of our young men, wiil have the satisfaction of putting into his pockets a few more pieces of gold-but at the same time piling up against himself those woes of which the prophet wrote wheu he said Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him and makest him drunken also." Do men and women—we mean those who play with the evil, those who are helping year by year to fill up the vacancies caused by those who drop into drunkards' graves, and who in their turn will suffer the same fate unless they turn their steps from the course in which bhey a-re now proceeding,- need any stronger statement than the paragraph just reft rred to, to convince them of their folly. Unwit- tingly, those who are responsible for the making public the details which have been placed before us, have given us a better temperance address than many who have devoted hours to the study of the temper- ance cause in its efforts to stay the torrent of iniquity which is flooding our streets. Such exposures as these will strengthen the Total Abstinence movement and increase the number of its adherents.

Popular Sunday Evening Services. The first of a series of Popular Sunday Evening Services was held in Andrews' Hzill on Sunday even. ino- last. The meeting was held after the services O at the other places of worship in the town, commenc- ing at 8,15. The orchestra was occupied by the members of the Penarth Blue Ribbon Choir, who led the singing, and also rendered some spJcial music# The chair was taken by Mr. W. B. Shepherd. The proceedings opened with the singing of the hymn ii All hail the power of Jesus' name," to the good old tune Mile's Lane," after which a portion of Scripture was read by Mr Thomas and Mr Dykes offered prayer. A chorus Come unto me," was rendered by the choir, and the chairman gave a brief address, explaining the object of the meetings, and stating that the members of the choir, who were devoting themselves, to Christian and Temperance work, had taken the responsibility of conducting the meetings and making themselves liable for expense* incurred. He prayed that God would bless their efforts to lead their fellows to Christ, and that the young people who were exposed to so many tempta- tions would be induced to turn in where they would hear Gospel messages in speech and song. The Choir next rendered a piece entitled I am the way" Mrs Whealley (wife of the esteemed Superintend- ent of the Penarth Wesleyan Circuit,) nexi, delivered a most telling address, in which she dwelt upou the evils of the drink traffic and its hinderance to the spreap of religion. After a splendid recitation, The last shilling," by Mr J. Owen, the meeting terminated with the enediction. There were about fivehundred present.

Original Poetry. THE STORM. The tempest arises, and the midnight akies L, Clutch in their bosom, the moon's arise; And nature, it trembles, and sea gods mock, As the waves dash on a well worn lock. From out the caverns of shell and spar— From out the groans of those afar- From those souls that live, and those that have died; Comes the whispers of death in the roaring tide; And the thoughts of what are, and are to be, Are cast in our thoughts by this roaring sea. What cares the brown rocks for the aching hearts Of those who have lived and loved departs? What cares the mad sea for the dying man ? It clasps them in waves to their downward den. What cares the sun in the smiling morn For the widowed wife or the cbild unborn ? No, ever relentless, he passes o'er, And smiles on us still on the shingled shore. D. T. MORRIEO Penarth, November 25th 1895. ••