SNIPPET: Capuchin friar Fr. Theobold MATHEW founded the Cork Total Abstinence Society in 1838. His camp-style revivial meetings drew tens of thousands, his message a mixture of Catholic piety, Protestant-style self improvement and nationalism. One of his slogans was "Ireland sober is Ireland free." By 1840, the Society claimed that nearly half the population of Ireland had "taken the pledge" to abstain from alcohol for life. By 1842 that trend began to rapidly reverse due to Fr. Mathew's financial struggles, the fact that most priests were opposed to absolutism on the issue of drink, the Great Potato Famine, as well as the deeply rooted tradition of drink in Irish culture. Fr. Mathew traveled to America in 1849 and spread his message among the Irish there, returning to Ireland two years later. By the time of his death in 1856, Ireland's alcohol consumption had returned to its level in the mid-1830s. Fr. Mathew did succeed in establishing a total abstinence tr! adition in Ireland - although with a small membership, it continues to this day.

Dear List My Great Great Uncle was Rev JC MacErlain who published a book in the 1890s entitled "Whither Goest Thou? Or Was Father Matthew Right?", a polemic on the evils of alcohol and negative effect that its abuse was having on the pure young Irish emigrants to the US. Just before the turn of the century Father J. E. MacErlain, a curate of Saint Patrick's Church in New York, secured ecclesiastical permission to open a sanitarium for the "treatment of the drink malady".The cornerstone of an enlarged MacErlain Institute was laid in 1902. In 1905 was expanded into a parish with the Sacred Heart Church, Bayview Ave, Jersey City, New Jersey. The parish website cites "From all accounts, J. E. MacErlain was an extraordinary - some would say eccentric - character. Several of our parishioners still recall him as the fierce temperance crusader who would regularly clear out the local saloon, sweeping the liquor off the bar with his shillelagh. There are even a few copies extant of his book on temperance, Whither Thou Goest, the proceeds of which enabled him to expand the facilities of his Institute." Rev. MacErlain died in 1919 on a visit home and is buried in the New Graveyard, Lavey Parish, Co Derry, Ireland. Mark Lusby http://uk.geocities.com/mark.lusby@btopenworld.com/familyhistory.html Researching: LUSBY East Riding & Hull, Yorkshire and Gt Grimsby, Lincolnshire KILVINGTON, MYERS, STEPHENSON, MARSHALL, WALLIS, WALLS East Riding of Yorkshire MCADOREY, REID, STUART, Randalstown, County Antrim KELLY, Desertmartin, County Derry McERLAIN Lavey, Co Derry GILDEA, WARD, Ballyshannon, Laghy , County Donegal ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jean Rice" <jeanrice@cet.com> To: <IRISH-AMERICAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 3:40 AM Subject: [Irish-American] Father Theobold MATHEW, Founder, Cork Total Abstinence Society (1838) - Spreads his Message to America > SNIPPET: Capuchin friar Fr. Theobold MATHEW founded the Cork Total Abstinence Society in 1838. His camp-style revivial meetings drew tens of thousands, his message a mixture of Catholic piety, Protestant-style self improvement and nationalism. One of his slogans was "Ireland sober is Ireland free." By 1840, the Society claimed that nearly half the population of Ireland had "taken the pledge" to abstain from alcohol for life. By 1842 that trend began to rapidly reverse due to Fr. Mathew's financial struggles, the fact that most priests were opposed to absolutism on the issue of drink, the Great Potato Famine, as well as the deeply rooted tradition of drink in Irish culture. Fr. Mathew traveled to America in 1849 and spread his message among the Irish there, returning to Ireland two years later. By the time of his death in 1856, Ireland's alcohol consumption had returned to its level in the mid-1830s. Fr. Mathew did succeed in establishing a total abstinence tr! > adition in Ireland - although with a small membership, it continues to this day.

Mark - How fascinating, thanks for sharing! How neat to learn that one of your ancestors actually wrote a book! Jean ----- Original Message ----- From: "mark.lusby" <mark.lusby@btopenworld.com> To: <IRISH-AMERICAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 11:18 PM Subject: Re: [Irish-American] Father Theobold MATHEW, Founder, Cork Total Abstinence Society (1838) - Spreads his Message to America > Dear List > My Great Great Uncle was Rev JC MacErlain who published a book in the 1890s > entitled "Whither Goest Thou? Or Was Father Matthew Right?", a polemic on > the evils of alcohol and negative effect that its abuse was having on the > pure young Irish emigrants to the US. Just before the turn of the century > Father J. E. MacErlain, a curate of Saint Patrick's Church in New York, > secured ecclesiastical permission to open a sanitarium for the "treatment of > the drink malady".The cornerstone of an enlarged MacErlain Institute was > laid in 1902. In 1905 was expanded into a parish with the Sacred Heart > Church, Bayview Ave, Jersey City, New Jersey. The parish website cites "From > all accounts, J. E. MacErlain was an extraordinary - some would say > eccentric - character. Several of our parishioners still recall him as the > fierce temperance crusader who would regularly clear out the local saloon, > sweeping the liquor off the bar with his shillelagh. There are even a few > copies extant of his book on temperance, Whither Thou Goest, the proceeds of > which enabled him to expand the facilities of his Institute." Rev. MacErlain > died in 1919 on a visit home and is buried in the New Graveyard, Lavey > Parish, Co Derry, Ireland. > Mark Lusby > http://uk.geocities.com/mark.lusby@btopenworld.com/familyhistory.html > Researching: > LUSBY East Riding & Hull, Yorkshire and Gt Grimsby, Lincolnshire > KILVINGTON, MYERS, STEPHENSON, MARSHALL, WALLIS, WALLS East Riding of > Yorkshire > MCADOREY, REID, STUART, Randalstown, County Antrim > KELLY, Desertmartin, County Derry > McERLAIN Lavey, Co Derry > GILDEA, WARD, Ballyshannon, Laghy , County Donegal > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jean Rice" <jeanrice@cet.com> > To: <IRISH-AMERICAN-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 3:40 AM > Subject: [Irish-American] Father Theobold MATHEW, Founder, Cork Total > Abstinence Society (1838) - Spreads his Message to America > > > > SNIPPET: Capuchin friar Fr. Theobold MATHEW founded the Cork Total > Abstinence Society in 1838. <snip>