Maurice Mapleson is not one who considers that his parish and his congregation are coterminus.  “I like the Established Church for one thing,” he says.  “The parish is geographical, not ecclesiastical.  All within its bounds are under the parson’s care.  In our system the minister is only responsible for his own congregation.  It is like caring for the wounded who are brought into hospital, and leaving those that are on the field of battle uncared for.”

A little incident occurring soon after he came, first opened Maurice’s eyes, I think, to the need of temperance reform in the community.

He had occasion, one evening after prayer-meeting, to visit a sick child of his Sabbath-school.  The family were poor and his road led him down near the brickyard toward “Limerick,” as this settlement of huts-half house, half pig-stye-is derisively called.  The night was dark, and returning, abstracted in thought, he almost fell over what he first took to be a log lying in the street.  It was a man, who, on a cursory examination, proved to be suffering under no less a disorder than that of hopeless intoxication.  It was a dangerous bed.  Maurice made one or two unsuccessful attempts to arouse the fellow, but in vain.  Retracing his steps a few rods to the nearest hut, he summoned assistance, and with the aid of Pat sober, got Pat drunk upon his feet.  But he was quite too drunk to help himself, and too large and heavy to be left to the sole charge of Pat sober, who happened to recognize a friend, whose home he said was a quarter of a mile down the valley.  Maurice, who had preached a few Sundays ago on the parable of the Good Samaritan, could not bring himself to imitate the example of the Priest and Levite; so steadying the tipsy pedestrian on one side, while sober Pat sustained him on the other, they half led, half dragged the still unconscious sleeper to a little round hut, which he called home.  The wife was sitting up for her husband and received both him and his custodians with objurgations loud on the first, and thanks equally loud addressed to the others.  No sooner was the stupid husband safely deposited on the bed than, begging them to wait a moment, she went to the cupboard and taking down a big, black bottle, half filled a cracked tea-cup with whiskey, which she offered to Maurice as an expression of her gratitude.  “I do not know,” said Maurice to me, as he told me the story, “that she will ever forgive me for declining, though I couched my declension as courteously as possible.”

Coming home and pondering this incident, he made up his mind that something must be done for the temperance cause in Wheathedge; and further pondering led him to the conclusion that he must begin at the church.

So one evening last week he came round to talk with me about it.

“The first thing,” said he to me, “is to arouse the Church.  I believe in preaching the gospel of temperance to the Jews first, and afterwards to the Gentiles.  I will begin in the Synagogue.  Afterwards I will go to the streets, and lanes, and highways.”