Temperance
In the village of my happy childhood - seventy miles from this keyboard in the heart of The East Riding of Yorkshire - there used to be a disused Methodist chapel. It was called Temperance Hall. More than once I entered its dusty rooms with village chums and stood upon the disused stage when preachers once sermonised. As a boy, I never realised the significance of the term "temperance" but it was very much to do with abstaining from the consumption of alcoholic drinks - something that was closely connected with Methodism. Of course, the opposite of temperance is "intemperance" and usually someone who is judged to be intemperate will be a boozer, straying from the path of righteousness. Before writing this, I had a look back at three connected blogposts I created in January 2023 - all titled "Alcohol". You can read them here , here and here . My reflections seemed quite comprehensive and there is not much I would wish to add to all of that. Today I am...