| Description | In this address Taylor Cadbury examines the work carried out by the Band of Hope, a social group which supported temperance societies by promoting abstinence from alcohol amongst young people. Taylor Cadbury remarks that her mother Mary Jane Taylor (1833-1887) had begun one of the earliest of these groups in London. She considers the value of Band of Hope work with reference to public opinion that temperance campaigning was becoming out-dated and unnecessary. Taylor Cadbury suggests that lessons in 'self-denial, self-restraint, & care for the well-being of others' were of continuing benefit to individuals and the wider community. She also refers to the important work which Band of Hope Sunday Schools were doing for the children of alcoholics.
Taylor Cadbury argues that women were the 'best workers in the Band of Hope', stating that 'the training of children' was 'essentially Woman's Work, and Woman's Right'. She provides a detailed description of her own work overseeing a boys' club in the East End of London during the 1870s. Taylor Cadbury suggests that the most effective way of teaching children about temperance was to focus less on abstinence and to provide 'a variety of instruction' in subjects such as geography and history. She also remarks on the benefits of sending temperance lecturers to Board Schools around the country to reach children who did not attend Band of Hope groups. She concludes her address with a scriptural reference to the Gospel of Saint Paul to encourage Band of Hope workers and give them strength in their Christian work. |
| AdminHistory | Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury remarks at the beginning of this typescript that she had been ''till lately a stranger in Birmingham'. This suggests that the address was written shortly after her marriage to George Cadbury and move to Selly Oak in 1888. Consequently, the address has been dated as originating from the early 1890s. |