David+F.+-+RC+-+SP13


 * Father Theobald Mathew**

**Criticisms and Goals:** Fr. Mathew was against the harmful effects that drunkenness had on society not only in Ireland, but in Great Britain and the United States. The goal of the Cork Total Abstinence Society was to get as many people as they could to take the pledge and realize the benefits of sobriety. Mathew believed drunkenness was unbecoming and irresponsible.


 * Methods and Success: ** With the establishment of the Cork Total Abstinence Society, Fr. Mathew waged a war on alcohol and stressed the importance of temperance. //The Pledge// was all that people had to agree to become part of the society. Members signed their names, stating that they will totally stay away from alcohol. At first the society was very small, but people in the town of Cork began to come by the hundreds eager to pledge themselves to the cause. Mathew would preach not only about the perils of drunkenness, but also denounced crime and secret societies. The Irish people came in droves and by February 1843, he had visited all the Catholic parishes in Ireland, cumulating over 500,000 pledges. Experiencing so much success in Ireland, Fr. Mathew took his preaching of abstinence from alcohol to Great Britain, giving pledge to over 600,000 more people. As famine struck Ireland in 1845 as a result of the terrible potato crop, Theobald Mathew returned to Cork help with the relief. He organized the distribution of food and supplies to the hungry Irish and even stopped the construction of his church to help the cause. In 1849, Fr. Theobald Mathew’s American “campaign” began after multiple requests from prominent figures to come and preach in the United States. President Zachary Taylor and Vice President Millard Fillmore welcomed Fr. Mathew with open arms and Congress gave him a seat on the floor in the House and in the bar of the Senate. Nearing the end of his life, Mathew struggled to continue his preaching, but he made it to many American cities. He got a little tied up in slavery controversy while he was in America, but refused to speak on the issue, only on temperance. When Fr. Mathew prepared to return to Ireland, he had gained another 600,000 pledges in America. Societies in the U.S. took his lead and continued his work for many years. In his lifetime Mathew was able to work in many individuals’ lives, often improving them for the better. His work in the Total Abstinence Society was meant to rid people’s lives of alcohol addictions and he succeeded in completing that goal in over seven million people worldwide.

**Federal Assistance:** I think the best help that the president could give the cause is his support. Taking the Pledge would show Americans that their leader sees the importance of the movement and the benefits that would arise. This contribution would come at no monetary cost to the country and may reduce alcoholism in the citizens. The next best thing to government support on the issue would’ve been protection from harassment. Fr. Mathew met some controversy in the U.S. over the slave issue. The North was badgering him to declare his stance on anti-slavery like he did in Ireland, but he was more interested and concerned at getting his message out there without stepping on anyone’s toes. If the government would’ve given him protection from the constant pressures of abolitionists and slave-holders, he could’ve gotten his message out to more people.

**References:** The Washingtonian Temperance Society and the Marine Total Abstinence Society were two groups similar to that of Fr. Mathew and the Cork Total Abstinence Society. Both began in the 1840’s advocating for the total refrain from drinking alcohol. These groups met weekly to discuss problems and worked constantly to find new pledges. The Washingtonian Temperance Society became less strict than the two other groups and attracted many women to their cause. Father O’Connor was probably the greatest ally of Mathew’s in America. He encouraged temperance societies in the Diocese of Pittsburgh where he was bishop. The two priests met in Europe when Mathew invited O’Connor to speak at one of his rallies. The two realized they shared very similar beliefs in sobriety. O’Connor began to trust Mathew very much.

Aquilina, Mike. "Pittsburgh Takes the Pledge." //Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper - News and Features//. Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing Associates, 4 Aug. 2005. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
 * Sources: **

"Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:MARINE TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY." //Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:MARINE TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY//. Case Western Reserve University, 18 July 1997. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

Hayden, John Augustine. "Theobald Mathew." __The Catholic Encyclopedia.__ Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 28 Feb. 2013.

"History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education and Research | Episodes." //History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education and Research//. The University of Richmond, 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

" [|MATHEW, FATHER THEOBALD (1790-1856)] ." //Ireland and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History //. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2006. //Credo Reference //. Web. 28 February 2013.

Mathew, Theobald. //Life of ... Theobald Mathew, the Great Apostle of Temperance.//Boston, Mass.: n.p., 1844. Print.