It is true, we invite our friends to a battle-field, but there are times when war is safer than peace, and leads to the truer peace of conscience. The highest development of _altruism_ inspires a devotion to the welfare of mankind that rewards itself by a deliverance from the petty troubles and vexations of daily life; nay, all personal sorrows may thus be sunk out of sight, and those who seek release from grief for the inconstancy of fate, for the frustration of a cherished project, for the loss of a dear friend, may find a peace which fortune can neither give nor take away by devoting themselves to a cause of enduring promise, to the highest abiding interest of their fellowmen. At the dawn of history that highest aim would have been: security against the inroads of barbarism. In the night of the Middle Ages: salvation from the phantoms of superstition. To-day it should be: deliverance from the curse of the poison vice. That deliverance will more than compensate all sacrifices. Parties, like individuals, are sometimes destined to conquer without a struggle; but the day of triumph is brighter if the powers of darkness have been forced to yield step for step, and we need not regret our labors, our troubles, nor even the disappointment of some minor hopes, for in spite of the long night we have not lost our way, and the waning of the stars often heralds the morning. FOOTNOTES [A] “All past legislation has proved ineffectual to restrain the habit of excess. Acts of Parliament intended to lessen, have notoriously augmented the evil, and we must seek a remedy in some new direction, if we are not prepared to abandon the contest or contentedly to watch with folded arms the gradual deterioration of the people. Restriction in the forms which it has hitherto assumed, of shorter hours, more stringent regulation of licensed houses and magisterial control of licenses, has been a conspicuous failure. For a short time after the passing of Lord Aberdare’s act, hopes were entertained of great results from the provisions for early closing, and many chief constables testified to the improved order of the streets under their charge; but it soon appeared that the limitation, while it lessened the labor of the police and advanced their duties an hour or so in the night, was not sufficient to reduce materially the quantity of liquor consumed, or the consequent amount of drunkenness.”—_Fortnightly Review._