Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/849

 TOTAL ABSTINENCE In 1835 it was estimated that 48,000 persons had signed the pledge in England, and that 2,000 drunkards had been reformed. In 1835 the "British Association for the Promotion of Temperance" was formed in Manchester, on the principle of total abstinence, and the "British Teetotal Temperance Society" in London; in 1836 the latter was united with the " New British and Foreign Temperance Society for the Suppression of Intemperance." Weekly meetings were held in various parts of London, with great success. The moderation movement finally died out, and " teetotalism " was firmly established as the best means of suppressing intemperance. Up to 1839 the new British and foreign society had two pledges ; in that year the American pledge of total absti- nence was adopted. In 1840 the two general societies adopted the principle of total absti- nence, and the cause spread rapidly throughout the United Kingdom. At this time about 500,- 000 members were enrolled in the societies of Great Britain, while the adherents to total abstinence numbered more than 2,000,000. In 1842 the two parent societies in London were dissolved, and the " National Temperance So- ciety" was organized, which recognized all total abstinence societies, of whatever form of pledge. In 1843 Father Mathew visited London, and in six weeks administered the pledge to about 70,000 persons. In August, 1846, a world's temperance convention was held in London, and was attended by 300 dele- gates, including 25 from North America. The most marked progress was made by the tem- perance cause from 1851 to 1856. The " Lon- don Temperance League" held monthly meet- ings in Exeter hall, and free lectures were delivered in all parts of the city ; 3,000 peti- tions were sent to parliament, and 30,000 tracts distributed. The " United Kingdom Alliance " was formed in 1853 for the " total and imme- diate suppression of the traffic in all intoxi- cating liquors as a beverage ;" it has since prosecuted its labors with great vigor and suc- cess by means of lectures, petitions to parlia- ment, publications, &c. The alliance has given its hearty support to the " permissive bill," which has often been brought forward in par- liament in recent years, but without success. The object of the bill is to prohibit the granting of licenses to sell liquor whenever two thirds of the rate payers of any parish shall by vote so determine. Numerous organizations are now actively engaged in various parts of Great Britain in promoting the cause of temperance. Chief among these are: the "National Tem- perance League," formed in 1854 by a union of the national temperance society with the London temperance league ; the " British Tem- perance League," whose operations are chiefly in Lancashire and Yorkshire, its headquarters being at Bolton; the "Western Temperance League," established in 1837 and reorganized in 1858, embracing 284 societies, the opera- tions of which extend to nine English and TOUCAN 819 three Welsh counties ; the " North of England Temperance League," with 125 societies in Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, West- moreland, and the Cleveland district of York- shire; the "Irish Temperance League;" and the " Scottish Temperance League," which in 1873 had issued 70,000 volumes and 630,000 tracts, besides a weekly and a monthly periodical. The United Kingdom alliance has its executive council resident in Manchester. England and Wales are divided into districts superintended by resident agents. Its operations also extend to Scotland and Ireland in connection with the " Scottish Temperance and Permissive Bill As- sociation," the " Irish Temperance and Per- missive Bill League," and the " Irish Permis- sive Bill Association." The " National Asso- ciation for promoting Amendment in the Laws relating to the Liquor Traffic" directs its efforts toward obtaining amendments of license laws. Various enactments have been passed by parliament, and committees of in- quiry appointed with the view of diminishing the evils of intemperance. These efforts have been directed toward the restriction of the liquor traffic rather than its prohibition. TOTILA (properly BADUILA), a Gothic king of Italy, died A. D. 552. He was duke of Friuli, and was chosen king in 541, after the surrender of Vitiges to the Byzantine forces at Eavenna. When Belisarius was withdrawn from the service against the Goths, Totila over- ran the greater part of Italy, and in 546 en- tered Kome by the treachery of some Isau- rian sentries. He held peaceful possession of the city until compelled to leave it in order to repair the reverses his armies had sustained in Lucania. In his absence Rome was recov- ered by Belisarius, and in 547 Totila was re- pulsed in endeavoring to retake it. In 548 Belisarius was recalled to Constantinople, and Rome once more fell into the hands of Totila. In 552 Narses was sent into Italy by the em- peror Justinian, and at Tagina in Umbria To- tila's forces were defeated, and he was killed. TOUCAN, a name given to the scansorial birds of the family ramphastidce, derived from the Brazilian imitation of their note. The fam- ily is remarkable for the disproportionate size of the bill, which is very light on account of its spongy texture; it is strengthened inter- nally by a network of thin bony laminae freely supplied with vessels and nerves ; it is broad at the base, without a cere, smooth, with the culmen curved, sides compressed, tip hooked, and the sides serrated ; the tongue is long and slender, provided with numerous barbs on each side directed forward; the bill is usu- ally adorned with bright colors, which fade after death ; the tarsi covered with transverse scutes, the quills almost concealed under the large coverts, the tail with ten feathers; claws curved and sharp; toes two before and two behind ; orbital region naked ; furcula of two bony pieces, thin and not united below, and sternum with two deep incisions on each side