MISCHIEVOUS THEOLOGY.

Evening Star, Issue 2909, 15 June 1872, Page 2

MISCHIEVOUS THEOLOGY.

To the Editor.

Sir, —The Rev. T. Roseby is not, it seems, a young man. I humbly beg his pardon. 1 merely inferred that fact from his public utterances in print. Now that I find out my error, I beg to withdraw that expression, and to substitute for it the term “verdant.” His is, without doubt, a “ green ” old age. Another point is equally plain—namely, that he is very anxiously raining dust to obscure what was, and still is, a very plain issue. This issue I must bring out of the dust, and now re-state. Here it is in his own werds :—“ Why God should bring thousands into the world whose career (forenown to Him) will be a career of grovelling vice, selfishness, brutality, and impiety, and whose death will be the death of an Antiochus, of a Herod, of a Judas, we do not know. But the mystery is no invention of the theologians. It is the mystery of fact.” To this I objected that the laws of population, like a thousand other natural laws that once were set down as mysteries, are now pretty well understood, and have been, since Malthus, fully explained and accepted by writers on social science. That the whole “mystery” now consists in the fact that men are not conscientious and prudent enough to order their conduct in obedience to these “ laws” which God has made uniform, that they may be to us a good guide. That, further, to charge the consequences of men’s reckless conduct in bringing into the world children whom they were not in a position to lauuch into life with fair chances of a “career” reasonably happy and prosperous, and then to lay this consequent vice, brutality, &c., at the door of the Almighty is simply blasphemy, i.e. (as the word means), “injurious speaking” of God. Here is the rev. gentleman’s answer, “I admit the truth of the laws of population as expressed by Malthus and the rest. But—--Ist. These laws, I, T. Roseby says, do not apply to the western hemisphere, although the eminent men who have thought and written on this subject founded their views specially on facts observed in that hemisphere, 2. The true panacea for the evil is “emigration ;” and although the aforesad writers, one of whom you quoted and several others you named, nave mentioned it as only one of many means of alleviating the evil, I the aforesaid T.R., say that all the other remedies they propose are merely less than one-fourth of the economic truth, and “ emigration” is more than three-fourths 3. We live in a new country, where the laws of population are not practically felt; therefore (this is his logic), because I, T,

Boseby, M. A..LL. 8., say that the laws aforesaid do not apply to the western hemisphere ; and my assertion to that effect, unsupported by a single reference, is sufficient to override the authority of the eminent men you name; and because, again, my similar assertion is quite enough to outweigh “ a host of such fellows on the subject of emigration; and lastly, because wc live in a new country where the laws of population do not practically apply: therefore, it is here no blasphemy to charge God with the evils resulting from men’s disobedience to them in countries like England where they do apply ; and, therefore, the thing remains an inscrutable mystery, as I, Rev. T. Roseby, said before, and repeat a third time iu print, and God is authority thereof.” Now, Sir. on the impulse of the moment 1 was about to give vent to a feeling ; but \ recollect that I am one of the “unlearned, and that language which is legitimate and becoming in tbe mouth of a Christian minister would be in mine ‘ vulgar and impertinent abuse,” and “deserving of severe rebuke ” Having also some little tentlemanly feeling, and not wishing to be needlessly offensive, I looked into my dictionary of synonyrans under the word “impudent.” and find the following list—viz., audacious, shameless, saucy, barefaced, insolent, &c. Mr R. can take his choice which is most suitable. It is quite clear that argument or detailed criticism is lost on one of bis imperturbable assurance. As for the “ infidel suggestion, &c., I beg to remind the rev. gentleman of a certain text which speaks of “ beams” and “motes” in people’s eyes, and which he seems not much to respect. And now, sir, having referred the gentleman to a source where he may brush up his very “rusty” logic without sending him back to his “college tutor’’—having referred him to authorities where he may improve his less than little knowledge of political economy —I think (not wishing to take up the task myself) 1 can't do better than refer him to several texts in an old volume, of which he is somewhat oblivions, for a lesson in good sense and good manners. Mr Roseby’s repertory of metaphors is apparently inexhaustible. His letter, as usual, ends with one. A rocket, I believe, is a thing that goes np with “ a fizz, a glare, an explosion,” and then comes down with a stink. Mr L\, wont up with a brilliant coruscation, breaking off into a wonderful number of metaphorical sp irks, blue, green, yellow, red, &c., and he has come down with something offensive to the olfactory nerves of cultivated people. Finally, a man equally pious and wise prayed once thus—“ 0 Lord ! deliver us from the Evil Spirit, and—from metaphors !” A ~ T> rn I recommend the prayer to the Lev. 1. Rosehv, M. A., LL.B. I am, &c., Economics. Dunedin, June 14. RUNNING COMMENTS ON PASSING EVENTS. To the Editor. Some years ago, when there was far less accommodation for them than at present, there used to be a large stock of water fowls in the ponds in the Botanical Gardens notably, the black swans were very abundant. Those,’ I believe, were generously distributed amongst the favorable localities of this Province f and other portions of the Colony. In those localities it appears they now abound ; in some of them almost to the extent of becoming a “ nuisance’’—while the waters in the gardens lack the adornment of a single head. Surely a pair or two could be obtained for the gardens, where they would now show to so much advantage. The Provincial Council has of late been in a very liberal mood towards Athenaeums, and the so-called Public Libraries, Not only have institutions already in existence been liberally assisted by grants of land for building purposes, donations of books for stocking the libraries, and so on, but not a few have received large grants of land as permanent endowments of considerable value. To such an extent has this liberal mania taken possession of hon. members, that objects actually existing have not been found sufficient to gratify it, and so they have also set apart other lands to endow institutions not yet hatched. Some of them, I am told, are “townships” existing mainly on paper, and at present containing within their limits not more than a dozen houses. Thus we have a new principle initiated, and these institutions will no longer be dependent upon voluntary subscriptions for their annual revenue. 1 have no objection whatever to this principle, and sincerely hope a Crown grant may speedily be issued in every case. At the same time, I don’t see why the principle should be only partially applied. The Dunedin Athenoeum, it is true, has received several grants of public money, but not more in proportion than some of the institutions now endowed. Our local institution, too, is in a sense a Provincial one, available to visitors from all parts of the Province, Colony, and world. It is, however, in debt to the extent of some LSOO, and therefore I consider it has at least as good a claim to share in the benefit of the liberality movement as any others. What were our City members about ? On the 24th day of the coming month of November, three hundred years will have rolled away since John Knox, in the seventy-sixth year of his age, breathed his last in the fine old city of Edinburgh. And I observe from late papers to hand that the people of that ancient city, and indeed, the Presbyterians through the country, resolved to celebrate tbe event ; and that they were already forming their plans, and adopting means to enable them to do so in an appropriate and fitting manner. I presume the inhabitants of this new Edinburgh of the South, with whose history the name of Knox has from so early a period been so satisfactorily associated, will not allow the day to come and go without a suitable recognition. Really, Sir, those Waikouaiti electors are funny fellows ! Judging from their successive choices of tbeir representatives, I fancy they must have resolved that any individual elector shall have in turn a man after his own heart. How else can we account for their jumping about from a Vogel to a Mitchell, from a M‘Lean to a Monro ? In this last effort, however, they have even out-Waikouaited Waikouaiti. They have at last placed the interests of their district iu the hands of a man who has not only no stake in tbe country, hut not even a peg to hang his hat upon—a man who has not even deigned to show his face amongst tlicm, or answer a single question as to his political creed, or his knowledge of the real wants of the district whose interests he is chosen to represent; a mao whose only qualifier

tiona appear to bo that he has sat in the Speaker’s chair, been kicked out of the House of .Representatives for “ bribery and corruption,” and has no knowledge whatever of the place or people whose interests have been placed in his hands. I wish the electors of Waikouaiti much joy of their choice, and am only sorry the results of its cannot be circumscribed by the boundaries of their own district, so that they might have the sole monopoly of them as a just reward of their folly. Yours, &c., Nemo. Dunedin, June 15.

MEAT SUPPLY H’R ENGLAND. To the Editor.

Sib —In reading over your leading article on the meat supply in England an idea struck me by which a never failing supply of cheap and purely fre-h meat might be sent to Great Britain and at the same time be of incalculable value to these colonies, especially this portion of New Zealand. Perhaps you will say that everybody knows that. I reply that it is not everyone that has seen the experiment put to the moat severe tests. Some years since on my passage from the Isthmus of Panama to Now York in one of the largest of the American steamers “ the Georgia” she had an ice-house on board as large as an ordinary-sized room and when I first saw it, it was about one third full, and I was very much interested in seeing the legs of mutton, the roasts of beef, fresh hams and pork, besides endless quantities of turkeys, geese, fowls, fish, and fresh butter, &0., tire., come out of the room. It was a subject of general remark how delicious the fresh provisions always were ; and it would have been impossible had no one known the circumstances but what the various articles had just come from the butcher’s shops, poulterer’s, dairy, &c. I was much more .surprised when the steward told me that the ice house had not been so low for twelve months, and that they bad not actually seen the bottom of it for eighteen months, and the steamer continuously running from a cold to a tropical climate. Well, s : r, so much for facts; now for theory. In the absence of that enterprise that we don’t pretend to lay much claim to, 1 would suggest to that indulgent parent, the Government, —whoever he may be, —or perhaps that exclusive fellow the squatter, out of his surplus wool money, to try the experiment. Say that they might send a small craft down south to chip a piece of an iceberg, or get it any way they like, or they niighc manufacture it on the spot; then fix an ice-house on board a homeward bounder, and put in say fifty tons of properlykilled dead meat, poultry, butter, eggs, &c. I think one might venture to stake a considerable sum if the whole shipment did not arrive as fresh and good as the day it was put on board. That is always providing that there was no bungling. Now you will perhaps say, “all very well, sir, hut the meat will not keep when it is taken out.” It will keep good two or three days in summer and longer in winter, ;'and that is quite long enough for London, or any of the large towns at Homo. We might afford to pay the ship good freight on such a cargo, and require longer laying in port until the whole of the cargo had been sold. The fact is, if this matter is properly gone into, it is bound to be a success. It requires no extra outlay or labor, so when the experiment on a small scale was found to work successfully, vessels might be fitted up on purpose with an inner lining filled with charcoal, &c.

Mr Editor, you have a valuable receipt that may add comfort and wealth to thousands, and generally benefit both ends of world ; and I hope jit will lose none of its merits by you and me giving it publicity and gratuitously to the world,—l am, &c.