A Nice Young Man

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 142, 20 May 1893, Page 4

A Nice Young Man

Concerning the levanting of a young man well*known in religious and temperance circles, the Dunedin corres* pondent of the Tuapeka Times writes :— " He was what may be termed • a real good young man,' and among the brothers and sisters (particularly the latter) of the sect in which he labored he was regarded as a shining light, a vessel ©f grace, a beacon of Christianity, a moral watchfire, and enjoyed in the fullest measure the confidence of his co-laborers in the yineyard of grace. He was an indefatigable temperance worker, though it is now said he had a large reserve of convivial tastes and was the yery best or company where tne conventionalities were not too rigidly insisted on. Withal he was the Rev. Mr Ready's right hand man, acted with a good deal of success as itinerant preacher in the City, and had a good deal to do with organising the Saturday night pops. This white-haired boy that I speak of followed the worldly ] vocation oi a collector, nnd while J acting in this capacity he collected j LBO and neglected to aceount for it. For this little oversight his employer after many fruitless endeavours to discover the whereabouts of his collector, swore an information and took outa; warrant for his arrest. He held also in trnst for the Rev Mr Ready a sum of £25 chiefly made of threepenny bits, the fruits of many Sunday collections, and with this he also decamped He is also said to have in his possession £12 belonging to the fund ia connection with tbe Sunday School, of which he was superintendent. What adds to his depravity is that on the Sunday before his flight his discourse at Sunday School was on the subject of dishonesty, his text being ' Be sure thy 6ina will find thee out. 1 It is remarked that on that occasion he was more fervid and pathetic than usual, and at limes quite overcome with emotion. This opportune address, brimful of hypocrisy and. epnt, bas, aB he no doubt intended it should, given him a good start, and there is not much likelihood of his capture.