PROHIBITION.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 26, 30 July 1896, Page 2

PROHIBITION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— Under the above heading a letter appears in your Tuesday's issue from the pen of Mr Roots, the Christian Liquor Champion. Before entering upon another correspondence allow me to explain that I have never spoken to Mr Roots in my life, and that except for newspaper correspondence, he is a stranger to me. Hence there cannot bo any personal feeling between us. The reason why I discontinued my last correspondence with him was : 1. Because of the untrue statements he made, one of which he had to withdraw. 2. Because he continually wandered from the point at issue and indulged in personalities. As be has forced me into pnblic correspondence again I ask him to stick to the subject under discussion. Before replying fully to bis letter I ask him to bring proof in support of the following proposition contained in his letter and by proof I do not mean wild rsser* tions : — 1. " Much that is advanced in favor oi Prohibition seems to be gross exaggeration." Proof? 2. " That the remedy proposed is infinitely worse than the disease." Proof ? 3. " That it (Prohibition) has already proved the greatest curse of modern times to sections of the Church representing the movement. Which sections ? and bow has it became a curse to them ?" 4. " What Church has given the hand of Church fellowship to the enemies of Jesus ?" 5 "In what places of worship is Prohibition more frequently mentioned than Christ ?" I ask this for information. It has never been the case in any Church where I have worshipped, but from Mr Root's words it must be so in the Church where be worships (or how would be know of the evil?), and he has my sincere sympathy if where he worships they placed their idol, Prohibition, before Christ, and I am prepared to help him to pull it down. Christ may be first, but Prohibition must be kept in its place. 6. "In what Church is Temperance and Prohibition placed first and the Gospel of Christ given a second place ?" I know of po Church where this is done. Mr Roots' imagination mast have been having a wandering frolic. 7. "If drunkenness and gluttony are placed on a level in the Scriptures, why is it they oftener and more strongly condemn the former sin ?" The logic of Mr Roots' remarks on tea meetings means that in future all tea meetings, socials, banquets, evening parties, and afternoon tea drinkings, there must be no dainties to tempt anyone. | Remember that, ladies, please, at our anniversary tea on August 31st. j Then comes that Pickwickian peroration. I can imagine how proudly friend Boots looked on it when in print. How impassioned ! how dramatic ! but like all perorations it contains very little argument. Perorations are pleasant reading, but they 3eldom supply information if they contain more rhetoric than argument. I am, etc., J. Cockeb. Feildiug, July 29th, 1896.