OUTSPOKEN REMARKS.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 November 1922, Page 2

OUTSPOKEN REMARKS.

CHURCH AND PROHIBITION

“To abandon the moral force of religion, stop out of the pulpit, and call | in the assistance of the legislature and the Executive to bludgeon the | whole of the people into abstinence because there are a few Lois, is a con fession that religion has failed.” This statement was made by the Rev. Father Eeclcton, S.M., in the course of a sermon delivered by him at St. Patrick’s Church Greymoutb, last week when speaking oif the subject “Temperance.” Religion, said Father Encleton, was based on reason and any remedy for evil that did not appeal to the reason and intellect of man could not succeed. Instead of driving evil out of men’s lives it would drive them further towards it. The only remedy that could exercise itself on men’s minds was the moral force that religion gave. Personal prohibition might be an excellent thing, but legislative prohibition to say the least \of it, was extremely doubtful if they were going to dragoon the people into it. The Church could not condemn alcohol because it was a gift of God, and to condemn it would bo an evil in itself and would also he to subscribe to the heresy of Manichaeism, but the Church condemned what the prophet Isaiah condemned in fiery words, the abuse of alcohol. Man was, according to the Scriptures, “a little lower than the angels,” that was, a littl° lower than God Himself, and any abuse that tended to debase Him was His enemy. The remedy was religion and frequent approach to the sacraments, but legislative prohibition would never stop drunkenness, any more than it could prevent gluttony. WORSE EVILS THAN DRINK.

While expressing no sympathy . with excessive drinking ‘the Rev. Father Ercleton declared during his sermon at St. Patrick’s ( Church that there were infinitely worse evils than drink in New Zealand. The mental hospitals of the country were crowded with youths who had reached asylums through excess in other vices. What was more terrifying than to see these youths, little more than boys, hopeless idiots? “There is a ghastly skeleton stalking through the country,” declared the pre'acher, “and no one wants to see it, but we will have to face the facts plainly. Some fathevs and mothers are letting their boys and girls iro headlong to hell in this world and headlong to hell in the next. They are undoubtedly responsible—who else could be—for this tragedy. Men and women in this country are rotting with a disease worse than leprosy ” *