SOCIAL REFORM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1042, 12 September 1911, Page 2

SOCIAL REFORM.

There was a large attendance at the public meeting in the Masonic Hall on Sunday evening, when addresses were delivered upon social reform subjects by the Rev. G. Y. Woodward, vicar of All Saints’ and Mr J. K. Hornblow. The Mayor, G. H. Stiles, Esq. occupied the chair, and , briefly introduced the speakers. The first speaker was the Rev. G. Y. Woodward. He said that he interpreted Social Reform as meaning love for our fellow-men. William Penn had put his finger on the right note when he said: “I . expect to pass through this life but once—if there is any kindness or any good thing I can do to my fellow-beings let me do it now—l shall pass this way but once,” That was love for humanity, and love was the secret of all reforms. The speaker then gave many illustrations how love fulfilled the law, and ended by saying that by a happy paradox love grows deeper as it grows wider. Mr Woodward then explained the purpose of Christ’s mission to earth, it was the development of ideal manhood: and the only weapon with which He worked was love. In the truest sense it was love that led him to Calvary : for there flinging wide His arms He sought to win the world back to His Father. He gave Himself to the world, the disciples had followed His example and died for their Master —and since then, men had kept on giving, and some day the world in a passion of love would give itself back to Him. On the pages of history stands out the Christ, the greatest reformer of the world. The speaker went on to say that at this meeting everyone would ask themselves a question: “How am I to help men ?” and he would answer it for them. “ You are to help men by being unlike them, not by offering them a character which they shall feel to be a little more respectable than their own, but a character filled with the love of God.” He asked them to think for a moment of the evils of drink, to look at the sordid homes,.the disfigured faces, to understand the heartaches of women, and to hear the cry of little children. Had they not there a mission, could they not use the words of Livingtone who gave his life for the abolition of slavery. “God bless all men who in any way help to heal the open sore of the world.” Then there was immorality ; the newspapers were full of stories of illegitimacy, divorce, and unfaithfulness to the sanctity of marriage—was there not scope for reform there ? And the most effective way to bring about reform was to live a clean and pure lile. Then there was selfishness, which meant greed, and that had been the cause ot more than half the sorrow of the world. A selfish man, whose only object in life was to possess, was deaf and blind to the cry and miseries of the outcast; he was an anomaly ot nature, and it had been said of such, “ God buries the souls of many men long before their bodies are carried to the graveyard.” Mr Woodward then dealt at some length with the unselfish lives of Lord Shaftesbury and John Ruskin—inspiring examples of social reformers. He concluded by saying the question of life was not “What can I get for myself?” but “ What can I do for my fellows?” The time had come for all in New Zealand to aim at ideals and aspirations, for if the people were filled with the spirit of uplifting, then they would be the means of educating their rulers, and bringing out of them their noblest and their best. This meeting had laid on all present a serious responsibility ; they could not go back again to their old life without asking themselves a very searching question, and it was this : ‘‘ Am I working and so living in this world that the poorest brother, and the weakest brother, shall have a better chance because of me ?” That was the question they had to wrestle with, and with it from over the centuries came a message from the Master s “Go, work to-day in My vineyard.” That message came to all in a particular way that very night; and blessed the man, woman and child who could rise to the occasion and obey it. (Aplause.) j

Mr Hornblow, in opening, said the reform which had the right of the road was the drink traffic. The question was up before the people for settlement and as Christians their duty was clearly defined. If they sanctioned continuance they must take their share, of the crime and misery which followed in its train. He referred to the tact that for years they had tried to reform the traffic, but drunkenness and the consumption of liquor was on the increase. The only way to reform was to abolish it altogether. He stated that over 11,000 convictions for drunkenness had been recorded for the year ended 31st March last, while all other crimes totalled 738, and many of the more serious crimes were directly or indirectly caused through drink. The army of drunkards, if the liquor business continued, were to be recruited from the boys and girls of to-day. Were they prepared to sacrific the little ones ? In August, 1909, lyord Alverstone Eord Chief Justice of England, • stated that alter forty years at the bar and ten years as a judge, he had no hesitation in saying that ninety per cent, of the crime in England is caused by indulgence in drink. Statesmen, scientists, literary and medical men had testified against it. He said it could be salely said that five millions was spent in drink throughout the Dominion last year and the people got back ia

revenue 6 34- A S reat percentage of the revenue so derived was spent in repairing the damage done by the traffic to the body politic. He touched on the iniquitous and undemocratic '}-sths majority but said people were now beginning to think for themselves on this question and even with this obstacle in the way the outlook for National Prohibition and local no-liceuse was bright. At the last polls out of the 68 electorates in the Dominion, 34 carried No License by bare majority, seven carried reduction by the 3'sths ; six carried No License by the 3-sths; six carried Non Restoration of licenses and only 15 electorates out of the whole 68 voted in favour of liquor. This fact should give those who were working for social reform great heart. Let them remember that they were now on the side of the big batallions —and they were going to win (applause). He dealt with other phases of the question in a convincing manner and resumed his seat amidst applause. The Mayor briefly endorsed the remarks of the two speakers after which the meeting closed with prayer by theßev. Mr Woodward.