SATIRDAU, NOVEMBER 23, 1907. Truth

NZ Truth, Issue 127, 23 November 1907, Page 4

SATIRDAU, NOVEMBER 23, 1907.

Truth

Published every Saturday morning at Luke's Lane (off manners: street), wellington, n.z. SUBSCRIPTION (IN ADVANCE), 13S, PER ANNUM.

The parson m New Zealand, the blatant pounder of the pulpit, who tries hard, to please everybody, offend nobody, and thus increase the takings "on the plate every Sabbath, is a curious kind of an animal, who ought to be medically examined to ascertain whether he is sound mentally. It is indeed something to ponder what' the cleric really wants. He is a barracker for the Chow, he is eternally against the tote" and all enjoyment. Now, we find him., if anything at all, liberally espousing the cause of the child slave dealer m Taranaki. If ever there was a cause or a curse that richly merited the denunciation, of the clergy, the child slave traffic m New Zealand is surely one that allows of eloquent and fervid pulpit utterances. The perverted parson, with his eve ever on an increased stipend and the collec-

tion plate, seems to be struck dumb when his assistance is invited. He will barrack for the Chow, he deplores the prosecution of the heathen for Sal^ath desecration. He denounces the tote and the turf, displayIng always a lamentable ignorance on all matters connected with sporting, and he will even venture to admit that there is child slavery m New Zealand, but he closes his eye to the dwarf ted, stunted, mentally dead child of the dairies. Those little mites are forsaken by parsons of the Rev. Peter Fairclough type. He, unctuous, comfortable and well-filled bellied spreader of the "Word" has nothing to ,say of these dairy slaves. He does not deny their existence, but endeavors to point out that m the streets of Wellington there is a system of child slaver*- ten . times worse than exists m Taranaki. This parson has had the unspeakable impudence of accusing the press of Wellington of creating these slaves, who sell papers m /the streets at all hours, and are being lowly converted v into precocious imps, whose future is problematical. This is typical of the parson. He loses sight of one set of facts and tries to tone down the awfulness of things generally by declaring that the press that condemns child slavery m Taranaki is responsible for a worse state of affairs m Wellington city. Now, as far as child slavery m Taranaki is concerned, some of the worst -traffickers m human flesh and blood had a splendid, opportunity within the past couple' of years of showing to the wide world that all that has been published during recent ' years were base and wicked falsehoods. Were not the manager and editor of his paper proceeded against for criminal libel ! Was not permission granted to proceed criminally ? ' Of course, it was and everybody is aware that the proceedings were promptly dropped after that permission had been obtained. Why ? Is .it necessary to say. That, anyhow, shows the part this paper has played m the effort to .emancipate these little white slaves. Can the Rev. Peter Fairclough or any of the clerical crew that- make everybody unhappy m these dominions, ' boast anything like that ? Now, for thr ■ '.-selling slaves m Wellington. "Truth" does not mind so much what Fairclowpb says,' as it does what 'he would like to say. but dare not. For "Truth's" part it wants to say this, that the profits accruing from the sales of the paper on the streets or Saturdays only is sufficient m lots of cases to provide the rent for the landlord on Monday morning. With others, it helps to pay the rent. Many of these youngsters are alert, keen, and business-like. They have an eye on the main chance every time, and there is nothing of the slave about them. AH, or nearly all, help their parents, and m many cases the help t is very desirable. No doubt it is because Peter Fairclough sees so many three-penny bits being expended on "Truth," "three d's" he thinks ought to be passed on to his plate that has' aroused his ire. The parson is hard up for arguments even to defend child slavery m Taranaki, when he has to tackle the newspaper-sellers of the cit*- particularly where 1 most of them earn sufficient m one day to pay the week's rent.