MORRINSVILLE.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVI, Issue 43092, 14 May 1907, Page 3

MORRINSVILLE.

[To the Editor,]

SlRi —A stranger to Morrinsville is struck with the large number of young men that there are in the village; we have three boarding-houses all full, beside a number who board privately. As we have had a member of the prolibb - ionist party round lately canvassing for support, I thought I would, take a walk round-and see for myself what was being done for the young men of this village. I thought of that saying of Plutarch “ Lycurgus, he says, did not act like a man of sound reason, in the course he took to reform his people that were much inclined to drunkenness, by travelling up and down the country to destroy all the vines; whereas he should have ordered that every vine should have a well of water near it. that (as Plato saith) the drunken deity might be reduced to temperance by a sober one.” Though uttered hundreds of years ago, I think that thm is the finest solution to the liquor question that there is; and it was to see what wells (if any) the temperance party had dug round our particular vine, that I ventured out this evening. *As I passed up the town I came to the brilliantly lighted hotel. I looked inside ; everything was clean, snug and cosy; here a man can smoke his pipe, read the paper, meet his friends, talk politics or prohibition, the weather or the crops, and spend a quiet evening I then took a stroll on to the billiard room here

There was quite a number of young men around the green cloth enjoying a game of billiards. I then went and stood out side the cold, dark, dreary - looking churches, and prayed for the time when the churches will devote a little more of their time and energy to the uplifting of the body as well as the soul I turned to , go home, when I saw a light opposite, and found it was at a public reading- •

room. The secretary, who was present, told me it was run by a committee of young men. who devoted one evening a fortnight to looking after the room. Upon my asking him it they were prohi bitionists he gave a laugh. “Ob no,” he said, “ those people go to sleep and only wake up about a month briar:; the

general election, that is, as far as this town is concerned.” Not only do they never try to establish counter-attractions to the open bar, but they never assist any who do.. Un my way home I thought surely if the prohibitionist is light, let hiip convert the churches ; must I give

U P m y glass for the sake of example, then go to those who claim to have a mandate from the divine Christ, let them set the example, and refuse to accept a* communicants all those wborioucli, taste, or handle, any intoxicating liquor r After they have done' that, let them come to us poor sinners, and teach us the

error of our way. Let them find us a room where we can enjoy a smoke, road the paper and meet our friends. Until they do this, I hope the closing of the hotel in Morrinsville is a long way off. I am etc.