A CHALLENGE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 278, 18 November 1908, Page 4

A CHALLENGE.

ILK. EN'KOTII v. REV. L. 11. ISITT. At a meeting lit'lil at Turiki on Holiday iiiglit (writes a C'onTspiimleiit) ill' Enroth calli'il iitte'iition to certain statements which had been imulo at the ilcliale o n Thursday night by the ltev. U il. lsill. That gentleman hail asserted that the committee of lil'tv 011 the drink problem —a sort of Republican royal commission—and which included judges, bishops and clergymen of various creeds, with other most, prominent public men ol New York, including some of tlie leading American writers, was a biassed body, got up to decoy the temperature movement. This the speaker denied. Was it likely that such a body including several professors and leaders hi the educational world as, scientists, would lend themselves to any underhand practices'! Mr. Isitt luul further stated that l'rofessor Atwalcr, a lending American physiologist, whose experiments had clearly demonstrated that so far from being a poison, alcohol entered into the .system without having to undergo the process of digestion, had recanted. How was it possible that a scientist could recant incts—except under pressure as was the case when til'* astronomer Galileo denied that the world turned round, He had been i'.i correspondence with Prof. Atwatcr, himself a lifelong abstainer, and he thought I if any such volte face had occurred lie would have heard of it. Before lie had proof to contrary, he must refuse to believe this assertion, llr lsitt had made the same charge of change of views against llr. Gladstone, but had been able to produce no .proof. He had further stated in his closing speech that the Jews consumed large quantities of unrermented wine—a statement which was certainly opposed to the facts of the case. He had so far forgotten the Biblical rule as to term the author of "The Heresv of Teetotalisin" "annnmiti-

gated liar."' After quoting several texts to show how foreign was such language from the spirit of Christ, llr. lvnixjth referred to the fact that the author of this volume, Mr. Thome, was an old and respected .Magistrate ill Australia, one of the best-known anil respected journalists there, of whom such a leading paper as the Adelaide Observer had said that his hook had been received with respectful attention both at Home and in the colonies. This was Ihe per-

son whom Mr. Isitt elmrnctcriswl as mi "unmitigated liar," because lie described a conversation with a Good Templar

who belonged to some organisation foi burning distilleries. V* as it worse to burn distilleries, or to attempt to rob a respectable class of citizens of their property and means of livelihood at one blow? lie quite believed that the cir-

cumstance took .place as stated, but ail these assertions of Mr. Isitt's were of a nature that could hardly be demonstrated to l>e. false. But another was not so. Mr. Isitt had .stated that "the licensed victuallers of Taranaki were having this book offered lor sale here at half-price." Now here is an assertion that could be proved to be abso-

lutely false and devoid of any truth whatever. lie would not so far forget himself as to apply the epithet to the Rev. L. M. Isitt which lie had used about the author of tile book in ques-

tion, however true it might be. But he was prepared to put up £25, or £SO, or £IOO against a like sum of Mr. Lsitt's and allow either a Stipendi'ary Magistrate or other l'espectabK' party to decide on the evidence that could lie, addueeil .whether there was one word of truth in this statement, which lie denied in the fullest terms. If Mr. Isitt had told the truth, here was an opportunity for liini to benefit- the Iwal hospital. If he declined this challenge, all people would know what conclusion to arrive at as to all his statements.