A REPLY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 63, 8 April 1909, Page 4

A REPLY.

To the Editor. Sir,—T hold the seemingly improbable burlesque of abuse .recorded of the Pickwickian editors to be fully paralleled ill' some passages of Tl. Flnroth's last letter. "Front Rank Men." but as my former anonymous signature may have given him some .shade of excuse for his scurrililv on niv account, the publication of'mv name and address at; the bottom of this letter will surely remove from him a further plea for such unwarranted indulgence again, although I'r ■mi.-eicntious motives 011 the NoLicense side. 1 have studiously abstai 1 from taking part ill th • public Press in anv of the controversies on that question, save on a former solitary occasion. This was when the amazingly absurd statements of a liquor champion offered such affront to niv common-sense as in 11 liner forced liic to reply. The lib' cause lias provoked me into public antigonism with P.. Kurotb. whose attempted parallel between the imputed utterances of a. certain Sundae school teacher I though I would like to hear 11 llier side" of that matter) T would characterise as being simply nonsensical, were it not worse—that is. malicious—as also the aiulacilvof his inference on Ihe bearing of the strictures- of Sir live- Duckworth on the Eddvitcs With the sentiments of teetotalers. And. harking back to the verse, in Ilabbakuk that be charged teetotalers with misquoting, T hold P.. Enroth's interpretation of the full meaning to be as flagrant an instance of quesliou-bcggki',' as ~V e r I have known. The verse reads thus: "Woe unto him who givclh his •neighbor drink, that puttest the bottle to 'him. that makes! him drunken also, that, thou niaviwt look on their nakedness." N'ow. what had Ham to do with his father's drunkenness? Absolutely nothing. Then, in common-sense's name, what eonneclion can there be between these two passages? Absolutely none, save in 11 F.nrolb's foolish assertion ■onlv. Mv business in New Plymouth being now about concluded, r eaiiuot pursue, this correspondence further. Nor would I in any case, for a writer who mistakes bumptiousness for merit and assertions for logic, and abuse for smartness. I hold to be unworthy of notice; for which cause r had determined! to read no more of IS. Kuroth's letters. Nor have I even read this last one. and which T am now onlv not icing from hearing the. part referring to my unworthy self read aloud by a laughing friend.—l am. fete. DFOALD FEtidl'SON'. Tapanui, Otago.