TWO CURIOUS CONTRIBUTIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 65, 13 April 1909, Page 4

TWO CURIOUS CONTRIBUTIONS.

To the Editor. Sir.—Mr Maunder reminds one of the story of the man who, when getting u thrashing, constantly cried out to tlic oian witli tli:' whip. "Strike higher," or "Strike lower," until tlie latter rcmonUnited, "If 1 hit high or hit low I can't satisfy you." 1 am in the same predicament with my teetotal friend. I run up and down the gamut, as he -says, "from Moses to Dr. Goode," trying 'to follow him and to show the fallacy of his principles—and yet he is not satislied. He wants to know " which it is to l«e, teetotal .or prohibition?" I reply, Ixilh. My hete noir, as he terms it, 'is Unit teetotal propaganda which firstly, in ethics, vndcavors lo burden people's consciences with the untruth that il <is the duty of Christian people to lwcome teetotalers—.precisely as some Jewish converts wished to make the practice of circumcision a part of Christianity—and secondly, would establish this practice by law ami make il a crime either to malic, use. give, or sell alcoholic drinks, r allirm their first principle to be opposed to Scripture, and Hint their second is an un-llritUh attempt to deprive us of our liberty. I have no quarrel iw.ilh the .individual practice of total abstinence any more than I have with people wlm drink sugar in their lea. Nor do I object to teetotalers endeavoring in a fair and linthful way to induce others to join them; but let it 7iot be done—ns hi the case of the international Sunday school lesson which has been my text in the present series of letters --■ by misrepresenting history and bv misleading —and hence false —Biblical quotations. This is tile subject on which I have been writing, and I thank Mr. Maunder for his testimonial that I have stuck to iny text. Tt .is tTuo there are fuaT.y teetotalers who are not prohibitionists, on which method they hold as strong views as myself, which shows that they have a clearer view of what is right and beneficial than Mr. Maunder

mid his party. My friend also rings the changes on Ms \"ciT)fi—a way they all have when in a .tight- place. But it amounts to nothing. Tt will not be long until people speaking of us thvo will [have to say "was" instead of ",is." That | will not in the least affect the truth or j error of our statements, t gave him a catalogue of men who have heeu my contemporaries, and who wore in the front rank. It. seems lome to he a more ■qiiibluV to say that most of them (ire now dead, although some of them are slid with us. To the others may well he applied the remark that, living dead, fliey still, speak. AVe are told by Mr. Maunder that 'the history question seems to have been satisfactorily settled ■ by 'A Sunday School Teacher' to the I satisfaction of the bulk of your readers." lion- ]„. came by his Information one would like to know. It is a elm mlleristic sort of prohibitionist assertion. Those thus snli-livd must be very easy to please, or very blind. I( i, very evident I bat your Tapanuicum-llalclufha correspondent is not one of Uleiii. for lie denounces mv quotation from that contributor's remark* (which lie evidently thinks I invented instead of quo', ing vcrba'tim) as "simply nonsensical, were it not worse—malicious." Which strikes one as rather humorous when read with Maiindor's universal approbation. 1 have two funny antagonist*: one forced out of his hiding-place, after .throwing a lot 'of adjectives and adVerbs at me, runs off the stage; the other tries to hide the defeat" of his arguiuenl* under cover of verbs and verbosity. T wish. Sir. Mr. Maunder were a chess-player: T can imagine he would have a lot of tricks and traps lo play off before he could be checkmated, which would be worth studying. \n .reference to Mr. Dugald Ferguson, of Tapauui, Otago (who previously called himself "A Balelutlia Resident." which leaves one lo wonder which is the truth and which place has the honor of his citizenship), it is at any rate satisfactory to learn that he is" not a Taranaki man. First lie lires at me from behind a tree, and when the jeers of those aware of his identity force him into the open, he becomes abusive—which is so like an abolitionist. A verv

popnlnr Devonshire preacher discoursing on Jonah's ansiwor to tin' Lord's question, "Doest thou well to be nngrv, •f ili?" nuil hi* ri'|ily. "I do well (o ho Hilary." -remarked, ''So you sec, my iik'iid-, Hint 'Jonah was iiot only angry, hul. he was saiu-v too." This 'resident ..f llalciutha and Tapanui is both angry ■.mil snuey. Tn the familiar method of his sort lie abuses mt- for what I have written in reply to the letter of "A Suml'iiy Schol Teacher." which he informs us he has ,uot read! The Hook says. "ITe that ivnswereth a matter hefore h:> heanilh it. it is folly and shame to liini.". It is hardly worth following such a writer further, not even as an exponent of polite letter-writing. A few words may he appropriately added as to the passage from Habakkuk 11., which exposes thai, treachery that would first make a man drunk and then make an exposure of him—which latter was the; sin of I-lain, who "saw the nakedness of his father and told liis two brethren without." evidently to make spoil of him. As this text is s'o frcrnien'tly nvreJsted from its plain and literal meaning by teetotal and pxoliibi'tkfnist advocate's, it may as well be driven in full: "Woe unto him that giveth his neighlifir drink, that puttvst 'thy bottle to him and makest him 'drunken also, that thou ninycst look upon their nakedness. Thou art filled with elianie for glory; drink thou also Mil let thy nakedness (N.V.) be uncovered; the cup of the Lord's right hand 'shall ,be turned unto thee nnd shameful , spewing shall be on thy glory," A ■cutfje

lis hero denounced against wliat is not on iinfaioivii kind of treachery nowaday; but there is nothing in the' passage tiny more than any other in the liiblc which favors the teetotal and prohibitionist teaching, 'but rather the reverse. The Bible denounces drunkenness, but inculcates and blesses the use of wine mid strong drink in moderation, on various occasions, while at the same time it utters the most solemn puniMhmcnt against those who distort it« teachings. "-I am, etc., 11. EX ROTH. TO A REAR-RAXK. .MAN. (liy Perniuision of the Editor.) 0 tliou, i?i fond conceit, supremely wis'>, Whom none need hope in ethics'to adBcfore the inquest of whose piercing ken Problems dissolve that stagger common

men; And in dark Scripture texts who can dkceni What theologians failed before to learn, And to thy plea make their import lo bend; So Satan did, to suit his cunning end; Thy mode of reas'ning but assertive bounce, A ton of words, and of proof scarce an ounce, Who found a plea to gloss what others weoned The drunken fury of a human Bend. (Not even murder's fearful consequence Abates thy zeal in Alcohol's defence.) Hail to thee, sir, wlio with undaunted cheek, Instead of reas'ning baaed on logic, seek To -vilify and .Wantonly abuse

Far better men than e'er stepped in thy shoes. But rumor thee hath surely much maligned, That, conscious of thy latent pow'ra of mind, And aptness thy resistless pleas to.state, Thou dared great ffiitt to a high debate; And—tell not in Oath, thy friends might "well implore— That Tsitt with thee simply wiped the floor. This being so, after such handling rough. Thy epidermis must l>e something tough That, iii face of euch. dressing-down, can deem Thoii'rt lit lo give the law upon that ■theme. 'Twas this that stirred me up with sudden ire, On reaching here from Clutha's sobered shire, To lift the gauntlet of iiiKcnsate rage Hurled by New Plymouth's alcoholic sage. Have done, for shame, with thy splenetic style, And quit the held where you're unfit to toil. Ere bounce like thine a surely found'ring cause Would serve to save, so boon will rotten straws Stayed 'gainst a house with plainly tott'ring look Save, that an earthquake from tlie plumb has shook. —I am, etc., DUGAI7D FERGUSON.