UNCALLED FOR AND UNCHARITABLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 141, 7 November 1914, Page 3

UNCALLED FOR AND UNCHARITABLE.

Ta the Editor, Sir,—it is regrettable that the manly attitude adopted by the Rev A. H. 001-; ville in connection with the prevention of cruelty to animals should he a peg : used by "certain narrow-minded criticsl on which to hang uncalled for and uncharitable attacks upon that geutle- ! n;an's viewa in connection with the i Prohibition question. Mr G. H. MaunI de: and bis friend who rejoices in the , • pen-name of "Civis," iiav;e combined to attack Mr Col vile for having the confounded impudence to express views dii. icring from their own at the recent i meeting of the Clnvrch of England Synod | held in Auckland under the presidency : or Bishop Averill. 1 This gentleman considers that Mr Coi- ' rile is one who has failed in his duty in I not becoming a red-hot partisan of j the No-luiccnse League, and for the rea- ! son that no deprecated in Synod the : introduction of a motion favouring Pioliibition, of a distinctly provocative character. The rev. gentleman submitted that the present time was obviously one during which it ww, to say the least of it, unwise to bring highly contentious and debatable sublets into the arena of public discussion and argument. Now I wish to sliow, in mere fairness to Mr Colvile, that which Mr "Maunder must have himself known,namely that the j view taken by Mr Colvile at .Auckland war, the view taken by far the greater ; nrmber of clergymen at the Rynod. As % matter of fact, the motion that Mr Colvile opposed and for which action 1 he is now being persecuted, was lost by SI votes to 37, and further, sir, the. j remarks of Canon Wilson, the Rev. W. - C. Wood, the Tlev. V. A. TisdaU, the j Rev. W. H. Wilson and others, wbo spoke in terms h'ghly uncomplimentary of the Prohibition and No-li<v.nsr> movements. and the results thereof, were sedulously suppressed by your correspondents. If the Rev. A. 11. (.Wvila sinned he at least did so in excellent company, and, I imagine, finds the support and respect accorded by his fellowclergymen a sufficient) compensation | 'Y.v all the ill-considered criticisms of Messrs Maunder and "Civis." The j and cons. of prohibition do nut I concern me m the present dence. Ido not propose to discuss them ! here, my purpose being merely, and.' perhaps 'unnecessarily, to show the j childishly stupid nature of the attacks on the Rev. Colvile. Mr Maunder a!- i most, reproaches the rev. gentleman for I intruding the question of cruelty to j animals upon the public notice, but, as j tht subject of his attack pointed out in his reply to Mr Maunder, there can- I nut "o-iblv be anv question, or arpu- j tentative matter raised over such a ques-1 !

t'on <i« tbnt-. wliewt* it is coummn I ; ki ow'edge that the No-lic?nße question j ■ is the most .provocative, one that is Dos- j 1 sibln to put before the public, and it j : invariably engenders ill-feeling and bad ! blood. Surely the distinction in thin ' respect is clear enough Both for Mr 1 Maunder and Uivis to appreciate. By 1 the bav, "Civis' " mental processes seem | * to be somewhat befogged, or : tff.all 1 say. congealed. In his final, and 1 inevitable, Scriptural flourish he in- . ' ti educes a highly original and diverting . ! course, betrays the usual of clear : ' pi rception and thinlfng common to his type. I rcallv suppose that, as evident- 1 * !y tbc greatest minds and thinkers of 11 tin century have not succeeded in con- ( Tineing "Civis" upon the point, it is ' 1 useless for me to indicate the vast dif- 1 ference between those things tliafc are , inherently, and per se a violation of . 1 right and a reproach to conscience, ( and those whose abuse, only, constitute - " such a state, and whose rational use. J is a comfort and a benefit'to many and , • an injustice to none. Speaking of the ! Ter Commandments, by the way, I -find . that, owing to some inexplicable oversight, the Almighty has made absolutely 1 no prohibition whatever regarding the ' use of alcohol c beverages, and as for cold water, there is not a word. I ' t onld suggest that "Civis" should have ' f this obvious blunder rectified at once. * I am etc.. i 1 snvvs ?. BLODCPBTT, « Stratford, November 5.