THE CHURCHES AND PROHIBITION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10487, 25 November 1911, Page 5

THE CHURCHES AND PROHIBITION.

(ADVERTISEMENT.)

SYDNEY "BULLETIN" ON THE 'POLITICAL PARSON. The parson ibias the same rigihit to /take a hand ini politics a& any other citizen, but a feeling begins to arise (that, when. lie takes to polities, ho might to play the game at leait as decently as an ordinary Pagan would ,do. Ajid the miMtantt parson in poKtics seHdo-m does pliay the- game. He ihas a reputation for wild) iniaocuracy it hat- stinks, din the ihalte of hieaven.. iHe bias a name for un scrupulousness .that is over the odlds. Anyone who wads ffcfoe papers regulhrly can make out a list oi reverend gentlemen, wflio have 1)eoome conspicuous" throughout Australia. They preach political'Sftttciohs', deliver .political lectures anti addresses, and .shine wsth a- great radiance at political deputations. ■They taokJe all' manlier of subjects, inolWmg football and social-purity; and thiey jbristfe with sttatements .TOhdah can't bear inspection, and) •vfli/th statistics' wMch Ihey have apparently manufactured themselves. They are great bints arud innuentffoes aind veiled slanders, and none, save the most- pemsi&ten.t opponent oan pim them down to a definite statement, if the definite statement j begins ,to look dangerous. Wfcen they are bowled out iln. a faring untruth, or, a dozem gjliaring untruths, they | show no sudh signs of shame as .'a rtommencjal traveler or sihanebroker mrigjit do, nor do they usually apologise, though that is an act wliich the deokJiand. of a fenry steamer i& capable. of sihouKd he discover that he) Jiiis done someone an injury. The bowled! ou/t political preaciher, as a rule, just retires wrjth dignity in» a' clbud of indefinite sancititty, and turin® up at the next (opportunity wtith a new ©et of aflJegafbions as necklet as thie. previous lot. His unreliability ' ils amazing, and his disregard for all iideas of ifaiir pilay lis the limit. On 'tOics'o matters. it seems to ibe no use lapfpealing to has better self, iflor apapparentlty he hias none. So the idea <gaiws ground among lawyers and Jothier cynics that there are two pei> .sons w!ho are not to be taken* seriously—a hysterical woman and a sen_ •sational reverend. In this matter itihe R.C. Church has an> advantage; ;Jtis./discipline is good, and wMte the main at the tbp miay >make a wild ex'll:ibaticn or ass of himself if be feels so inclined, the nest .of the clergy (are required, as a rule, to stick to pOEain busines'S. But in the multitude iof Protestant Churches almost any ■man may ibe a (public Show or (Chamber of Horrors., if he 'feel® so- disposed. Thiui& the political parson, has become*'an institution, and a very bad one at that; for it us only necessary /to look up a few books bf reference to find Juow s!hamefii%r, in most cases, the facts have been mandpul- , ated. A lingering respect Por his. J cloth" prevent people from very , openly calling him a liar, a coward, and a slanderer; buit Tie does unutterable damage rto jtlie Ouuroh ail the same. If, wlhen tOiis l start of ihofy <charaoter was proved to have backed up diis *oause with gpross mis-state-ments, and (propped ,it with false evidence of bogus statistics, his Clhurdh east him oult, then th;a woulid net a fin public respect. As fit never dtoes iso, a great part of the community reckon® that the jGrarch i& all alike, and keeps away fepm the place of worship. It fwan.t s to ,be fairly cl<ean, and) it reckons' that the place of worship is not near" ly so clean as it might be. (