Temperance Reform.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4300, 21 December 1892, Page 3

Temperance Reform.

[to the editor, waibakapa duly TIMES,]

,—1 have not had time till now to attend to the second part of the homily on Temperance and Charity which appears in your issue of Friday last. You seem to realise that you have been far from successful in proving the absurdity and extravagance of my short statement on Prohibition. It seems to have dawned upon you on the contrary, that the statement contains important truth. Having thus failed to find me sinning in what I actually dia Bay, you think it right to read me a mild lecture on the evil things 1 might say, It is possible, you aay, for Mr Woud to injure the cause by expressing " too strong personal feelings." Wo have all the powor of doing good and evil, but what has that to do with your criticism of the wisdom of Temperance Reformers. It is time to piok them up ■ i.lien they have fallen. Iptoagtee with you that a good cause may be damaged by bad advocaoy. A Christian Reformer who comes in contact with the broken-hearted vm and shame-stricken children drink victim, may in the warmth of his sympathy speak unadvisedly with his lips. Many may have erred in this way and thus faults should bo rebuked, It is somewhat unbecoming for newspaper Editors to be so very eager in casting stones at such, It is rare, indeed, for Social Reformers to use the weapons of personal abuse that come so ready to the tonguo and pen of party politicians either on tho platform or in the editorial chair. Take for example as an illustration a case that lies at my hand. In last Thursday's paper you have an article on the new J.P.'s. You ate editor of a Conservative journal and accordingly you may look upon Conservatism as Divine and Liberalism as Diabolic (seme Conservatives show their ignorance of Hebrew by calling their opponents " Sheolists I") But no matter how pure and good and noblea thing your political oreed may'bo, surely you are not justified in taking a list of these J.Rnand writing down in cold blood whara friend tells you about t.boir different character Ono new J.P, you report is the " dirtiest beggar," the next tho" biggest liar," and the third the "greatest fool." If these aro not offensive personalities they sound very like suob, Well, you write these things on the Thursday, and on the following day you lecture Temperance workerson the great evil of imparting personal feehnginto their warfare. 1 sincerely hope they will ponder your precept; and as for your example I still moro sincerely hope they will not follow in your atops. (See Paul's Komana 11., 1), Your apology for Mr Facing-both-ways is quite original. John Bunyaa placed him in tho pillory 200 years ago, Ho has eitico thon been an object of pity and contempt. No morally earnest reader will see him to be the wise hero you represent him to be. And then your treatmont of

. NrStraigliiforward, SinceLordHalogood burnt Faithful in Vanity Fair, * no wflthy spirit has been so badly treatM 1 charitably believe that; your fulsc judgments have 'been caused by mistaken identity—you confuse the two men, Facing-botli-waye, in the physical and moral worlds, is ever the enemy of himself and others. Facing-botlwvaysi the . nnti-probibitionist, wo have all seen in tho world of physical activity. Hiß brain reels, and iD bis perplexity be faces botb ways and many ways and knocks against Mr Straightforward, .and at last has to be taken in charge I And in the region of moral aotivity he is quite as dangerous. He lives in a dark" rcgiou, hia

deeds are evil. The country and the character of Fscing-both-wiiya are not only described by liunyan, but also by Thomas Carlyle in bis" Jesuitism," and by Lowell in bis |/ooms, To know bim is to distrust him; Ins crooked ways mako his income piecarious and eauso much unhitppiness to bia large family. As regard the Editor of the Waiuarai'a Daily Times we took him as liuciiig-one-way—the way that leads to Prohibition, When hp arrives thoro—if ever-I liopo ho will lintfind " my pet OuiionV teachings too strong food, If he does so I hope lie will not rebuke Farrnr too Boverely. It would bo improper for me to teach my grandmother I-I am, etc.,

Kobkm Wood.

Manse, Maslerton, Doc. 19, [We willingly allow the Rev. Gentleman the last word, though we would liavi! wished that his last word had not liren quite so long. We must now in the woids of our friend Oscar "Pull the string."—Ed. W. D.T.I