THE REV L.M. ISITT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4713, 8 May 1894, Page 3

THE REV L.M. ISITT.

What the lI,Z, Methodist says Abput Him. Some lifteou years ago there wo,a a young Homo Missionary on the Tuapeka goldfields, He had no need of a razor, except in a prophetic way, so that his phiz could be studied to advantage. Looking at him nose on his mouth was his remarkable feature, Like Aaron's rod, it seamed capable of swallowing all the rest, It has not done so, howover. Tho fame it has achieved is owing to what comes out of it, and to what doos not go into it, But that is anticipating. When the corners of that mouth wero turned up as they mostly wore, there was a contagious uplifting of tho corners of other people's mouths also, Yon said to yourself, " He has missed his calling, He is

A SON OF LAUGHTER, a born exponent Qf tho comic muso," This impression did not wear off upon a slight acquaintance, or upon hearing of some of his pranks. On tho contrary, you began to say, " He is a practical joker, and is altogether built on the lines of a good-natured larrikin."

Bat the moulh had other phases. There, for example, was the horizon, tal, in which the corners, like the noble Duko of York and his ten thousand mon, were neither up nor down. In this position of rest, there was a suggestion of seriousness and thought that was, perhaps, sufficiently unexpected to pass unnoticed,. But here again, some acquamtanoo with his inner life helped on tho interpretation of tlii' phiz, After all, it began to seem probable to jou that, on these wingjof mirth, some ponderable body of THOUGHT AND PURPOSE might be destined to fly, Tlien, there was a third phase, in which the earners of tho mouth wtmt down, The first superficial impress ■ion produoed on you by this phenomenon was ono of alarm, lest, for lack of visible support, the good square chin should drop off, But' when your thoughts rallied again to tho task of interpretation, you saw before you, not tho picture of despondency, but the EMBODIMENT OF RESOLUtION, His prolilo is augyoetivo of a kenn faculty for observation, of dogged courage, and of abundant driving

power. These, together with the three phases of the mouth, aro the interpretation of the man, - But, to return to the beardless Home Missionary. He gloried in not boing a fanatic -especially on temperance questions. In those days, Dr. Ro3eby, now in Ballara', was a tenjperanco leader in Dunodin. Of him, our youth was once heard to remark, "He's a oapital fellow, if it were not for that SOFT FLAOE IN HIE HEAD on the Tomperanco question." Now it happened that a poor fellow who was selling soul and body for drink in the shanties of the almost deserted diggings excited his pity. The mouth rested in the horizontal phase and slowly sank into the in verted phase, Yes, ho would devote

himself to the rescue of this man! It was a tough job, but at last he won his spurs, The man became a teetotaller, and our young friend perhaps hallooed before ho was out of the wood, TEN STARVED SHANTIES on that deserted field had a vested interest in that man, Ten unscruloub Blianty-keepera set to work to thwart the ono missionary, and pull parson, pull publican. The victim was hunted with devilish eralt.and was at length caught with lemonade, dashed with brandy. In the end, he drank himself to death. The funeral party Mi drunk, and

Battled bis bones Over the stones; He's only a drunkard That nobody owns. The grave-digger was drunk, and left Lis task unfinished, The publicans were there to mourn his loss. The missionary was there to bury the dead and to learn a lesson, Near his feet, as he read the service, lay A HklT EMPTY WHISKY BOTTLE, and round him swayed the unstoady mowd. When the service was over, the mouth was distinctly turned down, Ho looked upon those publicans, and scorn was in his eye, Ho chargod them there, over the open grave, with the death of this man. It was the birth-cry of a fanaticism that would yet mako Roseby's seem t mio, Liko men of spirit, the publicans resented this reflection upon their honourable trade, and the preacher narrowly escaped immersion at their unholy hands.

In 1890 he started a little paper called THE " PROHIBITIONIST." Its aims were at first modest, but il rapidly increased in circulation, doubled in size, trebled in vigour, and at the present time has a circulation of about 25,000, and is ono of the most Blushing and effective fighting organs on the planet. It is only right to add that the "Prohibitionist" owes a groat deal • of its vigour and popularity to the Key, Frank W. Isitt, the elder brother of the subject of this sketch. Ho now practically edits and conducts the paper. About a year ago, our hero, with the consont of his Conference, gave himself wholly to the

"NO license" ORUSADS, and since then be lias wandered to and fro in tho earth, and gone up and down in it. To say that ho has been popular is to "damn with faint praise." His career lias been a triumphal procession. His audiences have only been limited by the sizo of the largest halls, The people liavo laughed till their mid-riffs orackod, and yet have gone liorne with most eeiious and profound convictions in favour of the speaker's cause. Many Temperance advocates have visited us from othor lands, and have done yeoman's service. But none of them has raised enthusiasm and driven home conviction like our own man.