THE SUNDOWNER AND LADY TEMPLAR.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 78, 17 April 1877, Page 3

THE SUNDOWNER AND LADY TEMPLAR.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE AKAROA MAIL,

Sir, —Your friend, the Sundowner, is often very happy in his bits, and generally also good natured. In liis attack on a lady templar, however, be was neither very happy nor particularly good natured. He accused said lady of "inflated hypocrisy," because she laid certain charges against certain moderate drinkers, and expressed her sympathy with a certain class of Good Templars. If you will allow one whoisnot aG-ood Templar, but who heartily wishes them God speed in their philantbrophic endeavours, to give his estimate of said lady's essay, he would say, that in point of thought, good sense, and downright truth, it does her much credit. On reading it, I said to myself—there now—that hits the nail on the head ! That there are, thank God, not a few who, by Good Templarism, have been rescued from the awful vice of drunkenness, is not to be doubted. That there are others who delight to tempt such and lure them to break their pledge is also too well known. Some of these are interested in the gain, othere in the poor triumph over weakness, got thereby ; others still are thoughtless, and indulge only in good natured banter ; but all of them are seriously to blame. To be overcome b) r temptation is too common a failing for anyone to trifle with temptation; but to deliberately tempt these rescued from evil, to go back again to it, savours very strongly of the character of the devil. With my whole heart then, I thank Jady templar for pointing the finger of reprobation to a common and wicked practices of certain moderate and immoderate drinkers.—Yours, &c, FAIR PLAY.

TO THE EDITOB OF THE AKAROA MAIL. Sib,—'Notwithstanding what has already appeared in your valuable paper about closing , the short road to Duvauchellsßay, the application to buy the said road is still persisted in with characteristic pertinacity the would-be buyer, and seemingly on the part of one or two of our Road Board members, who appear not a little anxious to assist in having the job, a fait accompli. In face of the great injustice, not only to myself and neighbours, but to the travelling public as well, whom we may suppose are always glad to take a short cut, I would urge that it is a most useful road forchildren, going and coming from school. Very recently there were three families attending Robinson's Bay school from Du~ vauchelle's Bay, and now I can name children who come from Robinson's Bay to Duvauchelle's Bay to school. It is not ! long since one of the family of one of our Road Board members used the road, all the time she was receiving tuition at an establishment near my place. I point out these instances as facts, which can be proved, and to show what has occurred once, may occur again, and in point of numbers, as population increases, the demand for such a road will be much greater. Now, in case of question to this statement, I might say that some of the children crossed Mr. Piper's ground, and then across my own little bit; but suppose gorse fences were grown up, children would then be obliged to keep the road, and certainly they would take the shortest road. I have seen a dozen people, Sunday after Sunday,

from Robinson's Bay to Head of the Bay church, when Mr. Stewart preached there, without non-church goers. Now, I have children myself, and I propose sending one at least to school when the winter is over. In dry seasons I bave had to take my cows down twice a-day to water, wliich they obtained at the foot of the hill, but which is now cut oif by croachment; as lam fenced out from the drinking place by his fence which he has placed on the public road, and taken a public right from me, and that without any lawful or legal right thereto, but which Avill meet with further enquiry. As there is a strong' odour of the Piako Bwamp business about it, private individuals think it a very easy matter to sell public property, and I might suggest that a little more caution on part of parties concerned, might be beneficial to themselves. Now, I thought, when I made my home here, I would share the public advantages, but I find it vice versa, \ my road is to be taken

from me at my very threshold, putting , me to great disadvantages ; depreciating my property to enhance that of my neighbour. Truth and justice is a most excellent motto, but it seems lost sight of in this matter. Let us suppose the money obtained for the price of this road, where could it be laid out to so great an advantage as the one we possess in the present instance. Furthermore, it is very different from diverting a road for the benefit of the public, but it is a sale for ever, entirely to benefit private interests, setting at nought public welfare.—Yours, &c. THOMAS MARTINDALE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE AKAROA MAIL. Sm, —I can hardly let the Sundowner's last effusion go by without remark. His articles lately bave savoured so much of coarseness that 1 am surprised you give them insertion. I would ask the Sundowner to take the advice of a younger man, whose head is not muddled with Hooper's XXX, or any other potation which the swagging member so often raves about, viz. ; for the future not to show off his talent by unfair criticism and ridicule of a lady's production, and also to leave ladies' names entirely uumentioned, it being an exhibition of ill-breeding not short of blackguardism ; and further, it must be a very narrow mind that can find nothing else to write about. What he was pleased to say about myself was well enough, but I certainly object to the other. By inserting thisyoinvill oblige.—lam, &c - , F. ROBERTSHAW.