CHURCH AND NO-LICENSE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 198, 19 August 1908, Page 8

CHURCH AND NO-LICENSE.

WHAT WE ARE COMING TO. fTo the Editor.) Sir, —In your issue of 6th inst. there is a notice of a discussion of the Church's relation to No-license, in connection with the Parneli Presbyterian Church annual meeting. I was pleased to see that there were ten doughty men who refused to allow their church to be dragged in the mire by No-license faddists. The minister of Parneli has had one eye opened. I would advise him to " wink the other eye." What authority has the Ministers' Association, composed of Wesleyans, Congregationalists, et hoc genus omne, plus a sprinkling of Presbyterian ministers, to issue " requests " to Presbyterian congregations to declare themselves (as Churches) on the side of this political fad? These congregations are under the supervision of their own courts, and even they dare not make No-license a condition of membership for minister or for people. Pietistic Puritanism did enough harm to our Presbyterian Church in her early days. Some of us would rather see less than more of its sinister influence in our Church polity. This influence may be seen at work in the actions of the Temperance Committee of the Presbyterian Church, which is practically a Nolicense agency. Queries regarding the advocacy of temperance as part of the pastoral work of a minister we allow to be legitimate, but temperance interpreted as teetotalism and No-license is another thing. St. Paul advocated " temperance in all things," but he also advocated) the use of a stimulant as a right and proper Christian practice. Perhaps Paul was beside himself when he gave such salutary advice! Perhaps, too, Jesus v.-as " beside himself" when he supplied the guests at Cana with the best of wine! Some No-license faddists think so, and say so. I know of one such in Coromandel, who declared that " it was a pity Jesus turned the water into wine." Sic! It reminds mc of a case in Scotland, where a similar blasphemous statement was made by a bigoted Sabbatarian. On being faced with the difficulty that Jesus Himself broke the Sabbath, according to certain authorities, he replied, " Yes, and I never thought any the more of Him for doing so." Here is a specimen of what we are coming to. Ministers ard elders in No-license districts are asked to answer the following query: " Do you know of any cases in which families keep and drink liquor in the house, who used not to do so undter license?-" To what base uses will faddists descend! The minister and his kirk session arc to be promoted to the rank of detectives in order to find out if the parishioners " hae a wee drappie in the hoose." Don't you see the awful temptation with which we are to be beset? How are poor fallible men to resist the smell of good " John Barleycorn." when the decent guidman o' the hoose brings out his jorum, and assures us that he keeps it (like Timothy) for his often " infirmities," and slyly suggests " that we will be the better o' a wee taste oorselvcs"? Or if we delegate the duty to the beadle, who, like his Scottish confrere of ancient story, "may be more ' poplar' in the parish than oorselvcs," may it not happen as in honest John's case, that he may take to road surveying of a latitudinarian kind, and 6o come under the ban of the " Temperance Committee." I live in a kind of No-license district here, but I'd rather not enrol as a detective in the meantime. Perhaps some of the No-license agents at present doing the rounds might undertake the sampling. One of them lately attempted to inspect the contents of a bottle marked " XXX Ale," but, " monstruum horrendum," it was " Hop Ale," and he spat it out! —I am, etc, WM. THOMPSON. B.D. The Manse, Waipu, August 13, 1908.