"A WORD ON PROHIBITION."

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XVII, Issue 7150, 9 April 1919, Page 3

"A WORD ON PROHIBITION."

(To the Editor).

Sir, -~-\ out' esteemed correspondent, writing under the above heading, points out that there exists .a very large class of' persons who are true followers of temperance, in the sense of being strictly moderate drinkers "• also, he states liis inability to identify himself \vith prohibition on the grounds that prohibitionists condemn the moderate drinker and are against all who will not advocate total abstinence. He then demands :

1. —"By what l;i\v. lmuum or divine, shall we blame them, m- say they cannot be good Christians:"

To that question 1 desire in all courtesy to submit the following reply : There is no IiU.MAX law. until after July 1, to condemn the anti-prohibitionist, but he stands condemned on the j>jvink law of leve upon which St. Paul acted when he stated : " If meat makes my brother to of Lend 1 shall eat no more meat while the world standetb.; Drastic perhaps, but every

'"good Christian ' would net iu that spirit whether it regards meat or alcohol.

2. —Your correspondent also asks : " Where, when, am! by whom, are we forbidden the moderate use of what the vine produces ': '' To that question 1 reply : "' What the vine produces, i.e.. the cii.U'E —is all right —and no one-forbids its use, but regarding fermentc I wine there is another DivhXE Command to the effect that we are not even to LOOK at it."—(Prov. 23, 31.)

3.—.Your correspondent suggests that " an appeal to the people to re sist an overmastering appetite :> would be a more satisfactory method.

Unfortunately that simple method entirely fails to remedy the evil, for the simple reason that such appetite IS, as he says, OVEJi.Mastkrim:. It is just because of what we know about this tyrant appetite, and because all drunkards were at _one time moderate drinkers, truly temperate, etc-, that we now feet compelled to act in the drastic spirit of St. Paul, as quoted.

-1. —We deny the truth of the quotation of your correspondent : "The golden mean is God s delight,' etc. Rather we would say >k Th« golden RULE is Godls delight, i.e.. " Love thy Neighbour as Thyself! : On this rule the issue is clear and distinct to our Christian conscience.

" CO-XTJNUAxcE " means a host of men, women and children will RrDJAjx victims to the "overmastering appetite'" and its train of evils. 'Prohibition" means those evilri will receive their death blow. Under these circumstances and looking at the matter from that standpoint, surely every good Christian would agree with another Catholic, Bishop Cleary, where he says :

" Such total abstinence is an. act of religion."

Thanking you in anticipation and space.

I am, Sii1, Yours for Prohibition. EDWARD R. WESTOX. Tauranga, April 0, 1919,.