The Press. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1802.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 8095, 11 February 1892, Page 4

The Press. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1802.

The bright light of science is at last dispelling the mists of illusion that have for so many years enveloped questions political, social, and religious. No dogma or tenet can hope to hold its own in these days, unless it be upheld by the teachiugs of common sense, or supported by irrefragible proof. Of the many social problems that have exercised the minds of thinking, , men and women, there is not one that has given rise to more bitter controversy than the drink question, and it is from this Very controversial spirit that we must look for the eventual elucidation of that and every other moot point. We find! the advocates of total abstinence declaring that the ultimate success and morality of the world depend upon the strict avoidance of alcoholic stimulants, and that even moderate indulgence in the fermented liquor of grapes or barley is but a stepping stone to that unbridled license; that finds its logical sequence in the gaol and the lunatic asylum. This theoiy, whioh has found advocates alike in the pulpit and temperance rostrum, hoa been preached even in our halls and theatres—aye, from the very housetops, until by diut iOf constant- repetition it has been accepted as a fact by tens of thousands who have not thought the question oiit for themselves. There is.no doubt that the excessive indulgence of the drunken squire and of the stupid hind who . enVulated his 'so-called betters were the immediate cause of the revulsion of feeding that led to the great temperance crusade; and ft must be admitted that in sweeping away a fashion, that transformed men into something worse -than beasts, the world feae been a gainer by tti? movement. But although gluttony, intemperance, or auy other exoess, must be deprecated by every right thinking member of toe community, at the same lime we think that a little consideration'will show that the ultimate remedy is not total abstinenoe from any particular food or drink, or from any other reasonable indulgence. ' Man's best motto is " Use, and not abuse," and man's intellectual development has now arrived at a stage that enables him Jo survey ibis surroundings, and to perceive thab a pleasant voyage need not necessarily end in shipwreokV Iv*e hold that the individual who takes, full advantage of the good things that are placed upon this earth for his enjoyment, and who knows fhow to ,ueo them with that moderation 1 that ensures pleasure without ill effect is the individual who

lives a moral, sensible, and godly life. Iα support of the argument that temperance, in the sense of moderate drinking, is preferable to excess either in abstinence or indulgence, we call attention to, the opinions expressed by the late Sir Morell-Mackenziiii aud. scores of other eminent* medical practitioners who have written upon the subject). These men have one and all expressed their belief in the advantage to be obtained by the moderate use of stimulants.

The statistioa of the Life Insurance Coropaoios, including our owu Government department, does not lead to the conclusion that lifo is wolouged by total abstinence. This being tbe case it behoves every person to exercise extreme caution before pledging him. self or herself to a course that may shorten the natural period of life. Our days are none too long upon this earths and any voluntary action that may 1 tend to shorten them must be looked upon as nothing less than a crime*

Our telegrams from Taupo this week convey news of an alarming character -r-thaC Ngauruhoe buret into eruption oh Sunday morning in a manner "similar to the Tarawera eruption." If, as the telegrams assert, ashes were falling at Tappo, the eruption mdet indeed be of a serious character; for the mountain is at: least good ten miles at the crow flies from the "southern., sUore. of the lake, and thence to Taupo is another twentyfire miles. That Ngauruhoo should show this activity will be no surprise to anyone who has visited or ascended the mountain,■• for there ara innumerable evidences of activity at all times/ But to the general public who depend on the geography books for their knowledge of the locality, a few facts about it may not be uninteresting, 'Tongariro is a abort, range of mountains lying between Ruapehu- and Lake Taupo, > and * culminating in the extinct crater of the same name. From a saddle in the range, about 6000/t high, rises the volcanic cinder cone properly named Ngauruhoe, though not distinguished by Dame in the geography books from the range Tongariro. This cone, rising *$*h£igteof 73*0 ft above eea level, 15 "by aotentiate as "we ;

! moefc perfect Toloanio world." The crater is "\ aotive, emitting clouds o! eteaiu f J '' fissures and steam holes m its intetS? On January 3rd of this year wW party ascendad it the obiter eeemt* * unusually active from the dense clou,\? of steam rising from it. Ibis 1 '**•-• ever, may have been duo to tw<T f three days heavy rain which , S ceded that date. But a Wk later when another party attempted tU ascent they reported that flame * J emoke ieeued from the crater 'iv disturbance has now evidently 0 '? minated in an eruption. Round tb base of Tonganro too are signs of volcanio activity, nw »? great "blowhole." Keketahi, cLt of steam mue, while from its fathom less depths come thundor-like noise Should the opinion of tho local eu i? prove correct, that "N K aun2 will be blown to pieces," &, in addition to the Io S3 to the scieuS and to the tourist, must rcßu j t f terrible disaster to tito Native • h ab the base of tho range are eetetJ settlements, the nearest to tho mo«a tain boing Otukau and Papakai, m \, containing from 150 to 200 habitants. Tokaarui, too, wi]fp w hto be involved in tho common fU j n The name of tho place, TokaaruU "shivering rock"~ia an ill-omened one, in view of a volcia* eruption of suuh magnitude occurrio«. within ton miles of it. The aettlel nient stands on a thin ailicious cruat and has somo 500 springs near it au<i the whole vicinity looks mo3t treacher* ous; though for move than twenty years a Bmall population of whites'and JNatives have lived there in pence exploited the tourist with come profit The lasteruptionof Ngauruhoeoccurred in 1869, at the close of the Te Kcotj wars, and traces of this are still to bs seen in the blacked, charred bed of lava on the northern face of the coae and in the valley of the Mangatipopo! Curiously enough, Hochstettbr after his visit in '59, remarked that cone looked as though an eruption might be expected, aud a few yean later it took place. The crater too, according to surveyors who have accomplished the difficult task of the ascent, has from time to time con. aiderably changed its shape aud appearance. The news of the erup. tion, therefore, is not so surprising, We can only hope that it may not be as serious as the telegrams would lead Us to infer, aud that it may not bring ruin and death to the brave and thrifty Maoris who have for bo many years lived at its foot iv fancied security, and wrung a soaaty aub» bistonce from the unwilling soil.