COLONIAL IMMORALITY.

Evening Star, Issue 7449, 18 February 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

COLONIAL IMMORALITY.

The Rev. John Dickson, of Temuka, having been brought to task for having written to a Home paper against young men being advised to emigrate, has forwarded this reply to the ‘ Press’:—“ The statements made by me have since been fully verified. Who shall say that horse-racing, gambling, intemperance, Sabbath desecration, reckless borrowing on the part of the State and on the part of the individual, reckless filing, infidelity, e.'t'avagances in religion, want of Bible-teaciung in public schools, and such like, referred to by me are not prevalent I said plainly that I was giving the dark side. Here are the opening sentences of the letter which has excited the righteous indignation of Mr Cairns —‘Let mo say at the outset, to prevent mistakes, that there are as good people here as at Home, and that in very many pulpits the gospel is as faithfully preached. Our letter, however, chielly concerns the dark side of the picture, and hero there is much to deplore.’ Does this not render unmeaning the letter of our would be critic. I admitted then, and I admit now, after longer residence in it, that Canterbuy presents a brighter side, but if even Canterbury and its people be so good, liberal, and so forth, as Mr Cairns wishes us to believe, why, pray, did he turn his back upon it and would have others to follow his example. Perhaps he thinks New Zealand has reached sucli a state of perfection as no longer to require his services. He forgot to mention, when referring to the liberality of his old congregation here, how large a proportion of the ministerial income for the year was contributed by himself, ami the condition in which Ids successor is now placed as compared with former years, The truth is that even in New Zealand times are so depressed that congregations find it difficult to keep up stipend over the church, We gave no interpretation as to the meaning of ‘ the Wellington Imps,’ He is altogether wrong in his, if what a member of the .Society himself says be true, that it means the Wellington Improvement Society. It is questionable whether a society that meets on Sabbath evening for drinking, _singing_ of profane songs, and such like, is any improvement to the Imperial city, the judgment of the Rev. Mr Cairns, of Ballarat, notwithstanding. Oar letter was sent Home, not with intent to injure the Colony, but as a matter of news. None o us need be ashamed of the truth. I fancy it would be a positive gain to this country if well-intentioned fathers ami mothers were mevented sending out from the Old Country just now reckless and penniless youths to New Zealand as a suitable field for mending their ways.”