LIBERTY AND EQUALITY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 34, 23 January 1912, Page 6

LIBERTY AND EQUALITY.

(Contributed.)

Many y ears ago, when the revolut:'..iai,. n-ania first began to affect the heads of the operatives in the lerge nianufavtiiring towns <f Great Biitain and when it was seriously proposed amongst them to overturn .ill existing institutions, and • establish libei ty and equality or. th? French model. tl.e Rev. Mr. Sheriff, of Kirkaldy. was waited upon by some of tiie members of his congregation, who wished to know bis opinion on the subject. Mr. Sheriff, pretending to lie taker urawaros. told them lie could not answer them cT-hand that clay, bat lie would take the matter into serious consideration, and. on the Sabbath f' Bowing, would give them hi: sentiments publicly from + he pulpit. It was immediately ‘..-...id about that Mr. S. was to preach on libertyaril equality, anil a great multitude accordir.glv flocked to his meeting house. On the congregation assembling, Mr. S. went on with the usual services, without making any allusion tn the matter, until at. the close be expressed himself somewhat as follows:--”?*!;, fiier.ds, I had c rail from 'onie of you the other day. wanting to know my opinion about liberty and equality, when I told von if you would come h?ie today [ would let you know it. Now, since ’.h:it time, I lave t.avellrd in 11. e spirit all over the world, and I sl:a‘l just tell yo.i what I have seen in n.y travels. I have travelled over the ?arth —its frozen arc! burning zones, nountair.s and valk-ys, moist places and dt.v, fertile lands and deserts—mil I have found grown men and ehiklren, big and little, strong and -ver.k. wise and ignorant, good and bad, powerful and helpless, rich and mor- no equality there. I have travelled through the sea —its deeps and shoals, rocks and sandbanks, whirlpools and eddies—and I have ‘ound monsters .and worms, whales *nd herrings, sharks and shrimps, mackerels and sprat s, the strong d * ■curing the weak. a>*.d tLc big swal lowing th? little —no equality there. I have ascended t<» llraie i with its rreater and lesser lights, its plan t* ■mil comets, sims and sat.■Hite*;, arc 1 have found tl rmrm ami dominions irincipalit-ics and powers, angels and .•■;■hangels. cb- r ibim and S'*ropht ! > -no equality there. I have descend’d to hf’ll :*“d there I have found .Jcelzebttb. the prince cf the devils irct his grim counsellors, Mcloch and delial tyrannising over the ether devils, and all of them ov?r wicked nen’s souls—no equality there. This = s what I have found in my travels, ind I think I have t’aveiled fa**nough ; but if any of you are not satisfied with what T have told you and wish to go in search of liberty *nd equalit y yc-.’.rseb. cs. you ma; r ".d them if y.iu travel somewhere 'hat I have not visited. You need ot travel the same road that 1 bavlone. T can tell you positively you will n<*ver find them c,:* the earth, neither in the sea. nr? in heaven, neither in hell. If you can think <■! anywhere else you can try. Mca-i while, I have given you all the in formation T can. It rests with yo“ to make a proper use of it.