Mrs. T. E. Taylor Addresses Public feeling

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 262, 9 November 1934, Page 2

Mrs. T. E. Taylor Addresses Public feeling

A public meeting, addressed by Mrs T. E. Taylor, Dominion president of the Women's Christian' Temperance Union, ■was held in the Baptist Church on Tuesday evening, Kev. A. A. Scolter being in the chair. After the singing of a hymn, and prayer by Mr Scotter, the latter introduced the speaker to the audience, saying, inter alia, that the name and fame of her late husband had rung throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion.

On rising, to speak Mrs Taylor was presented with a sheaf of dowers by Miss V. Willson, for which she expressed her thanks. She then went on to say that it gave her pleasure to meet people in that way and to give some plain facts about that lawless, law-breaking, body-and-soul blighting force —the liquor traffic. She felt that members of the Christian Church had become pessimistic about it, even faithless, and she would like to give some words of uplift and encouragement to those who saw evil rampant yet felt helpless. Christ had said: “I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly," and it was the duty of every Christian man and woman to give the youth and unborn children of this land the. opportunity of having that abundant life which was their heritage. To that end they must keep burning ‘the bright flame of faith, l’rofessor John McMurray, lecturer of King’s College, Loudon University, had said that mankind was losing the spring of human life, which was faith, and when that was gone they were bound to fall back on the negative side of life, which was fear —fear of differing from others, fear of one another, tear of making mistakes, fear of the future. Those who believed in prohibition should have a higher, better, brighter faith in Christ and His purpose, which was that there should be life and more abundant life. The two greatest hindrances to that abundant life were drink and immorality, which were breaking the bodies and scorching the souls of our young people and leading them away from the paths along which they had been brought up. By drinking cocktails, potential mothers were doing what could undermine and poison the brains and bodies of unborn children. Alcohol was a race-poison. It had the power to deaden or poison the protoplasm, or beginning of life, of the unborn child. The cell could be so poisoned and the nervous system or brain so injured that the child could not bo saved from insanity. In the Children’s Courts in Christchurch, Saturday after Saturday, she had seen how feeble-minded mothers had been taken advantage* of. Their children had no chance in life, were neglected and uncared for. As they looked into the family history of these cases, it was found in almost every instance that tho casue of the feeble mentality was alcohol, taken by the parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. She had visited Templeton, in Christchurch, where villa after villa had been built and filled with children who could not be educated, whose lives were utterly useless, full of unhappiness and suffering. Besides those in these homes there were hundreds rnoro outside them who were not up to normal intelligence. Officers in the Child Welfare Department, social workers, or the Salvation Army would testify as to the truth of her statement. What did it matter what America ha*d done? Their responsibility was New Zealand, and the child-life of the country. The causes of low mentality in children, the causes of their suffering and misery, should bo removed, and these were drink, immorality, and impurity. The speaker urged her hearers to keep bright and •burning their faith in the right of voting out the greatest evil—the liquor traffic.

Mrs Taylor went cm to say that it: the women of the churches could see the children in the Children’s Courts as she saw them week by week, they ■would all stand together for prohibition. The women of New' Zealand, with a few great-hearted men, could abolish the liquor traffic from tho country. This foe was cruel and relentless, but if women would stand toirethor they could stop it from, taking

possession of the glorious youth of this land. At tho conclusion of her speech, Air T. 11. Hoddcr expressed thanks to Airs Taylor for her interesting, instructive, and informative address. Others had become discouraged: not so Airs Taylor. Her enthusiasm aud 'zeal for the great cause were as strong as ever. The great reform would come in time. He hoped it would come soon. Aliss Moore, president of the local branch of the W.C.T.TJ., also expressed thanks and appreciation, saying that instead of spending a life of ease Airs Taylor was spending her days in trying to rid her country of a dreadful traffic. A vocal duet contributed by Alesdames Niven and Findlay, accompanied by Airs Barlow, was much appreciated. The meeting closed with the singing of the Doxologv.