INEXCUSABLE INSOLENCE.

NZ Truth, Issue 57, 21 July 1906, Page 6

INEXCUSABLE INSOLENCE.

Pestilent Parsonic Insult.

"May, we . breathe ? ! " It reallyt seems, judging by the methods oi some of our good shepherds, that this query will be necessary,, ere long:. The white-chokered, black-coated brigade have things very much their own way m "God's Own Country "; but when, m .their frenzied anxiety, to .lead us m the way, we should go cording to their views), they become insolently, insulting, it is time to remonstrate. Appears, that a couple of weeks back a city football team went to Porirua. to play the locals. The match over, they made their way to the station and took train back . to town. The train was fairly crowded, and two members of the team found themselves m a second-class carriage, where it happened that the only vacant seats were one on each. sWe of two young ladies. The footballers sat themselves down accordingly. They hadn't been there more than a few moments, however, 1 before a blackcoated individual, who was sitting some distance along the carriage, arose from his seat and wended his way towards them. The murky vision turned out to be the Rev. Fairclough and, leaning over the first footballer, he breathed a . few sentences into the athlete's lug. His message was to, the effect that if the man himself or his friend dared to address the young ladies next them, he, Fairclough, would have them removed from the carriage. What possessed Faircloup'h to suppose they wanted to engage the females m conversation, Heaven only knows. Both the footballers are "entlemen and both hold good positions; there is nothing of the -hoodlum element about them. They say that they made no effort to force their attentions upon their fellow-passengers. Yet frothy, Fairclough took ft upon 'himself to offer them a gratuitous, insult. But they scored, for before they parted company with his ' 'rlverlnce' ' they demanded arid obtained an apology from him. One would almost be led to suppose that when tne Rev. Fairclough was young and played football ; (if he evef did, which we very much doubt, for roothalFs a I manly game), it was the custom to address strange ladies when proceeding to or returning from the playine; field. .