Truth. THE PRAGMATICAL PRATT.

NZ Truth, Issue 68, 6 October 1906, Page 4

Truth.

THE PRAGMATICAL PRATT.

*Publishe£ •_} - vs'i l £ , 'S^Ttil^-y morking at Luke's Lane (off M^&'Keb'S?.' STREET), WELIjINGTOI-T, N-.Z.'" rr^'SUBgertP'TION .'(IK- AtiVANtiE^, 1-SS ,

1 ■ ■■■■■• ' ''*. " ' ■' '' ' Itf •_;'.■■ ■.■■#" -. SATURDAY? OCTOMr G, 190 G.

One of-, tte pe^a^l»i^s f -ji}a^l Jfly Xhj^l prosperous colony, ..whose ppor-hoijsej au-tnorities'' and { Charitable _foa'tSfi are.xjext'r va t-rthe ir-; w rts- ends Har; -.Vi l^^ thc dem.j.nd,s ion- their-.- pe-s^-r-ces,- is 'a toleration of, ainounting to J^ase. ,ser- .. vijitfy.,l^ / '-_\lymmy-.mma,_jl' tV'd, wixg^ m Jjroad-ijlglh. g.n,d 4 hile '•'dlioker^,'.'. aYe a'lwHys 'tnedd^iig, '{0 "the'"; dfi't/r-'' . I ltfent otV'fcift- ptt_rpk-;-' Iwa^ife-ir.^ce*. 'j S-tate. --Jh fa_fcti-4-hey-pok«— their -noscfe^-, -. j. into every business but their own," ! under the false preteilcs^rtf 'saVjU-^i ! men's srj^s.u^The «pjr(Sß?J|l .ftcp^ration i is beiivj feared on 'political' pap adininistered^tyY! p>4r«9^. It^if expect- j ed \o thrive-vrO^i Jfiothing is , more c:e .r^t_. i ol' \hsi that jibe xeign oi ' the sain're'fttf -^(•w-' : y.'(_'.s^\#*wist ap-. Hi yachiiijj; -^n in^lo^vous end. The I pr«WwKhißfi: i !^^i]L ; M>Nli^4' 'i ; pen'onned by-^t He iwrfjifc-tiwlien t . James j U. w^s driven offTitlV throne and Wii-" 1 ! lian, -_™w*rfl-|bteosHfA»cl ' 'm'<Wß«'£bad. lAs England v tited erf its lank-hair-

ed, sombre-visaged. nasal drawling saints, so will iSiew Zealand welcome - -ar-teKte*«^4«i--«i--4-BAS©«^-T4ie-pre«&ft-t parson-politically hpcussed generation will'-- surely scourge these black-coated Des^s ' as>«4fy)-_ pf a i^a'/.arp.tlvj ii drove froni <f'iie TempaT*the ' sacrel i gious tra- • ders. When that happy time comes uMie 4 q^oh will be placed m his proper position. It has taken him a few ■_ ;een tariffs >to; - h-ig^re^Sflt ppom i nehce _Fi-om tlie servants ' "quart ers , where he was expected t 0 find a wife; from the 'tsasesV 61" ' fp.eni-.il s, he has gradually .crawled an_d_scraped along, always improving his position. From tlie ' •"•mertla'l iha's" X'dnre the •iiiaster. Back vTlrh hihi'lhen ' fo 'the servants' hall. His-ttiry^aisvay^ repeats itself, and the parson is fighting against the inevitable. WTieiT that happy moment arrives- r he* -will perhaps have plenty cif time on hand" 'to '"devote to the saving of men's* souls, if men's; souls'" I'fcqifire' .saving; • "Not ".-'a weekpasses m" New Zealand but the par■sbns arc -astir."- H it is 'not the cursed . 'drink j it's the tote; -if neither, it is. the teaching -of the Bible, in 'the -Sfete" seii?>ois. Not -a we6k goes' by . but that the blac-k'-icoate^l''- venomous and vindictive pounders- oi t lve -pulpit, wtnif'^onie 'concession: There _waS never, •'there- - is never, there rreyer will be, a 'parson-fcal-, or lyaTson■l_WST«fjstefi'*toioweii!t'h«t ?tas tttbt- business as its basis. Christian charity' ia _ry th&fti' cast \'d tlffc 'foui"* winds' of the heavens. '-'Nothing*' is good that -t'hev fl» , e*- c iiot«('6t«;hid-; /there i* goo:I iii nobody that they are unconnected \^th". '" "Out ' of : Tn^.lilee "Ho' good "firing can ;: cohie,|" Said the Pharisaical pro-; totype" of' r the pre.seht i -day""parson of th?!-" wofl-refbTminG^' Jesus 'centuries Hfco. ZeSland- zealot; tp-daf re-echoes that sentiment. •"* ■";''** " One of the most persistently pert.ir nacipiis and parsonically pugnacious pulpiteer^ that' at preset is '''disgracing QJxd degrading the 7 ' teachin'gs -."of Me- faster" is' to' he 'found a^Westpqrt.. Suclj a. character c'o'ulcl fiot c§* . Ist wi-thbut having forced Iris- pnous ( flame a,nd dirty contemptible doings, ill of course iii the . cafise of the' L6rd On .High, into ttiese religious' co r liAnfi'S! Reference ,-of course, is nia^c to that pragmatical 'pietist, the'Rc'tf. M. A. *Ru<£by", Pratt, " President of the 'M-inKt'ers'-' Association at -W-est-port. This' is the' prating pietist, who quite'receritly, m the*. sacred cause' of . Christianity' and' m pursuance of, the precept t-/ Iceep Holy- the A Salfbath day, acted as a pious police pimp m a". ' prosecution*"" against a . Strug-glint. -hard-wsrkirig w.idpw-wpinan, for "selling lollies to the' children of the district one Sunday afternoon. This devidus . devfl-dodger seems to have . bee'dme quite .proud of liis pimping pei'fdrinh.nce./'w^iere .pi ncr jiien, more worthy 'of Uie name,, would, out of .shame's" salve % forrrer hide tliem.selves.;'Pimping .seems j, peculiar pastlihc f6 tHc 'Pragff}ayfos,l Pratt, as h's has intimated that if the' occasion serves, he will' repeat* his pd'trid. performance.' If-. he does "Truth" trusts that the magistrate y, 7 ill make no distjft«tiffln.*4>*twe'eifi ■ infel-mers "an-d re- ! member the well-known maxirii of Lav? that it 'is positively dangerous to convict on the evidence of a pimp, unless it is 'corroborated m every material particular: The 'desecration of the Loard's Day has become -quite a nightmare with this Pratt person. He is evidently of that type: qf perky paxson,_-who. keeps *'one ey-fe en _ the . ."word," and the other on the colled 2 Miion plate-r* ■beetH.ise-* i rmr"*or v the reaisons advanced by liim for the perse'cufiotfyo'f^ the 5 WiddwVwonVan : w'a« that the children's casji.was diverted from the missionary "box to another chan;nfe^t NS^tl^iflt, t-he^uecessfui prosecu- ; tion of the. widow of Westpbr't wiH* make father- -sweets -.sellers mo-fp care-:. ful : in the - luture. '■Pratt','- however, '.is now U^oiitg for' -hfgher 1 game, as he "is at-> a »ecen%'' mec.tyig of "the Westpbrfc ;-. Ha^bfer* Board, protesting sin f a letter against the .running 'q£."._'traan on ;* previous- Su.-iwiay to Cape yFbulwrnd. The 'pragmatical ■.. Puritan Pratt'-h-ad the^infw-.nal in}pu_ence v ' -to -ea-Bfeehise . . \he Board and t^olcl them' it^iafclie' considered/ the .running pf the trai'g', '"an aTjroh't -\(j 'Chriijt.lan' s^irti-nitts-fc** "-©SuliC ffyp>berisy, - t aml pious 'pedantry go further? "" '^_ r *;■■■■ ." «'". '■' '« ■^' -•'' 1 1 - -Repnrs— t h_l;.-.' j.t l&r " ' l af? rb'fi t "t o Christian sentiment" consisted : taking; a tium-bei' , of -Visiting fflwtballers>and their friends, per -train, :to the ' Cape/ where' tl-iey had a game' of : f oolibal-1 . Tlthjy h oijr.ible offence , wh i ch :was>ortly fhe shrtfi'ing of proper hos- ; ; pi taliiv- ta ..aLsitorg i?.n4-tlieir ift^ttii* . -evidently' aU'ecte'd^ Pjjt'bt's" plate takings.-. Hence his howl. As citiz.en*; ; charged: Mi th fifce - > resi*n^i-CrHJi"ie.s -, ~Af ;their ' bfliee, -'the members- of the ■Boaisl;iiM n - ot jrelish Yhis -p^'SpjjiK^l : interference, 'and' they'' told him so ; and -M-i-TReotteiK,* a h»6n>ber •-c^jtU'it: :_Boa'rd', Very lucidly .explained' the whole posiiioniiWVen .'he saw i- ". . t'-*' ..-V. "«* *"'-.'' ' '*••■•■■ It is- an impertinence 1 oi*. the part ; oJ,'tl\e" Asgqjpiaiji^;; Jlwl33Q^.*as ■ ; doing the best it could. If th ■ . could J)^6ve-'^a hin^-that ilCAta-l-i^r . moral"! "that would b 5 another mat- • England, take, opt his hoy_s to,play ciiclSt U;A'. W -Ic^cr" ,- ; should 'not lie^.faken "ootice; pr .by ' ' flit BoaVd'.^"*™^ befi'ent aftjcrtiiVlfe t_ ' the people - by a trip to Cape Koul- : yiiiift wduWrnore'lhan etfchpeh«_ - te ■*;.them for all the ' minister's ser- ' frfons. There was more religion m 1 the open air, the sunshine, the •• rrj?e« a_ftM the.-^io*es. , t^_s_iiiair'aAl'':Vit / I -Ptatt's" preaching. ,/Anot-h«r s[*itk^.^Riv'.Corl^, -Sad ' ""t.heV had 'their Wn duty to perioral £fi-dvo\'ight"-t'o bo-a ble to - iudgc . f'c-v . t-lie'm'selves -and express*, their-nph:- . Uttis iP!H < "■ freely and openly.- Thf „ -rh airman's, olrihibn 'W- the -saiv-r ■■■"> t-he IleV. Tfatt's. . Well, they .co-.:10 ' ■■ respect ' ftinf „ for .^vatv. ■But :?dr L Re'eve-ii whit oiie.-. -better . , whQp ]iP '-. .said more religion cqphl , be carried • .«'«Uif. by. g'ojftg 'Iw,, ihf : in__{n toMy\_m<i I There. was .plenty, . ..Qi i ■ jjiiii'? fof .l„em. k t« say, the^r., pKiy.e.v,-? uiv.il^iway. The m-fn -he .ct*n»nte»> ed mexst \vejo- ( |hose .'who had to do list \mta^'9Jal_i they -.fo^-pleasu^q ip tluitig iV-tluey 1J I,e <l»i*-e satis•l. Acd thal/Jt-wa:.^.. iood thingji'athui- ■(' *4fttnva'*>l»-«U-*i ,lo^ ; - £,( " ( - (,li:5 »- lec ?- d '" i ki#W *fcat»«**his bHi^^ey,. •!• cMfJll-Vaiy«('fi-t.'Vi' - p^y-rs he^or^Jhey ! -go Ptttt Say tlHMll-xftil Hie tltW!, ™-'> ' ' -iwf MrA Reeves dxatl the sUmes -•'• '•< .-} ' »■ /

•and- the trees had "sermons. * They could not make people religious hy - Act of -Parliament. - - ■ I'f^i.t^'s .letter i^tis eMe&tuall-y -'•'accepjff",.'u *#ti tl^rq »to doubt t>&- jpatler i*nded>-' kj- '. -r .£• ,-'-«- r - • -■•■->• ..',.'■ tr •■# 1 ..••*..' ' ■-««.' \■. • ' ■•^-.■Oftfe* ( upon 'such" Ifowliiig hypdcti-ifes osnd' -aantef^fcrThe-'T't-atirtvnier \vll^t tnjffld Tiiimhif^iuM? 7 us' db'on" the Sabbath-day T' Listen tb Hi's, d'ffiry dogmas' and • force us to acceptChrist's "t?hHvi ngs' "•aceo-fdfifg to the light-:-of'Kiro.x7 Wesleyrj .Chitfield and an innumerable list of sWnilar religious fakirs. Pratt is 'lust' the sort of saint that; would have "D'eeiV' a' ho'r'o m Uroniwell-s 'ti'itlO, wheii',' we 'are told,' '"the iSain'ts- were; never moire dingerous' and- cruel and' J iincTifTstidiilike #iah 'When they wei'e Spraying and psalming. - The-New«!Zeal-and Sabbath, as r we know it", is just what th? Fra'tts ha.ye iiiade '.fa— the 'most yvis^rable day of the week. :: Pratt of Westpbr't is V wowser that knows^ no mei"cy*-. He is a wcJl'f m sheep's clothing; a whited seplilchre."" Ke is an opnressor' 1 of the widoVAyoman- - ; the traduce]-^ of - his awn race.. Ffom such how]riig''l'aiiatic's-, Oood' L'otd 'deliver us. The- day 'is • coming when New Zealand will" throw bh' this" clef i. cal Yokc'.y There' never yef"was : a coiiti-i-fy 1 'where 'the 'd'orhinanjfc caste was the clergy, that did 'not 'become a co'liritiy of* ; dogeiierattV.""There , ''ftever" yet was a race with the true instfnct'soT Oianhbd'd^ f'haf. not kriock'^bltythe shackles' of"p'ries'tho'o(r; there" ne velvet wis a race 'hbund'hy -those shaekiek' that tllTiVeil 'anil that became pow-ebful. 'Woe unto you, 'ye' scribes and "pliatisetvg" of New Zealand';" your days are numbered m. the land.