Truth A WOWSER'S OUTBURST.

NZ Truth, Issue 125, 9 November 1907, Page 4

Truth

A WOWSER'S OUTBURST.

Published Every Saturday morning at Luke's Lane (off mannersstreet), Wellington, N.Z. SUBSCRIPTION (IN ADVANCE), 13S, . PER ANNUM.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1907.

With its proclivity of proclaiming the truth from the house-tops, as it were, this religious and respectable family journal has ever proved a thorn m the side of the parsomcal push. Naturally .the stinking sox and dirty dicky bleater of the pulpit, has not any time for "Truth," and some of the ■ plate-pushing brigade are game enough to show their fangs by "hurling anathemas at it, John Norton, and everybody connected with the paper, and expressing the truly Christian and charitable wish that ' should be suppressed, John Norton hanged, drawn and quartered and the staff immolated like so many lepers m a Ta'zarette. When such furious and fanatical outbursts are recorded it is only human that "Tit+Jv" should occasionally dip its pen m gall and exhibit to the garish litrht of day the false colors under which so many of our so-called spiritual guides sail m this world. The parson wh© blackguards "Truth from his pulpit forgets for the moment, perhaps, that his congregation is infiniteismal compared to that to which this paper weekly preaches ii-s Gospel of good, and mercy, and love of neighbor,, and, without wishing to boast, if it comes to a question of slang-wanging, well, the poor pastor is bound to get a bad deal. It Is more m pity than m anger that this week this spreader of the truth notices that a Waimate (Canterbury) wowser named Joughin has seen fit to convert his pulpit, from which charity and forgiveness of sin should be forever advocated, into a sort of bear-baiting garden, and, metaphorically, has gone bald-headed for everybody and everything connected with this organ. On the authority of Josser Joughin the paper is not fit for any civilised man to read. Rather a wild and sweeping assertion this, and proving conclusively, according to the Rev. Josser that there are thousands and thousands of savages m New Zealand. Moreover, "Truth." still according to JougMn, is a filthy, dirty, disgusting, degrading rag to read, and he strongly advised all m his bethel not to buy it again. Jocose Joughin, what truly Christian sentiments thou dost proclaim. Jocose Joughin m uttering those cruel and uncharitable sentiments deserves a severe castigation, but it will suffice to describe him as a miserable liar, and if that utterance is as true as the G-ospel he preaches the look-out for his flock is not a particularly cheerful one. Joughin, however, must be a simple sort of cuss. He knows, or ought to know that the best .possible wav to boom "Truth" is to denounce it and' advise his flock not to touch it, and the flock,, not being as obedient as of yore, will buy it and read it and judge for themselves, thus further increasing the circulation of a paper that admittedly cannot be excelled by any newspaper m the Dominion. Moreover, "Truth" sees a chance oi improving business, and if Joughin will name reasonable terms he might find it a scource of profit by entering into a contract with the management and go about from pulpit to pulpit blackguarding the paper and denouncing it and strongly advising everybody to cease reading it. Are you listening "Jo." As the devil loves holy water so does the average small-minded cleric revere "Truth," and Joughin, or Juffin, or Join, or whatever his snufflebusting name sounds like, has tackJed not only "Truth," but its proprietor, before to-day, and "Jo" failed recently to understand why the electors of Darling Harbor reelected John Norton to Parliament. His failure to understand what is clear to every sensible-minded man and womian m the community is not "Truth's" fault, nature must be blamed, and she does play some odd trick? .at times. Moreover, "his reverence" gave everybody to understand that he did not wish any lucl: to the staff of "Truth." Anyhow, good luck to Joughin, who, so far as "Truth" knows," is a sort of toady to the toffs of Waimate, and has iiot much time for the poor and oppressed. He is a wowser of the Wesleyan belief, and being what he is he perhaps can't help it. At any rate, before he tackles "Truth" again and shows the vileness of his mind by slandering men morally and intellcctuallv his suneriors, he should remember that "Truth" will not submit to the vile vaporings of an irresponsible cleric without hitting back. If he desires to go about the country blackguarding "Truth" he should remember that he is advertising it, and he should also consider whether it would not pay him to enter into a contract with "Truth's" management to tour the country and from ' every pulpit of every bethel give the paper the best advertisement it could possibly be given.