REVIVALS AND THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13209, 16 February 1905, Page 10

REVIVALS AND THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

TO THE I'.lilTOlt. Sir.,—l notice that Mr Wm. Thomson is back again, in Dunediii, or at least his letters are again appearing in your paper. I had hoped to havo.had the pleasure of encountering Mr Thomson on an Invcrcarjtill platform, as he had intimated by a letter in the Southland Times that" lie meant to meet the people here at a public meeting.. There are a few. points in his letters in your Tuesday's issue on which I wish to remark. Mr Thomson objects to the Rov. Mr Saunders making prohibition capital out of tho Welsh revival, and says that "Mr Blunders, in asking ' those who profess Christianity to remember the facts (tho abandonment of the drink by tho converted Welshmen) and to give them n prominent place at the next election, goes beyond his sphere as a. preacher,, and does what lie. lias no right to do." Mr Saunders's sphere, as a preacher of righteousness and an opposer of iniquity, is without limit, and therefore does no wrong in asking professing Christians to remember the lessons taught regarding the drink by converted "Welshmen. Then Mr Thomson tells of great tgligious gatherings which took place in the Highlands of Sootland, when thousands of people canto under tho power of the Gospel, and "lie saw men who took a leading part in thoso blessed occasions meet in social intercourse and enjoy their glass of whisky." First, I observe that Mr Thomson does not call these religious gatherings " revivals." From the description given by Mr Thomson, thero was nothing about these gatherings to mark them as religious revivals, at which a largo number of people profess to have experienced tlio change called, the new birth, or conversion. I know something about religious revivals. J have heard some of tho greatest revival preachers that over stepped into a pulpit—among the rest, General Booth—in tho Old Country, and I can tell Mr Thomson that pconle who came under tho influence of thoso revivals would no more think of retiring from such meetings to meet in social intercourse to drink whisky than they would have, thought of committing some very wicked act. And T can tell Mr Thomson something more": I hayo been rubbing shoulders with Scotchmen in Southland for over 40 years, and I liavo attended a Fresbvterian church for more than half of that time, yet I have only met one Sfotchnwri in all those years who claimed to have undergone tho change called conversion. This is positive fact. I inake no comments; it might bo dangerous to do so. But I venture tin?opiniou that Mr Thomson, who noses as a groat authority on religious and revival work, . stands greatly in need cf enlightenment- touching these matters. '' If ministers of religion propose to dominate tho people, to take from them what they regard as their rights, however they do it—whether through tho ballot box or the bureaucracy, as m Ru«sia,—tlve> time will come when they will he ha fed," says Mr Thomson. Now in that paragraph Mr Thomson shows as great a jack of knowledge of the ethics of human rights as he did of the ethics of religion iri\ hi? story about thess Highlind. gatherings. First, I remark that to talk about ministers taking away the people's right* through the ballot box.is a contradiction oj terms or an impossibility. If these rights go at all they are surrendered by tho people. 'J'lie act,is a voluntary one. Tlw ballot box secures the people from even the. shadow of oosreion, anij to tali: of Rtrsian bureaucracy in connection' with the hnllot box .is "tommy rot." But these rights of the oeople. are represented by Mr Thomson' as being so sacred that they can neither bo taken away nor surrendered—which is more "tommy rot." "When Mr Thomson has probed tliis question of right l ? to the bottom.taking history for his euidc. he will find that all rights .ire pub'cot. to the power that mates t.he laws. Whether (hat power bo bureaucratic or democratic makes no difference. Trnn liberality consists in each generation making its own laws. Henro all laws made bv our forefathers must lis subject to modifications or annulment, otherwise we should ho slaves to laws mnde bv past generations. Tt is a pity that Mr Thomson did not loot me un wlie.ii ho was in. Southland: I could have nut a few finishing ' touohes to his education.—l am. «te„ February 7. T. Buxto.w