CORRESPONDENCE CONDENSED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13268, 27 April 1905, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE CONDENSED

vT. Eti'ston, commenting on our artielo on ; ■. "ather Hays's visit,: days there is nothing about Father Hays's connection with \ tho New Zealand Alliance, «Ji3 that tho advice tendered to him ou tho subject was -• tho, very best advice obiainablo in the " '' colony. He wanted to recruit his health, and .lie could not go to a better country ; for-that Ipurposo than New Zealand. , In one sense, our correspondent.agrees,with that no man living has donp moro for tha imfortii-nate drunkard than General Booth, but had- lie devoted his energies to the sup- . prcjsion of the drink traffic he would ha.ve dono a vast deal moro good than is now attending tho Army's labours. Aa to tho "beautiful bit of theorising" wo "put into • Father Hays's mouth," lie submits tho facta \- aiid figures given by Mr TV. Thomson' all' ■ his Invci'cargill meeting last week; - witH ' reference to leather Mathow'e campaign in , ' Ireland,' when between 1838 and 1840, 748,000 *.vore made total abstainers, whila in 1341 there were 4,464,000 total abstainers;! but by tho timo 1849 arrived there were noli • enough total abstainers in Ireland to support one weekly publication. These facta our correspondent considers to bo a most effective answer to our theorising. .He contends that Father Hays is carrying on hia . work hero 011 exactly tho same lines ho aulat Home, where his work waa blessed by tho presont Pope and Cardinal Loguo, and says "it is pretty plain that tho Catholic Church'' has allowed something to come between it and tho souls and bodies o£ men | and women."