Rev. Mr Isitt Interviewed.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7666, 30 June 1896, Page 2

Rev. Mr Isitt Interviewed.

.(Parliamentary Reporter.) " ?- ; ;" £ Wellington, to-day."-' ■'-'-• Interviewed by a Poat reporter as to how-.U : v England and Amerioft view the result of the, y':experiment id this colony in regard to,- ■*. women's franchise, the Rev. L. M. leitt says ■'. ! the opponents take very great cafe to give."' all publicity possible to every indiscreet'- , utterance a New Zealand woman may be■ % guilty of. The movement, however, is un-: -v doubtedly mating progress, bat .there ia no ', ." evidence of its coming to so rapid or;-' triumphal an issue as was achieved ; here. The movement has not yet been- really '.' gripped by the women themselves in Eng- - "•' land, especially among the masses, who are: ,™ quite uninterested, and apart' from the' 1 '" temperance' "workers, only a few society' k, women are interesting themselves in- the ' i movement. , r --. v ; Mr Isitt has returned to the oolony a*pro-X - nounced and uncompromising opponent of ' any interference with our secular education "'? system. These are his impressions :' — He ' " left New Zealand a supporter of Bible teach*' ■"[ ing in schools, but after what he has seen /of r what otherwise fair-minded and honest-men ; can do under streßs of denominational bias, - ■ says :_ " I cannot, trust the Anglican clergy, •,."' in this matter. Any concession now. made .^ will, as time progresses, simply, .mean -\ denominationalism and destruction of the",'';': system for which we have such oause to be, , •'.- thankful. In this matter I know I shall Be.-^ opposed by the bulk of my ohuroh people,' .' ': ' bub do not mean. to smother my convior '•'"'•'--" tions." -■ ; ■■ \ .-.' j5? Reference turning to temperance queS"*'' tions, Mr Isitt expresses himself very muoh"Vr,-f." pleased at the immense progress which -:haß"'ir< been made during his absence by the prohi-'- -',;.' bition party in New Zealand,- and says ':— 3^ " We have not, of course, scoured absolute &1 prohibition, but the enthusiasm is so yide-'i'V spread and so thorough" that we oarinbf-.be'jfe* anything else but sanguine. The policy 'bfc^i the party would be prohibition only, and no vsfs •interference whatever in party politics." 86"VJ; far as his own part in the coming battle is ~'-.%i concerned, he said he was starting oil', a' 1 "'-', lecturing campaign, which, if health ■ per. r. : " mitted, would last right up to the- election ':&< day. The supporters of the prohibition '/>:■' cause confidently looked forward to the "day. ''*'$ which was to decide how many . licensed . '-" r houses for the sale of intoxicating liquora". V there Bhall be to handicap the progress and T f '.'s happiness of New Zealand. • ■'*;,.*