South Canterbury Times. WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1885.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3787, 27 May 1885, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1885.

A vert large section of the community (ourselves among the number) experience considerable disappointment at the inability of Mr Booth, the founder of Blue Bibbonism, to fulfil bis Timaru engagement. A leader of opinion, a man with earnestness and force, one who has drawn around him immense masses of bis fellow creatures and has influenced them as Mr Booth has done is no ordinary man, and he should receive more than ordinary attention. Therefore we were prepared to bear Mr Booth with interest. That he is a powerful and self-sacrificing advocate of the cause of temperance, is evident. All honor to such earnestness and self-sacrifice 1 That the nonappearance of Mr Booth will have any very permanent effect upon the growth of temperance we take leave to doubt. As we have before remarked, those who are steadily determined to reform need no platform eloquence to sustain them. They leave off drinking because they find it injures them mentally, morally, and physically. We counsel those who feel the need of reform not to let their courage fail or their determination wane because Mr Booth is not here. The position, so far as they are concerned is unaltered. Drunkenness or the habit of excessive drinking is a curse, and those who indulge in it are victims of the deadliest of all bad habits. It needs no Boanerges to convince them of these facts, and we trust they will lose no time in entering upon that course of abstinence to which reason plainly directs them.

We have had occasion of late to chronicle several casualties among children arising oat of carelessness on the part of parents. Sometimes little children left atone in a house with a fire burning in the room, have approached the fire and played with it until the clothes of one of their number have ignited, and one or more has died a shocking death. Here a child bos bad access to poison which it has unthinkingly drunk. Again a child has fallen into or pulled down upon itself scalding water. Sometimes a little one has ran after vehicles and sustained injury from falling under the wheels or the horses’ hoofs. The commonest of all casualties, however, are those caused by fire. We did, a considerable time ago direct special attention to this matter, and we recur to it now because it appears a matter that concerns everyone who has the care of children. The over-worked mother sometimes looks disconsolately upon her life as one dull round of toil and anxiety. But there is this to be remembered, that vigilance and care over the movements of children, save parents from the anguish that follows upon an accident. It is astonishing to sea the number of persons who leave children of tender ago for hours in rooms where there are unguarded fires. They have so often done it that they

never dream of danger, and are quite astounded when at length impunity ceases and an accident occurs. Almost as insny persons leave scalding water within reach of little children. Now it mnst be plain to everyone that to do these things is to be gnilty of culpable negligence, to use the mildest term. We earnestly invite the attention of parents to this, iu the hope that some who have hitherto been, careless may be warned before serious consequences follow in their family circle. We are aware that this journal is read extensively at the fireside, and it appears to ns to be no unimportant part of our daty to direct attention to a matter of such moment.

The Christadeiphians are abont to petition for exemption from service in the Militia, on tbe ground that such is repugnant to their religions convictions. Of conns this announcement will give riae to considerable amusement. No doubt if there were an immediate prospect of active service for tbe Militia, the sect of Cbristadelphians would receive a large accession to its ranks. Bnt, joking apart, we ahonld certainly think no sack concession ought to be granted tbe petitioners. Toleration should be extended to all, and the religions scruples of all should be respected and carefully guarded from insult. But there are occasions of emergency when all tbe members of a community mnst consent to some saerifice of feeling for the common good. When it is considered necessary for the protection of the colony, that all its able-bodied men should be massed together for purposes of defence—of defence alone, not of conquest or defiance—their common sense as well as tbe teachings of religion forbid any to desert the common cause. It is intolerable to suppose that wa are not to defend ourselves against unprovoked and wanton outrage or attack, and for once common sense mnst be allowed to take precedence of fanciful theories.