CORRESPONDENCE

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 9957, 19 March 1894, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

(We nre not responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents The Toiler's namq. ns a guarantee of good faith, must tie enclosed in the letter.!

[advertisement.] LICENSING ELECTION. TO TUE Br-I'iO».B r -I'iO». Si is, — The forthcoming election to regulate the sale of alcoholic liquors will, I think, try the strength of parties whether we shall degenerate from out present position in making progress and return to Adamite principles to subsist on water, roots, and berries. The water party are using every means, especially the professed to be ultra sanctified section of the community— the clerics — who finding they are fast losing their hold on society, their places of worship being chiofly frequented by women and children and the effeminate portion of the male community, hence they have turned their attention and centred their hopes for the regeneration of the world on " women and water," instead of the severe denunciations they used to thundei forth of eternal fire to all and sundry that were not of their ilk. Well, I must say water is more cooling, but then, one may have too much of that article, and for drinking purposes I prefer an infusion of some other gift of nature to give it a flavour, a something that will stimulate and exhilarate the flagging powers of nature when exhausted by toil and care, and inspire us with that go-aheadism for which colonists are proverbial, as witness the exports of the colony in comparison with its handful of producers. I don't think water or the " old woman's cup of tay " will nerve man to accomplish what is now being done in this direction, therefore I hope those who have the true interest of the bone and sinew of the colony at heart will declare in an emphatic manner. Ye sons of toil, whereas wine maketh glad the heart of man, and is an adjunct given by the dispenser of all good to inspire you with courage and all manly virtues, that you may not degenerate into effiemiuacy, therefore use it with discretion be sober, be temperate', let your moderation bo known unto all men in the future as in the past, and in spite of the howling and shrieking of the Adamites. The wisdom and common sense of this constituency will declare itself with no uncertain sound. Prohibition, wo relegate your partisans to oblivion. You may mean well, but there is a saying that the way of destruction is paved with good intentions; and I believe shrieldam and Prohibitism are destructive of those manly virtues which has made the AngloSaxon race the pride and admiration of nineteenth century civilisation. — I am, A xti-Puouiiutioxis r.