Mr Hugh Bennetts in Reply.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4942, 5 March 1884, Page 3

Mr Hugh Bennetts in Reply.

TO THB EDITOR OB 1 THB STAB. j Sib, — I beg to thank you (over tho left) j for the very highly-coloured portrait which j you presented of me to your readers on i Saturday last. There is a story told of a man who, when Boundly asleep in tha armß of Bacchus, a friend played a practical joke on him by blacking his face. The man after awhile awoke, looked in the glass, started back; and did not know himself, declaring ho " waß not himself at all, at all." When, sir, I looked at myself in your glass as painted by you, I did not mow myself, really, and would havo remained in ignorance of the fact if you lad not kindly attached my name to it. In the first part of your picture y6u paint me SB being a terrible 1 extreme and ultrateetotaller. If you mean by that lam not a half-and-half milk-and-water teetotaller, but one who thoroughly believes in the principles, and uses every legitimate means i» carry them out, I acknowledge the nccuraoy. of that part of your picture; but if on the other hand you mean, as I believe' you do, that I am a narrow-minded, one-sided, intolerant bigot, , -who cannot take a broad view of things, | and without respeot for the opinions of j others, I deny it, and hurl back upon you your accusation with contempt. At tho -risk of being considered egotistical, I may say I have been for over forty years a temperance worker, nearly twenty-four of ■which I have spent in Canterbury; and : although I have at all timeß fairly and j legitimately tried to extend the temperance j principles, I have never by harsh words or \ deeds tried to thrust my opinions down j other men's throats. I havo made it my constant aim to combat with the liquor traffic, not with the men engaged in it, arid by so doing havo generally obtained the Tespect of those connected witk the trade ; and I don'fe know of any hotel-keeper in the country with whom I have- any personal grievance. Last year I was elected upon tho Licensing Committee of the Heafchcote district, and by tho favour of my brotherCommitteemen I was placed in tile chair. .During tho pnßt year we have administered the law with that spirit" of firinuess which, j I believe, has been generally satisfactory to both parties. As a proof of this I have received a strong requisition from both the temperance party and those engaged in the trade to stand again. The other part of your picture, which, sets forth the extent of my ohest, and the length of my legs, &c, 1 iail to Bee has any bearing on my qualification to sit on a Licensing Board. Certainly they havo nothing to do with my disqualification— rather the contrary. According to tho laws of physical soionce, a broad chest denotes a large heart; and a large heart, broad sympathies. If you wished your picture "to harmonise, I fancy you should have painted mo as having a narrow chest, small heart, spindle slmnka, pale, thin, misorably shrivelled tip, and a little, insignificant body, barely largo enough to contain a -decent soul. Whon I was a lad I used to take pleasure at night to go and look at the bright starry sky, and the well-known ■words would inunetUately come to my mind, " Twinkle, twinklo, little star, how . I wonder what you are ;" and when, of late, I have, read some of your leading articles, which on one day pour out volloya of indignation against tho drink and drink sellers, and extolling tOmperance to the clouds', and on another taking hold of tho poor rojeoted candidates ■who happened to be pushed to the front to fight the tomporanco battle, but who, through the conduqt of the electro-plated Teformors and tho strong vested interests of the drink traffic, were defeated 5 I am 1 compelled to take up again tho old nursery rhyme, " Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are." Are you a friend of temperanco or aro you a foo, or are you one of those amphibious creatures who can live on land or water, content to follow the current of public opinion in whatever direction it may flow P Now, Mr Editor, I suppose after this you will give tho poor old dog another kick, but pleaso remember that although tho old mastiff may not bita, ho can bark very loud, which is particularly disagreeable to highly sensitive or refined and nervous temperaments. I have said nothing about my friond and fellowsufferer, Mr Clephano. I know he can bifco quite hard enough without my assistance. —I am, Ac, HTJGH BENNETTS. £We art much obliged to our correspondent for his really amusing letter. We

felt sure that, after a few days' meditation, he would " come up smiling."— Ed. Star."] 1