"WINE AND WOWSERS."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16845, 22 September 1922, Page 6

"WINE AND WOWSERS."

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I.have been amused at the attempts of “ Old Port ” and others to prove that Christianity—the doctrine and precept of Jesus Christ as expounded by his life and teaching—Ls not synonymous with Prohibition as advocated by the New Zealand Alliance, the cliurc-hes, and the “ wowsers ” ?

Christ lived and died some nineteen centuries ago. Even the peoples among whom He lived had no old port, gin, whisky, creme de menthe, absinthe, beer, rum, brandy, etc” etc.—at least I find no mention of such either in the Bible or in the work: I" that estimable historian Josephus. Nor do we find in these histories any mention of such cases as are so common in those days~—cases in which " wine " leads to murder, suicide; adultery, thcfcv—iu fact, to all the crimes. in ulli‘ calendar. Though Prohibition may not have been thought, necessary bv Christ, among the Jews—(whir-b I om not prepared to argue or to'admitlm nineteen centuries have passed, and the evolution of mankind during these years has' entirely changed bath man and his environmenm. Christ was me son. of God become man “to widen!) the world,” and His method of doing so then would surely have been diff ‘l'cut tel—day in face of the altered Coll— under which mankind lives. Can “Old Port” posSibly imagine Christ, at 2!, marriage feast, turning water into \anj Whisky? Ho rer—tniuly would not have done so, in face of the physical, moral and spiritual damagefivhir‘h results from its use.

The same lack of logic is shown by those who are constantly impressing on us that; Prohibition in America is a failure. They say it must. as nertaiiily, fail if fried in New Zea-land! Do the exponents of thie so-called al‘gn—merit realise that the population of America is a mixture of practically every race of people on the globe? Do they realise that it will be ages of years before the Americans—in fart, any other nation likewise—have built. for themselves a character of commercial honesty and law-abidenae such an Great Britain and the Empire possesaf’ This character will ensure the success of Prohibition in New Zealand. And Maine has had it for over seven?y years, and has not gone back on Its decision. The people in that State, and others also, must deem it a. Hmo—ceas.———l am, etc, “B. FRANK."