THE FIGHT FOR TEMPERANCE

Te Ao Hou, March 1959, Page 45

THE FIGHT FOR TEMPERANCE While stationed at Taranaki, he found it increasingly difficult to combat the influence of the prophet Te Whiti who, with his followers, wanted to isolate himself entirely from everything pakeha. Fred Bennett found the work most frustrating. The people would not permit him to even take a baptismal service. Then, one day, in the midst of this opposition, he was told that he might conduct a funeral service. At last, he felt, he was making a little headway. A total abstainer through the conviction that the people The Bishop in Rotorua were not ready for liquor and that its consumption would play havoc with the spiritual welfare of the race, Fred Bennett had been very bitter in his condemnation of strong drink. From the depths of despondency his spirits rose at the thought of being of some use to his people, even though it were through the holding of a funeral. When the day of the ceremony came he was amazed to find that, not only that there were no mourners present, but that the coffin was surrounded by full bottles of whisky—a jibe at his preaching against liquor. His tormentors expected him to abandon the funeral and were surprised to find that, after smashing the bottles, he conducted the ceremony. This proved to be the opening for which he was in search. Though at first he was barely tolerated, he soon found that he was being consulted on all sorts of matters. At Rotorua, he continued his campaign against liquor. On one occasion out of respect for this young man, all hotels closed their doors for the duration of a conference among the Maori people. One of the finest orators in New Zealand, Fred Bennett was, during the past half century, possibly the greatest single influence upon the Christian outlook of the Maori people. Equally at home in either English or Maori, his eloquence was such that he invariably held his audiences and congregations enthralled.