A SERMON ON TRUTH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3366, 4 November 1911, Page 2

A SERMON ON TRUTH.

AN EGREGIOUS AND MANIFEST FAILURE. PROHIBITION FOUNDED “UPON A LIE. “Know the Truth, and the. Truth shall set you free.”—John 8, 32. Preaching on “Truth” at St, John’s Church, Stockton, recently, the vicar, the Rev. F. S. Willoughby said: 01 all pampered, petted, and patted-on-the hack ‘isms’ in the last (say) halt century, I should class Prohibitiomsm amongst the very first. All its peculiar nostrums and vanities have occupied the stage here or there, more or less. So much so is this the case that it is safe ,to say that all its many and various jerrymanderings and poltrooneries have been abundantly tried, and most of them as abundantly found wanting, in that where they aro supposed to effect a cure, they invariably increase what they wanted to cure in another direction. And why should this be so? it is because the' foundation of Prohibitionism is built on the shifting sand of a grotesque assumption or illusion. It confuses drinking with drunkenness, and in order to keep on its tirade against the former it boldly transfers the denunciations contained in Holy Scripture against drunkenness to drinking. It confuses, I repeat, drinking intoxicants with drunkenness. To bolster up this impossible tenet-which results from its mental confusion, it resorts to the pious fraud plan, and works its trump-ed-up mixed medley of things that differ as true for all it is worth. And with what result? I will tell you. Its objective when seemingly gained always successfully eludes its grasp.” After extolling the Truth and its power to free men from all forms of the bondage of evil, the reverend gentleman concluded: — “I have no hesitation in saying that our prohibition-mongoring is an egregious and manifest failure. It is founded on a lie. It has brought out licensing legislation into the most befogged and befooled muddle imaginable. It has imposed guards on drunkenness with one hand, and opened concurrently other channels for it galore with the other. It has undermined religion in our land. Much of the indifference we see around us was bred in teetotal circles, where taking no intoxicants was taught as the sum and substance of Christianity. As I said before, prohibitionism has had an unimpeded innings in our land, its pious, fraudulent tales have been allowed every hearing and practical help by legislation and administration; and the propagation of its specific tarradiddle has begotten tarradiddles in the public mind.” Therefore, if the people would put an end to a movement that lives ostensibly upon tarradiddles and is founded upon a'lie, they will strike out the bottom lines’on both ballot papers. Every lover of true temperance will do it.***