Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1947 LOOKING AT OURSELVES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 63, 6 August 1947, Page 4

Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1947 LOOKING AT OURSELVES

IF we hold up our own mirror to the New Zealand nature and calmly take stock of what we see, some strange, contradictory shapes will appear. How does it come about, for instance, that a country which is prepared to embark upon some of the most radical and dangerous sociological experiments is, at the same moment, almost unalterably cautious in its social outlook? The hottest, most controversial debates of our Parliament are freely and continuously broadcast to a huge audience, broadcast by a service which, reflecting the mind of the people, resolutely refuses to introduce the opportunities necessary for the discussion of urgent problems representing a clamant social challenge, some of which may be given names—vandalism, unstable marriage, social diseases, cultural apathy. These are sapping forces and yet, there it is: willingness to grasp the nettle danger with one hand, unwillingness to deliver a telling blow with the other. This analogy can be carried over into the artistic field. We see ourselves in possession of as strong and capable an amateur theatre as any in the world. Behind it are enthusiasm, leadership and money, but a professional, national theatre is as far away as ever. There lies the same curious contradiction; work, self-sacrifice and high idealism going hand in hand with a failure to take them to their logical conclusion. On the other hand, however, we can claim to be among the more advanced civilisation when we stand by our decision to abolish capital punishment. It is no use claiming the basis of a civilisation to be Christian and then demanding the blood of some in expiation of their crimes against society. There is still no evidence that New Zalands legislative respect for the sanctity of even faulty human lives has drenched us in blood. Let us claim, too, that we do not lynch our fellow-citizens either for fear, for fun or for the satisfaction of bestial hysterias arising out of the superiority of one colour pigment over another. To this respect for life may be added ouy recognition of the need for ensuring the health and happiness of our children. It has often enough been said that the fullest respect for the child’s life would, of itself, be a sure path to peace, and New Zealand’s record of child welfare, whether it be in health, education, games or pastimes, is not to be regarded lightly. It will'be a proud country that will outdo US. i :