Dear Sir,

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 45, 11 May 1948, Page 4

Dear Sir,

, Letters to the Editor must be clearly written on one side of the paper only and where a nom-de-plume is used the name of the writer must be included for reference purposes. The Editor reserves the right to abridge, amend or withhold any letter or letters.

WHITHER BOUND HUMANITY?

Sir, —Mr Hallett appears to place his faith in “reason.” But where has “reason” led to in the past? Right through the ages we find evidence of the futility of man’s reasoning. Civilisations and • ideologies that have failed to give satisfaction have gone, to be replaced by other results of human reasoning. History is largely made up of such records. And are things any better today? Human reasoning in the world today is closely related to confusion. In what aspect of life does reason alone lead to full agreement? The political field seems to hover in the background in this discussion, and there the confusion of ideas based on. reason is perhaps more evident than in any other field. Reason responds to that upon which it has been fed, irrespective of whether that has been fact or fancy, truth or error, or even rank propaganda. Fact is often used as propaganda, and vice versa, until the two become almost inextricably interwoven and confused. Mr Hallett advises the reading of certain books as a fair guide, but we must remember that even the writers of books have been influenced in their reasoning by what they have chosen as their way of life, or their ideology. Mr Bradshaw, although writing on another subject, comes nearer to it, when he says: “ . . we must abide by the teachings of Christ.”

Mr Hallett’s list of books should commence with the most important of all books, the Holy Bible. The Lord has invited us, “Come now, and let us reason together,” and in His reasoning with man, through His Word, we have the guidance that our human reason needs. Those who are following this, guidance are not overcome by the fear and hopelessness, nor by the greed that has taken possession of so many, and which they are seeking to allay by political and other methods. As a basic point may I quote from Scripture: i “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20). So any system that is not in full agreement with the law of God and the Testimony (His Word) is without light! Check up on those various ideologies, political and otherwise, with which you are familiar, and you will see my point. Taking the subject further, we find today that “reason” blames Communism for the threat of a world-wide war that all accept as the last that this world will ever be able to wage; but we also find “reason” just as readily blames Capitalism; we can look further, and find other forces' upon which the blame is being placed, and apparently also with reason! Scripture, and Scripture alone, gives us the insight into the real forces at .work behind the scenes, which unenlightened reason ignores. In Revelation 16:14 we are told that “. . they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” So this stirring up of the nations is the work of the devil himself. Read also verse 16: “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”. Here we have it. Armageddon is in Palestine. This is whither humanity is bound, whether it wants to or not, whether it favours this or that political system. And no change of government or politics, however drastic, can prevent this final gathering of the nations. The problem we face is not so much political as spiritual. However, the path that Jesus asks us to take leads us past Armageddon, beyond the day of God’s wrath. He offers us a wider vision, not limited by purely, human reason, and not bound by these changing ideologies of man’s making, but guided by that “more sure word of Prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19). Yours etc., LAYMAN.

OUR DAILY BREAD

Sir, —In reviewing the returns of the South Island crops for the season 1948, I find that there is one of the; most bountiful crops .per acre for many, many years, harvested in exceptional order. In 1937 we had a surplus of wheat, and the Government sold the best of it, the surplus, to the Chinese Government for 2/9 a bushel. A benevolent Government then calls in scientific manipulation, to produce “bread” from inferior wheat. There has not been an average loaf since, filling the hospitals with stomach trouble. Now the bakers are complaining again that things are getting worse. Some flour submitted from Wellington scored only 16 points of a total of 50 points and was declared unfit

for bakers’ use. The general manager of the Wheat Committee tells us that 80 per cent extraction was not of such good baking quality, as it required more technical skill. Quite so! To produce a poor substitute for bread. During the Span-ish-American war we were getting flour from Canada.. It was half maize and it made good bread, but the best of New Zealand' maize is malted for beer, from a point of .view of economy! Perhaps economy does not count when the people pay. Why should we be committed to a dollar contract for wheat, when Australia can supply all our needs? Is she also tied to the International Juggernaut. I view it with apprehension and dismay when I see more wheat paddocks down in turnips and grass this autumn. What is the remedy? There is one, not by compulsion, but by paying the farmer the same price as it costs to import, without delay or restriction. Time’ is short, and delay is dangerous! Yours etc., W. BRADSHAW.