THE ZOO.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 900, 20 August 1910, Page 10

THE ZOO.

Sir,—As the City Council have decided not to re-appoint Mr. Bertling, but to call for applications for the position, it would bo as well before any one is appointed, for the council to obtain the services of a competent person to report upon tho position of the land birds nnd animal cagcu. From the start an error has been made in the situation for the laud birds and animals. Tho locality is damp, cold, draughty, and gets little or no sun, nnd sun is essential to bird life, more so even than to animal. It would he interesting to the public, and especially to those of the public who have contributed towards the .nui-

chnso of many of the occupants of the zoo, if tho council would, .us it should, publish a list of the nnimals and birds that have been. purchased by the council, by private citizens, and in part by the council and private citizens, and the cost; how many arc now alive; what has become of those that are dead. Also a list of the birds and animals given, to tho council. How many are alive, and what has become of the dead. I believe it is usual to publish, such infor- . mation. People naturally enough want to know a. little as to what is "done with tho money, and if they are satisfied with results, have no objection to go on paying, and if necessary paying more. So many rumours are afloat, that the sooner certainty is known the hotter. There should not be any difficulty or delay in publishing the above returns, asWt is well known the custodian has always kept full and accurate lists for the purpose of enabling such a return to be made.—l am, etc., INFORMATION REQUIRED.

"THE GIRL FROM RECTOR'S." Sir,—Before this controversy re "The Girl from Hector's", closes, will you allow me a small space to thank you on behalf of both sides for the liberty you have given to the people of this city to express their various opinions in your paper. 'Until the advent of Tin; Dominion in our midst we have never had such liberty before, hence your everincroasini* circulation and loaded advertising columns. 1 would just pass ono more remark re Dr. Gibb, in answer to a correspondent, and that is "ho has toed the line" many a time, and Mr. North, too. and is doing it now.—l am, etc., AN UPHOLDER OF DR. GIBB. THE CHURCH AND THE PEOPLE. Sir,—l read, your . leader, waded through, and found three stepping-stones, riz. : No. 1, "It would be , nothing short of a moral disaster if religion ceased to' count as a factor in the social life of the people." No. 2: "It must be admitted that therd does exist a serious estrangement between the churches and a very large section of the people." No. 3: "If we should ever-scu a generation to whom tho word God had no meaning at all, we should get a light'upon the subject which might bo lurid enough.' Nos. 1 and 3 are suspiciously alike, but let that pass. Why should there bo an estrangement? The .front of. the _ offending'is in. the sermon,'because it is 100 much in the spirit of dictation—a pushing on and not a leading off. Tho clergy learn through dry classics a lot of ornate language, which it is the mission of their lives to reel off with kaleidoscopic effects. If these grow . out of joint with tho times, so much tho worse for the people. The incident just closed contains a striking object-lesson to those able to read it. The Church appealing to ono side of Iho human' mind, backed by all the best credentials, fails-the play appealing to the other side, almost under a public ban, succeeds. Therefore the difference. The difference is in the method, and the method only. Mr. H. J. Ward was nothing short of a prophet in the way lie foresaw the opening the children's hospital gave him to open the people's eyes. He came, he saw, ho conquered, .by means of the methods be has to utilise to make his plnys a success. No ono could say ho utilised any of the unclean methods Dr. Gibb and his quondam friend gratuitously charged him with. He showed not as much theatrical display as Dr. Gibb in his sermon, yet the fund was raised in two weeks instead of two years, and the only difference was in the method, and that is tho lesson II r. Ward' has established. The play gets its ear to tho ground, finds out what the people want,-and the remainder is hard work. ; The Church rests its oars on behind-the-times traditions and does not work.—l am, etc., HENRY BODLEY. August 13, 1910.