"SALACIOUS" ITEMS ON THE AIR

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 71, 16 December 1937, Page 5

"SALACIOUS" ITEMS ON THE AIR

Our Own Correspondent.l

School Principal Attacks Commercial Radio FORCES OUT OF CONTROL

(From

WELLINGTON, This Day. The effect on children of some of the items put "over the air" by the Commercial Broadcasting Service was the subject of outspoken comment at the Weliesley College breaking-up ceremanv last night by the principal, Mr. W. H. Stevens. "Moralists on every hand tell us that education has failed, that the Church is a spent force, and they indicate the general deterioration so obvious in public and private life. I do not think that the school and the Church can be blamed for all this," said Mr. Stevens. "The fact of the matter is that other educative forces, chief among which are the cinematograph and the radio, have been allowed to get out of control and exert an evil influence which cannot be overcome, no matter how - efficient teachers and preachers may be. "Just reflect for one moment on the kind of thing that the teacher is up again. He gives a lesson, say, on Sholley's 'To a Skylark.' He succeeds in communicating to his pupils some of the ideas which inspired the poet and he sends them home to write an appreciation of it, jvhich they attempt to do while listefilng to that salacious classic from 2ZB entitled 'Sandy at the Nudists' Club,' or possibly another instalment of that bloodcurdling epic 'Crashed in the Jungle/ featuring Ching Li, desperate killer and 'tough egg.' "Again, what can Church and school do to raise the moral tone of communities when Governments vie with one another in breaking every decent mnral and ethical principle? » "I can see only one way to counteract the rot which is attacking public nnd private morals, and that is for parents to take a more active part in j the education of their children. It is i the moral training of children that today is so very important — even more ! important than physical training. You will remember that the Latin tag, 'Mens sana in compore sano,' puts the tuind first. The external forces of evil .ive so great that the influence of Church and school are no longer suf.icient to counteract them — these in■titutions must have the active assist* ance of the home. "The Bishop of Wellington, the Et. Eev. H. St. Barbe Holland, stressed this point in an address recently, when he empliasised that the home was the kindergarten which enabled us to get hold of the priuciples that would guide us in our relationship with our fellowmeu, and fit us for the rough univeraity of the worW, "