The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1927. A SOCIAL DANGER SIGNAL.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 January 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1927. A SOCIAL DANGER SIGNAL.

Co.u.ukmtinc! on the evidence in an assault case recently heard in Sydney, the piesiding judge made some very strong comment on present-day social manners and customs, lie pointed ou* that practices which a lew years were regarded as outrageous and shocking are to-day looked upon with toleration and eoinplaeciicy. The Sydney Daily Telcrgaph, referring to the Judge’s remarks, has a few plain words to say, as it forsees moral disaster if society does not call a halt to consider the trend of the path now being followed. It says, inter alia.: “There is no doubt that conventional standards of conduct have been deporahly lowermi in recent days, and it. is only now and then that the results of this deterioration arc brought before the public. The tragedies that lurk behind the change over from Mid-Victorian to the ultra-modernism are probably greater than easy-going people imagine. What else is there to exneet when tile sell-

respect- which is woman’s greatest protection is liehl mi as a tiling to be laughed at. Young girls, in the lxildest extremity of modern dress fashion, dancing till midnight with men met lor the first time at the door of the jazz hall, and then returning alone to respectable suburban homes, present a psychological enigma, for the solution of which society is threatened with a terrible price. And it. is only w*c example of the tendency of the times. The paner stales that the culprits in the case which elicited the judge’s comments were with difficulty saved from the fury of an enraged crowd of women and men. and adds: “ I heir indignation did them credit in so far as it indicated natural revulsion from the crime, lint that is not the wav to combat this evil. The place for the indignant crowds to assist is in their own

homes, by exercising proper care over the young men and women growing up there. They will thus attack the seat of the evil. Teach the girls to respect their girlhood and thereby compel the men to respect it. There is nothing of more reverence in all creation than the feminine modesty, which it i.s getting fashionable amongst the up-to-date to treat with scorn and derision. Jf gloating men ridicule this virtue, it is largely because foolish women are failing to appreciate it at its true worth. This, of course, does not apply to more than a minority of women. If it did, society would rapidly rot to a well-de-served death. When women as a whole cheapen the priceless jewel of their womanhood, civilisation, will have run its course. There are. however, women before whose simple modesty the most daring libertine would stand abashed, and, fortunately for our rave, these still represent the average type, just as the clean-minded, woman-respecting man typifies his sex. But the proportion of both sexes who are bringing the standard down is growing. That is the disquieting feature. And the case which prompted the judicial reference to the changing moral fashions was

only one of many grim warnings reminding ns of this fact and of what it portends.’’ Those are plain words. The first step towards remedying an evil i.s to recognise its existence. And when Bench and press voice such a grave warning it behoves the people to heed.