"FALLEN” GIRLS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 July 1932, Page 2

"FALLEN” GIRLS

ARCHBISHOP’S PLAIN SPEAKING

l* AUCKLAND, July 16. 'The attitude of people who, like the Pharisee, looked . with contempt on a “fallen’? girl was criticised by Archbishop “AveriH, when speaking at the .annugl meeting of St. Mary’s Homes.

“The longer t live the more I realise that a great majority of people who profess to call themselves Christians adopt the attitude of the' Pharisee and look,, uppn unfdrt||h|ib“ girls, such as are in the hoinc) as ” said the archbishop, “that the Lord did not judge the sins of the flesh as the worst sins of. all, but that some of the sins of the spirit were greater is shown by the answer given to the Pharisees.”

Archbishop Averill said many' people regarded the girls as being outside the pale': and. they did nothing to help them;. ,That was the most un-Christian attitude which could -be adopted, and it was directly opposed, to the teaching of the Lord. If only some of the Pharisees of to-day would ask themselves how they stood in the flight of the teachings of Christ in comparison, with '.those they despised, they might be very much surprised. The Archbishop said that in many cases , to-know all was to forgive all. Some of the girls had not been influenced by a mother and bad not bad the benefit of moral teaching. Many of the girls wore not in the home because they were “bad,” but because of circumstances over which they bad no control. It was the duty of those who Were blessed with homes and families t ! 6 do everything to help the girls. ’ The Rev. R. J. Stanton, chaplain to the home,, said the Governor-General, librd Bledisloe, bad been outspoken in dealing, with the contributing factors to the problem. In many cases the •([light of the girls was due to divorce ip their families and to their being bfought up without a mother’s guidance.,