The Manawatu Herald. Saturday. May 18, 1912. THE POLICY OF HUSH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1045, 18 May 1912, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday. May 18, 1912. THE POLICY OF HUSH.

Whilk a large number of people who should be leaders of morals and exponents of the decencies, are wrangling about the hereafter and speculating about matters that are absolutely hidden from man, our judges in the Supreme Court are dealing with the here and now, the problems that are before our eyes, waiting for solution. The papers in the centres are giving tremendous publicity to the question of the state of the human being after death. The little hells that are close to hand, do not seem to interest these people for it is not respectable to discuss the sex question in a falsely virtuous social atmosphere. Slowed away in obscure corners of those same papers, one will find huge lists of divorce cases, and in still more obscure corners the grave remarks of a judge, “ Mr Justice Denniston at Christchurch, remarked on the number of sexual cases, and he said he had come to the conclusion that there was a class of young men, who made the pursuit ot young girls almost a profession. It might be a result of the slackening of parental control, or of a senseless prudery, which denied to those approaching maturity, a knowledge of the elementary facts of physiology." What matter that New Zealand has a larger proportion of sexual assaults than any other country, as long as there is plenty ot food tor political wrangles ? What possible interest can be taken in the fact that no public park in New Zealand is safe for womenfolk after sundown and frequently in broad daylight, while there is the vague question of Hades to be tougued by people who seem to forget they are living among warm human beings, with human failings and human virtues? Who cares that every magistrate on the bench has referred time and time again to the slackness of parents, the lack of control of young people, while there is the delicious subject of the state of parties to attract attention ? To publicly speak of the social canker that is eating into New Zealand life is to be regarded as some kind of an ogre. Among a huge class of good folk'the human being as turned out by Nature is indecent. Only his clothes and his professions are respectable. His deeds don’t count. To gain an even elementary knowledge ol the matters which are so carefully hushed up, it is necessary to know and to hear medical men on the subject of New Zealand morals. Medical men are restrained from publicly telling all they know because to do so would be a breach of confidence, but occasionally they have made statements that show the extraordinary lax state of juvenile morals, which society at large absolutely declines to take notice of or beiieve. One of the best known medical men in New Zealand speaking of this phase said that, socially “ there was milk and water on top, but dirt below.” The matron of the Paulina Home in Wellington on the occasion of an investigation into the morals of the young, said, ‘‘it is the witholding of information from the young that leads to them investigating for themselves.” Not a single society took advantage ot the disclosures made in 1909 to do anything. They probably showed surprise and disbelief. A remark or two culled from the reported utterances of New Zealand medical men may suffice to indicate the conditions existing : ‘‘The whole fault lays with the parents. There is idiotic prudery, wanton carelessness.” Said another; ‘‘Preaching is no good. Juvenile immorality is rampant. The public conscience is asleep.” Another: ‘‘Marriages are becoming fewer. They will still dwindle. The state of things at the present time is worse than at any other time in New Zealand’s history.” Still another: “Youngsters in New Zealand have an utter contempt for constituted authority and that of their parents. The position at present is absolutely damnable.” Yet another: “The way to set about teaching morality to young New Zealanders is to discipline them.” All these are genuine verbatim extracts from the remarks of medical men specially selected for their eminence and knowledge of the conditions prevailing. Nobody has moved a finger since these men spoke, becouse it isn’t respectable to talk the naked truth. To wind up, Dr McArthur, the Stipendiary Magistrate who handles more juvenile cases than all other New Zealand magistrates, said : “I almost invariably find that parents are apologists for their children, and refuse to be impressed with the heinousness ol their crimes. The offenders look upon the Magistrate not as a person who desires to give them good advice, but an avenging angel, whose place is to punish them rightly or wrongly, lor transgressions that their parents do not seem sorry they have committed.” What is New Zealand going to do about it ?* It will probably disbelieve the truth, and keep on saying “hush.”