Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 179, 19 October 1927, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

WAIHEKE Sir,— I, like Mrs. Woods, could fill your columns with “bickerings,” but not being willing to change the subject from “rates” to “personalities,” I now withdraw and leave the inevitable last word to the lady. T. SCHOFIELD. Ponsonby. THE SHAKESPEARE SEASON Sir, — I missed seeing Mr. Allan Wilkie’s letter in THE SUN, but I must say that I agree with most of what a writer signing himself “One of the Audience” says in your Monday’s issue with regard to Auckland audiences. Not that I for a moment admit that Auckland audiences take their pleasures sadly, as this writer suggests, but that they take their pleasures with discrimination and decorum, and certainly they are none the less appreciative on that account. Applause from an Auckland audience is genuine and worth having. I sat in the gallery and saw the presentation of “Antony and Cleopatra” on Monday evening last, and can vouch for the fact that the people in that part of the theatre, though not noisy, were highly appreciative, both of the spectacle and the acting; and it is always the gallery that counts, and on Monday evening it was a very crowded gallery—a thing in itself more eloquent than applause. Mr. Allan Wilkie deserves the whole-hearted support of the people of Auckland and for that matter the whole of New Zealand as well, for his enterprise and courage as for his personal qualities. His scholarly interpretation of the difficult character of Malvolio places him at a very high level indeed. His company, too, are good actors in their degree. It is much to be hoped that the financial results of the season will be such as to induce Mr. Wilkie and his talented company to visit these shores once more at an early date. OLIVER MASON. Morningside. COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING Sir. Very many men,*'iike the Rev. D. C. Heri'on, and the present writer, who have seen the horrors of blood-soaked battlefields, are genuinely disappointed that a generation appeal's to be rising that fails to realise the awful cost of war. The new St. David’s Presbyterian Church is a fine soldiers’ memorial, and it was fitting that Mr. Herron’s first message delivered therein and broadcast throughout this and other lands, was a protest: against a continuance of the war spirit. As the preacher said: “We still allow compulsory military training to develop in the minds of those being trained suspicion of the good faith of other people.” Not only so, but such compulsory

military training in the name of “defence” tends to produce in our young men an anti-colour spirit and a rather belligerent and provocative attitude coward non-white races. We need to take care lest our compulsory military training shall lead male voters of tomorrow to rely overmuch on military weapons in our dealings with, say, the great Yellow races bordering on the Pacific. New Zealand’s attitude to “coloured” races is something which might well be imitated in other parts of the Empire, and it w-ould be a deplorable thing if the present svstem of military training were to inoculate our young men with that which, later, might irritate and inflame, instead of making for neighbourly understanding and the promotion of goodwill. Meanwhile, it is good* to be reassured that “the Presbyterian Church has definitely set its face against the continuance of compulsory military training.” It is for Christ’s Church to lead along the path of world fellowship and thus avert a collossal upheaval. GOODWILL. “ASSERTION AND ARGUMENT” Sir.— Alr - C ; H. Major observes that I do not distinguish between assertion and argument. He ought to know that both the major and minor premises in A. a , s >' llo^isrn consist of assertions, and the conclusion is usually set forth as an assertion. If Mr. Major will refresh his memory by looking up the files of another paper he will there see how I proved that the New Zealand statutes never intended the word ‘secular” in the Education Act to be taken as exclusive of all religious exercises from primary schools. When I cited the National Anthem as illustratl°’} a .nd proof. Mr. Major made himself ridiculous by asserting that the singing of the National Anthem was not a religious exercise. Oral debate is quite, unnecessary. Everv argument adduced by Mr. Major has already been refuted in the Press. As I have proved to demonstration that “A.E.C.” t£!L Mr * * M * jor w ? re v -’rong in their statement that this is a purely impersonal controversy, it is not to Mr. Major s credit to “withdraw nothing” from his former letter. What troubles Mr. Major is my contention that religion and science are inseparable. He cannot down this fact, vet to admit it l? .overthrow his position on the Bible in schools; hence his dilemma. J- G. HUGHES. COSMOGONY—ACCORDING TO HUGHES Sir,— Mr. J. G. Hughes’s pother about names made me re-read the admirable reply sent by “A.E.C.” Every word can be endorsed as accurate and pertinent and I recollect “C.G.M.’s” note as equally good, botb in matter and in manner. I add something for Mr. Hughes s consideration regarding his

championship of “the cosmogony a Moses.” Can it be that Mr. Hcgw is wholly innocent of knowledge triall competent investigators—ChrWand non-Christian alike are satiasfiefl that tiie cosmogony given in Gene ll is not of Moses, and that it is only tut blundering guess of mankind striwri after light in a rude and semi-barra** ous age. Take the dates given for recreation of man upon earth, dec. onward shows this event as tat- ‘ place just some 6,000 years ago. ■ no ingenuity can the Scripture dfl for this event be placed as exetw * 10,000 years. Now what are tablished and accepted facts of weary pilgrimage upon earth. “ Mr. Hughes cannot be wholly * acquainted of the fact that this** be measured by hundreds of thou -- of years. Instead of only a piseo” of humans 10,000 years ago, at tha mankind was spread over ( V< T',-, able portion of the globe —j, ception of our own isolated ™ vjp and in parts—the valley of tn« - for example—bad emerged so wr barbarism as to be able to and to make written records, ihre 3 out the wide world there are w' countless numbers stone IMP fashioned by the hand of mao j ing a progressive intelligei handicraft over vast measured by years. In tn ~ J deposits. hundreds of years old. only the rudest stones are found. Man s Bl eT <e progression in skill is tr, ~s gaining as the ages pass. ** ,* iTom i* cosmogony is so far rmo *Jori facts of modern knowledge a _ —jpapd a smile to the average ha’** 35 reader. In order that he «- !i;C excuse for discontinuing belief 1 Nights’ Entertainment for “ of THE SUN readers, I suese self. j. S-M-

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENT ment with waste of mon V Pocwork in connection with £ For l sonby Road tracks, M - emPhaticgeneral manager, * ,*,-action ■ ally that there is no lo“^ lt . ; ryour complaint. The t - v - jneßlaid throughout the sec - - 0 f retion. but not a single . he jticfclaving was duplicated. A sC <-orU mond Road intersection, pf ,6» with the usual P ract ' pairroad was closed being effected, and t p- 1 six feet, was left open _ D ietier. sage of tqpfiio. first portion was lhr °" 01 the second torn UP Uie tracks.