Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 365, 28 May 1928, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

WHAT IS MEMORY? Sir.— In reply to “A.F.” I am afraid I cannot discuss possibilities (e). I am much obliged and grateful to him for considering: my letter. I have analysed his definition of memory, putting- his words in parentheses: (a) Memory is the molecules of the matter of the brain (actual words; (b) memory is the motion of these molecules (and their motion); (c) memory is mind-perceived sensations (every sensation perceived by the mind); (d) memory is the photographing of these sensations (every sensation ... is microscopically photographed). The brain does this to change its own molecular structure. Very neat! Hoffding avoids it beautifully by saying: “A fundamental mental phenomenon." This conveys nothing. Thanking your correspondent. LOGICIAN. THE BATHS LOAN Sir,—• Apparently, after some six months, the City Council is at last to send the baths loan proposals to the Loans Board for approval—and it may be taken that we will sooner or later be voting on them. That is, unless the figure for Pt. Chevalier is found again to want a few additions, in which case, of course, loan or no loan, we won’t have any baths next season. We can only hope that the council will not crown its present folly by grouping all the baths loans under one heading. The Chevalier idea is not likely to go down with anyone that has to meet the losses, but we don’t seem to have much option on the subject of filtration plants for the other mudpools. Either we have this facility or we do not have the use of the thousands of pounds embedded in them. So, Mr. Mayor and councillors, a fair go, please! NO MORE CAMOUFLAGE. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Sir. — The views on capital punishment expressed by “Sanity’* in your issue of the 21st inst. must meet with the approval of every right-minded person in the community. Capital punishment is a relic of the degraded penal code of the dark ages. The principle that hanging is a deterrent to crime is wrong, as the history of our penal code bears out. Less than a century ago, when the inhumanity of the English penal code was equalled only by the rigours of the Spanish Inquisition, and when even petty crimes were punished by hanging, crime was never so prevalent. As our laws became more humane, crime, especially crimes of violence, gradually decreased.

Right-thinking people now recognise that criminals cannot be reformed and their efforts directed into useful chan-

nels by brutality. Man reacts to the treatment meted out to him. If he is treated as a beast he will gradually become bestial; but if he is treated as a human being he will react by becoming more human. The greatest punishment that can be inflicted on a man is to be segregated from the community for life. Let this be the punishment meted out to those who take human life, and let us remove from our statute books the degrading and uncivilised laws which allow us to destroy the life of our fellow beings. COMPOS MENTIS. LIFE AFTER DEATH Sir,— As one of the first subscribers to The Sun, I am pained to witness a correspondence which denies the existence of a higher life beyond the grave. Take away from those who suffer —the aged and unfortunate—the belief in life after death, where a. Merciful Being will reward their patience for bearing the cross, after Him in this world, and a great, I might say criminal, action is done. Ingersoll, when lecturing throughout the United States on this subject, brought down upon him the just censure of an outraged people. What takes away the sting of death if you rob fathers and mothers of the hope of being united beyond the grave with loved ones so dear to them? I can understand those who have riches, honours and a great name being carried away from this thought of after life, but as the hero of Quebec quoted: The pride of ancestry, rank and power, All that the earth ere gave, Await alike the inevitable hour, The path of glory leads but to the grave. HUMANITY. THE TREE OF LIFE Sir, Immortality is mentioned all through the New Testament. The words of Christ to the thief on the cross should be quite sufficient to convince the most material minded person in the world (chapter 23, St Luke, verse 4): “And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with Me in paradise.” Of course, we know the body left on the cross would be sufficient proof for Sir Arthur Keith for his theory, but that could occur only after the soul and the spirit had left the body. God dwells in the heart of every mon. Nothing can live—neither man, beast, tree or anything in existence—without the spirit of God within it. As a scientist Sir Arthur is one of the most eminent men of these times, but he has made the mistake of studying too diligently the material side of the subject to the detriment of the spiritual. Should any seek-iriore confirmation, I refer them to these chapters of the New Testament: Matthew 17, verse 3. 9-14: Rt. Mark 10. verses 23 and 31; St. Luke.

20, verses 27-40; St. John 11, verses 21-27, 39-40. In the Book of Revelations' we are told that the Kingdom of Heaven came down and settled upon the plains of Mesopotamia; that those who drink of the River of Life in the great white city become immortal —body, soul and spirit. The River erf Life makes the blood turn white and pure, and the Tree of Like makes the flesh white and pure. All people who live in the Kingdom of Heaven after the great judgment live in the flesh as we do now*, but it is incorruptible and immortal. L.P. CHAPTER AND VERSE I am sending a few' quotations in answer to the letter on immortality ® The Sun of May 24. To begin with. Genesis, ii., Deut, xxx., 15; I. Samuel, xxv., 29; Job, 12; also xix., 25-26 and xxxii., 8; Psalm xvt, 17; xvii., 15; and Ps., xxi., 4; 15; Ps. lxviii., 20; Ps., cxxxiiL, 3; Pro*x., 16 Isaiah, xxxv., 10; also xliL > Daniel, xii., 2-3; Hosea, xiii., 14; Matt., xxii., 30. 31, 32: xxv., 46; bjMark, xii., 25, 26, 27; St. Luke, ix., 2* 25, 26, 27; xx., 35, 36, 37. 38; xxiv., 5. *• 46; St. John, iii., 14, 15, 16, 36; r ’ v., 24, 25, 26, 39, 40; vi., 40, 48, 58; xv«; 3; Acts, xiii., 46; :_xiiL. 6; Rom., IU-* *■ v., 21 I. Cor., xv., every word; 2; iii., 7; I. John, v., 11, 12, 13, 20;Jud®. 21; Revelations, i., 18; vii., 12, 14, 16, 17: xiv., 13; 33c.; Eccleau, xiL ** ahm iii. 2L HELPING SOLDIERS "l am sorry to have to encroach your valuable space, but I feel tna „ answer is due “New Zealander After many inquiries I find facts are as stated in my last * ’ and can only come to one concl 441^a ir and that is that the letter ro ” 1 Vl ‘.h* Zealander II.” has been inspired DY party in question, or is , _^er. of one who is not a New Zeal However, if the facts as stat “New Zealander IT.’ are corre i/j he kindly send me his name a dress, and I will interview hua« wise the mauer will be dea . by th° New Zealand Natives ASS£ tion at its next meeting on T ,T V any case we havo plenty of m T «mion are not ex-inspectors of the „ Police Force, quite competent form his duties, but they are * a landers, and of course that m difference.