Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 390, 26 June 1928, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

THE BOOK EXCHANGE Sir, V X wish to thank “Alinari” for his generous offer, but have since learnt that “Th© Book of Life” is listed by a Dunedin firm, and I shall be able to get into direct communication with * STUDENT. OUR MORALS Sir, — Your correspondent “Pistol” is alarmed lest Archbishop Averill and Canon James should have scared off aspiring politicians by the force of their direct talk to New Zealanders on Friday, and thus lose to us the benefit of our best legislative brains. So far there seems anything but a tendency toward modesty on the part of prospective Parliamentary candidates, and it appears to me that if a few of the men offering themselves—particularly in the Auckland district —would check their indecent enthusiasm to split organised votes, New Zealand would be enabled to make a sane and sensible choice. The public-spirited will respond to the Primate’s appeal for morality and Christianity; the thinskinned and hypocritical will drop out. Let them! NEUTRAL. FACING SOCIAL PROBLEMS Sir. — I wish heartily to congratulate The Sun upon the splendid editorial published in Saturday’s issue on “The Morals of the People.” It seems to me that there is at long last a conscientious and worthy desire to raise the light of education against the terrible social evils which gain their strength and their vitality from the shameful darkness into which they have for generations been plunged. The Sun is not alone in this respect, for I have read the most outspoken and fearless condemnation of these same evils in the British papers. Over there they do not hesitate to use very plain and straight language to awaken people from their apathy concerning these things. R. M. THOMSON. FOOTBALL LANGUAGE Sir, — Reading the report of the dispute between the Thistle Football Club and the Auckland Football Association, I notice that a complaint was made by the referee against the language used to him by one of the players. The player in question denied using the language complained of, but admitted using the words, “Ach awa ref. A’m no off-side." I think the referee is to be commended on taking the stand ,ie did. In New Zealand, where our young people are only taught one language in the public schools, New Zealand-born players are placed under a big disadvantage when opponents resort to the use of a foreign language on the field. Several years ago a

complaint was made to a controlling body against the captain of a Maori Rugby team who issued his instructions to his men in Maori. The same disadvantage is also being experienced by the All Blacks in interpreting the Dutch signals of the South. Africans. In the present instar#2e I do not know the English equivalent of the language admitted, but it certainly sounds bad. Possibly the referee was in the same position, and in the excitement of the moment feared the worst. The use of English in our national games would certainly save a great deal of misunderstanding. NATIVE BORN. THE £SOO OFFER Sir, * An examination of the Scriptures has shown me the futility of making a claim on the Bible Students for the above sum, as they declare emphaticaly that God only hath immortality, and that death is the portion of the human race, any hope of future life being by means of the Resurrection or restoration to life of the soul or sentient being, God giving that soul a “body as He pleaseth” (so St. Paul argues in 1 Cor., chap. 15.). “Rosella Cla.rke” seems to think that she has a good quotation in her letters to you, but if she looks up Collins’s or Webster’s dictionaries she will find that the Apocrypha from which she takes her quotation has no standing as Scripture. Permit me to add. I was once a believer in the soul’s immortality, but the Scripture that awakened me to the fact of human mortality is found in Genesis 3-22: Lest he put forth his hand and take of the Tree of Life and live for ever, he (Adam) was driven out of the condition he was then in and he passed his outcast condition on to posterity and the only hope of the restitution of longevity is as stated in 1 Cor., 15-22. This is the Christian doctrine. ADELPHOS. STATISTICS AND HEALTH Sir, — I think there is one weakness in the figures supplied by Mr. C. E. Major, in comparing New Zealand with New South 'Wales. He should take into consideration that New South Wales is fully one generation ahead of New Zealand and therefore one generation ahead in population. Even so, our country is very close upon the older country in respect of the figures supplied by Mr. Major, in ail sections of calculation. But I fully agree with him upon the futility of Bible teaching to act even as a deterrent, much less as a cure. It seems to me the greatest evil of all is forgotten and neglected. It is disease, mental and physical. I am positively convinced that by far the greater quantity of all our social evils is due to this everoperating cause. And when we consider that the sub-normal, the degenerate and the physically unfit are permUted to marry and propagate their kind, what els© can we expect? It is not enough, to say we are not

as bad as other countries. That jj a sop to self-complacency at tc best. The real thing is to P*® education that will prevent. Aa■ is education against disease. is a wide realm of human en which so far is the Cinderella educational science. It is n . ot a doctrine, or a religion. It is a endeavour which must be aUl }j. t 4cD--the people for their own pro*. humane education. hUMAH®®*

ALL BLACKS IN SOUTH AFt&

Tour correspondent lishman,” in his first lette F wingforward as played oy couth Zealanders (i.e.. All Slacks ge ** Africa), is simply a spon • there to spoil the back P *.. de r j]e opposing side, break the o be&* and beat the referee, u ?Cf crd the referee he is considerea wing.” , if Seri** When I suggested th at * “ > U# shaw, the wingforward ,y° -Imiuia* All Black team, w%s really co breaches with impunity, t 1 crn . r ised c: have the referee either in©;- „ eO O squared, “Colonial English pj&v* replies that Scrimshaw* is , gas* ing- the undesirable wingfo off*#; and is not offending by ge y~_niiigl" What then is “Colonial Enf* -t squealing about? I him that is very Side - COLONIAL KIA *** i