STRANGE NURSERY

Taihape Daily Times, 29 September 1919, Page 3

STRANGE NURSERY

OF NUDE ‘CHILDREN’. A NEW SECT: THE KOSMON DAWN. A remarkable story was told at Ply-lm-o.uth recently during «the he-aring of an sum:mollS "brought by athe Plympton Board of Guardians against two membars of a new society which calls itself the ‘Kosmon Dawn. One’of the tenets of ‘the society is th~a:t. children should be brought up together in .a nude/'con—-diti-on.

’[‘h_c defendants were John Arthur Pratt and Muriel Boyle who keep a nursery and institution where they receive children at Rock House, Egg, Bushland. They were summoned for failing to register ‘three of the children who were under seven years of age.

When the ed3lc.ation officer visited the premises, he was surprised to find six or seven children of both sexes 1-'l-(m1 3 to 15 wears -of age, stark naked, and running about an open lawn. On a subsequent visit. he found several children. in the house. There were three girls, -aged 15, 13, and 11. The lua‘rte.r was reported to the Board of Guardians, and the board felt that the fact that children of tender‘ age should be -allowed to congreglate in a house like that, stark naked, was a matter which should be

exposed. ’ BATH-S IN TIHE TROUGH.

The clerk said it might be that the defendants thought they were justified. and that "they regarded it as the law of nature. There was, however, the law of morality and decency, -and the Gnardizms thought they would not b: doing their duty if they did not issue this summons_ The fem-(Q10 defendant. wrote him saying sho regretted that she had offelldcd. mg-aixlst the law, and that the childrcn’s father had brought them there and they looked upon it as his own home.

A police—sergeant stated that when -he visited the house the‘ male defendant stated that he was one of ‘the presidents of the Brotherhood, and that he was responsible for "the outdoor work, and Miss Boyle for the indoor work. The. namesof the children were given, and he was told they belonged to two brothers named Chedwidden, whose addresses were given. ' Replying to a question about the children running about in a nude condition the male defendant said. ‘Yes, they d-0. They -have their baths in the trough outside and run about in the air and sun.” The defendants admitted to him that the children were allowed to play about in a nude condition, and said that was a part of their belief. The female defendant said: “Why you see it every day on the beach at the seaside. VVhy n”ot here in the seclusion or our own ground?” A police superintendent said the defendants were perfectly fr-zmk and open in every respect and ‘that the children were extremely healthy. They were also clean and well fed. ' A RELIGIOUS WORK. Defendants, in a statement to the Bench, said they bought. the estate of seven acres known as Rock House, and many of their meinbers had .a.lready given up all their possessions to put into the estate. The object: of the movement was that they should take orphans and fonndlings il'l'espbCli\*e of their creed, colour, or caste. The work of founding the Brotherhood llild not actually commenced. VVhen it did they would study the “Children ’s Charter” and see exnctely where they were placed. In regard to the nude state of the children, they said it was part of their ‘belief that the suns’ rays should be-

upon tllc~lll and that they should bathe every day. They looked upon themselves as the Falthist Brothers and sisters, and they had only got 0110 home, which was at the Rock House. It was quite a religious work. The Bench expressed the opinion that it was an institution and that what had been done was quite straightforward in every way. They would only make a small fine of 5s in each case. It was, however, albsolutely necessary that the children should be registered.