CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 February 1917, Page 8

CORRESPONDENCE.

APPRECIATION. To the Editor. ■Sir, —My thanks to "Bushwoman" 'or her splendid letter. She has written that which I have often tried io put into words, but am told I am unwise to "'worry," as it not troubling us here, yet it somehow goes against my grain, so "liiishwomanV' letter 'was a very gftat pleasure to me. As an Englishwoman, though I live here, my thoughts and sympathies are in England and France, though all honor to our other Allies.—l am, etc., ELTIIAMITE. Eltham, February 20. * PROPOSED STEAMER SERVICE. To the Editor. Sir, —It was said about the sea that as a highway it always kept itself in good repair without the aid of surfacemen, and I thought of this yesterday when a motor waggo/i with apparently five tons of coal from Xcw Plymouth to the Opunake Dairy Factory passed me. Just fancy, Sir, 3fl miles of road while there is a jetty, and there ought to be a wharf, only one mile away. Well, in my opinion it is a public scandal. Of course, the toll covers the Taranaki County, but the Egmont County is the goat in the ease, and gets nothing. Firewood being now exhausted the coal business ought to help a steamer. —I am, etc., W. R. WRIGHT. Ratiotu, February 19. STRIKES AND MILITARY EXEMPTIONS. To the Editor. \ Sir, —I was pleased to read Mr. J. 0. Taylor's letter dealing with strikes and go g;ow tactics as practiced by watersiders and miners. Parents in the position of Mr. Taylor, who have several sons on active service, have every right to demand that all those responsible for any delays in coaling or handling of cargoes which in any way interferes with the transport of produce or other necessities should be quickly and severely punished. With regard to the exemptions from military service > which are being granted to shearers and ministers of religion eligible for the first division, it looks unfair w'len taken in comparison with the eases of eligible dairy-farmers. In reference to shearers there would be no need for exemptions if.the shearers of the Dominion who are not eligible for active service were organised and their labor conscripted. As an old shearer, I know there are plenty of good shearers in the second division, and others over forty-five years capable of putting up good tallies who could he easily spared from their present occupations to do four months' shearing. Taking the cases of the young ministers.who are appealing and being exempted, if they were true to the Muster whom they profess to follov; they should only be too pleased of the opportunity to mix as comrades with, men who every moment they spend in the firing line are facing death. I ven- , ture to say they would be far better employed in doing their Master's work and also their country's where so many are daily passing into eternity than living in luxury while others are fighting for them. Their plea is they cannot be spared yet. They seldom get far from a town; in fact, I only live a few miles from Stratford on a good road, and to my knowledge for nearly a year no 'sinister (Salvation Army officers excepted) has visited our locality, excepting once. I saw one at my gate who thought be was going to Stratford r.fter travelling several miles in an opposite direction, but, poor fellow, ho had an excafe, for ho had literally followed Hie Biblical injunction to "Try the spirit." At the present time there are numbers of elderly Christian men and women with leisure and ability who.would be both capable and willing to carry out the labor and duties of all persons eligible for active service in the first division. In conclusion, I venture to say it would be easier to find cither shearers or parsons than suitable labor to carry on the work of the conscripted dairy' farmer, and it is time the dairy farmer woke up to demand the same treatment with regard to exemptions as is meted out to the black-cloth fraternity and the shearing industry.—l am, etc,, H.H. Inanga, February 20,1017. PICTUREMOXGERY. To the Editor. / Sir,—l am glad to see that the Rev. Mr. Colvile has denounced the character of far too many of our picture shows. I would refer to the disgraceful picture recently shown in Hawera and ilsewbere called "The Naked Truth." It represented, if you can believe it, an apparent ly devout clergyman following a nude woman along deserted hillsides and through tangled bush. His congregation was taught that such a pursuit was to be the aim of their lives. At this miserable, show many boys and girls were present and the effect upon them must have been as injurious as the picture was disgusting to th.i right-minded. How it passed the ecns";c is what we want to : know. It seems as if the artful pretence that the picture w..s an allegorical representation of Christian doctrine did the trick. The temrting woman who invited pursuit was given out as a representation of Truth and a mock-parson was introduced whose antics at times, hewever, betrayed the actor. We read of "Nuda Veritas" in Horace, but the words do not authorise such a picture with its grossness. When Greek was read in our colleges one of the first lessons in translation was the story out of Xenophon of the Choice of Hercules. Virtue appears as a woman fully clad n> white, but the woman that came in transparent dress was known as Vice. There is sense in the. story but none in the picture. The fable, too, is told that Falsehood, finding Truth bathing in a stream, stole bedclothes that she might appear in the garb of Truth. The

fijt is the picture is as gross a libi!l u]f>n Christianity as can possibly be conceived. It is extraordinary that iti these days even our picture-mongers do not know how contrary to Christianity it is to represent the higher life as consisting in following such a woman as that shown in the picture. Let these peopb know that their picture is the very opposite of the truth, and that we are taught not to follow after nakedness but to be clothed with humility (1 Peter, v 5). We believe that to be without Christ is really to be "wretched and miserable and poor and blind and nakeit. Wo are warned to procure from Him '"white raiment" (Rev. iii., 14), "the robe of righteousness." Notwithstanding its ignorant and thin pretences the picture shown is an hypocrisy, a serious offence against charity, religion and decency, n eoarse. fabrication to win from the" ignorant and coarse-minded their plaudits and money, no matter how it may demoralise. That such a picture should be presented as having some seeming recommendation through Laving passed the censor but increases the mischief of it a thousand-fold.—l nm, etc.. PROTEST. Hawera, February 19, DON'T DIET. Dr. Sheldon's Digestive Tubules oigist what you eat, and allow yon to cat all the good, wholesome food you want. If you are suffering from indigestion, you will be surprised at |he speedy relief they will give you. Tf your case is of lov.g standing," it will require a reasonable time to effect a remedy, for Nature cannot replace worncut tissues with now ones by magi?. But when, by the use of this preparation, the stomach is given absolute vest, and abundant nourishment and reconstructive materials furnished, recovery is certain and permanent. Price 1- (id and 2s 6d. Obtainable everywhere BEGIN TREATMENT AT ONCE. Have you a weak throat? If so, you cannot be too careful. You cannot begin teratment too early. Each cold makes you more liable to another, and the last is always the harder to cure. If you will take Chamberlain's Cough Reemdy at the outset you will be saved much trouble. Sold eyejywhere,