POISONING THE CHILDREN’S MINDS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 May 1921, Page 7

POISONING THE CHILDREN’S MINDS.

WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF.

IS OUR CONDEMNATION JUSTIFIED?

(Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare League.)

The New Zealand Welfare League lias drastically criticised the organisation known as The New Zealand Labor Party for the reason that we believe that body to be an absolute danger to the welfare of the people of this Dominion, as it is at present constituted and controlled. The spirit that animates the revolutionary movement, of which the above party is the expression, is, in our opinion, directly opposed to the best interests of Labor and all decent citizenship. These being our honest convictions we would be rank cowards if we failed to emphasise the evils of the insidious propaganda of this revolutionary movement.

Our reason for writing very plainly on this subject is that we find many people are led into a mistaken sympathy with the advocates of the revolutionary doctrines because of their desire to do justice to labor. It is nearly time that thinking people Recognised tnat this destructive propaganda of class hatred is not labor, but is as dangerous to the genuine workers as anything can possibly be. That our criticism is none too drastic is shown by evidence we here present.

GOSPEL OF HATRED.

The Maoriland Worker publishes week by week a column under the heading of the “Children’s Corner.” It is designed to instil Socialist ideas into the minds of the young. Under cover of much sentimental talk it takes steps to inculcate the passion of class hatred -by the use of the most cunningly devised and unscrupulous insinuations. Here are two specimens of this insidious propaganda of evil.

ISSUE OF MARCH 30TH.

“When the capitalist took the carpenter and nailed him to the cross they thought they had killed the Labor movement.”

ISSUE OF APRIL 13TH.

“Last Monday I went up North to help win or try to win the Patea for Labor. We may not win, Sunbeams, but we will carry the message into that stronghold, and next time we shall win. They cannot beat Labor Sunbeams. T~ey have been trying ever since they crucified the carpenter. Don’t forget, Sunbeams, the carpenter was crucified for defying the money bugs of his day.”

WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE?

It should be noted by all Christian people, whether Catholics, Protestants, or any other persuasion, that here are references to Christ which are blasphemous from the standpoint that it is using His sacred name from a political motive to instil into the minds of the young feelings of hatred towards other*. The fact of the words being mild and persuasive does not decrease the evil. We want our readers to realise that such is tlie kind of teaching that is being carried into hundreds of homes in New Zealand and pressed upon the attention of the children to the poisoning of their minds. Apart from the fact that the statement is historically an impudent lie it is surely the lowest form of propaganda conceivable to use the religious feelings of children on which to build a bias of class prejudice and distrust. It will be useless for the “New Zealand Labor Party” (so-called) to protest that it is not responsible. The evidence is that the writing was produced by a member of that party who went to assist the party’s candidate at Patea. There is also the fact that these vicious statements have appeared repeatedly and no member of the party has ever challenged or repudiated them. The style, and other evidence, points to a leader of the party in Christchurch as the probable author. On a previous occasion of criticism the words “Official Organ of the New Zealand Party” were? removed from the heading of the sheet referred to. Spare us from any more of such hypocrisy since it is well known that leading members of the party support, write for, edit and manage the paper. The public can very well judge who are responsible.

AN APPEAL.

We know there are individuals attached to the above Party who dislike the sort if thing we are here exposing; they tell us so in private but so far we have not heard of their doing anything to put it down. We now appeal to the men and women in the Labor movement to deal with this matter strongly. Such reckless and vicious propaganda can do no good either to Labor or any other cause.

In the interests of decency and common sense we urge the suppression of this noxious political hysteria which insults all religious feeling by its blasphemous familiarity with events held sacred by all Christian people, whatever their political views.