PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20922, 29 September 1939, Page 7

PUBLIC OPINION

As expressed by correspondents whose letters are welcome, but lor whose views we have no responsibility. Correspondents are requested to write in ink. It is essential that anonymous writers enclose their proper names as a guarantee of good faith. Unless this rule is complied with, their letters will not appear. "ANSWER YES(To the Editor) Sir,—Since you have published in your issue of September 27 some verses entitled “Answer Yes," I venture to suggest that an appropriate heading for your page dealing with news from the seat of war is a quotation from Robert Browning’s Pippa Passes, to wit, “God’s in his heaven—All’s right with the world.” I ask for similar publicity as the “Answer Yes” author.—l am, etc., ALSO A MOTHER. Hamilton, Sept. 28. GRAFTING OF FRUIT TREES (To the Editor) Sir, —In today’s paper the Gov-ernor-General, Lord Galway, advises us to grow vegetables and flowers—the latter to brighten our lives during the trying time we are all going through. Can any of your readers tell me if it would be possible to graft fruit trees on to trees other than fruit trees,’ Lemon and orange trees become attacked by the borer, and it may be quite possible for these trees to be grafted to some species of pine which will not be attacked by this trouble. We need fruits in abundance, and this may be an easy and quick way to achieve the desired end. It will be interesting to note what your readers can tell us on the subject,— i am, etc, MADAME WELL. Hamilton, Sept. 28. CONSCRIPTION ISSUE (To the Editor) Sir,—Mr Douglas Seymour, in such moments as he can spare from ridiculing the Douglasites and exhorting the Garden Place Preservation Society regarding the hill, has strongly advocated in these columns the immediate introduction of conscription. Under international law, soldiers must have uniforms. Common sense suggests that they should also have equipment, and we have not sufficient of either foi the special force of C6OO. There are probably 100,000 fit men between the ages of 21 and 35 to whom conscription would apply. When Mi Seymour gets them to Hopu Hopu to make democracy safe for the Poles, bow does he propose to fit them out? I can picture Mr Seymour as G.O.C. this conscript army, clad in a wrist watch and a string of beads, bravely brandishing his mere and urging his men to "draw the catapult in the cause of truth and justice.” Hitler would be very disturbed. I am, etc., G. HUNTER. Horsham Downs, Sept. 27. NATIONAL DAT OF PRAYER (To the Editor) Sir, —The King has directed that Sunday next be a national day of prayer. To those who believe that the British race descends from “The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel,” this is of special significance. Unless the Bible is mostly meaningless, there must exist today a great Kingdom and a great People closely related who have been chosen by God to carry out his purpose to mankind on earth. It is suggested that this refers to Great Britain and America. World events of recent years are emphatically demonstrating that Old Testament prophecies are being rapidly enacted. It is there interpreted that there would be five great world empires of which the fifth would be the greatest and last. That from the break up of the fourth Empire (The Roman) numerous kingdoms would arise which in turn would be superseded by three great dictators. These dictators would eventually combine to attack the fifth Empire which had been built up from the Kingdom of Ancient Israel, who for their disobedience and sins, similar to our present day ones, had been banished irom their homeland by material means and conquest, but were foretold as being gathered in another home and under another name and tongue. These in their turn were warned that disobedience to God’s laws, economic, moral and spiritual, would entail great fears, distress, illness and suffering. This punishment was to be both individual and national, „i,d would continue as long as our actions deserved it, even to the po, it that everything we hold must dear would be on the verge of being lost. That our ways or life, particularly our worship oi money and power and our ideas of social justice, merit, what we are now going througn cannot be gainsaid, r.nd until we mend these ways foi God’s ways, we can expect little itiief. This is the pcuil that wants emphasising; we must all make that genuine appeal for material and spiritual aid on an occasion such as next Sunday. Until we do, our tribulations will continue. We have this solace: God has told us that “I will yet be required to do it for them.” Note the future tense. If He does have to, we will probably be in a sorry position. Why not save all that and make our appeal now?—l am, etc., SUPPLIANT. Hamilton, Sept. 28.