SUNTANNED AND CAREFREE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 935, 12 July 1957, Page 11

SUNTANNED AND CAREFREE

Sir,-May I quote for the benefit of Mr Bruce Mason an Arabic proverb: "One hair does not make a beard, my son." I have not read the article Les Robinsons du Pacifique, but have heard (judging by the reaction of both Mr Mason and F.L.W.W.) similar comments by Europeans. One Frenchman, since gone back, felt that "The New Zealanders are not so much culturally dead but culturally impotent." His. mistake lay in generalising, but I feel there’s a lot of New Zealanders to whom the statement would apply. Would Mr Mason give us his definition of culture? Perhaps it differs from the European, Europeans, of course, compare other countries with their own, always to the other country’s detriment. We should try not to fall into the same habit. ; An Italian said to me, this very day: "The New Zealand is all right, but what do you want, it is not Italy!" New Zea-

land is NOT Italy, New Zealand is New Zealand. What else should it be? While I have the pen in my hand, could I reply to Sarah Campion’s statement, "I... reflected that some of us, sometimes, tend to be rather hysterical about hygiene. We may even be confusing it with culture." I feel that we often confuse it with virture. Bad little boy to get all dirty . . . good little girl to keep your nice new frock clean. . ; Such a nice, clean boy ... ete.

MIRELLA

HALL

(Auckland).