THE CASE OF MATTHEWS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17220, 10 August 1921, Page 8

THE CASE OF MATTHEWS.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS," Sir, —Your correspondent ' 'lndignant" is very indignant because Mattneivs has been spared to escape—ana, as it turns out, to be recaptured, presumably "Indignant" would take him and kill him, thereby teaching him not to kill and impressing others that muni* is wrong. It is true that .Uatthews is a problem, though not normally an expense, for I suppose he works for ins bare' living while he is -n confinement. But he is a product of our own civilisation, and should be dealt with as such. Why shelve our immediate rcoponsibility bv sending him on to his next stage of'existence untaught? If his kJimc is merely a matter of cxpeduncy, i suggest that we kill all the si.k, incompetents, and criminals in Christcnurcn, for thev are all prob'ems from a strietlv materialistic point of view. It it is a question of cash, it must be_admitted that a creat deal more New Zealand ironev is squandered on useless and harmful luxuries tnan would keep and tea Mi all tne Matthews' and potential .Matthews' in the country. Without excusing the gravity of Matthews' ctfence I risk tho heavy stigma of sentimentalisni hx nskin<r hew many of 'us have riven one helpful and comrassiontite thought to this'little man against whom every man's hand is raised, and who is against every man?—this unfortunate and undisciplined soul who arrived in the world heavily handicapped, lived possibly in a bad environment nnd at entity with life, and conimitted mansl"ughtnr. not with intent, but unon a wiM and had impulse of selfprotection. —Yours, etc., N.R. Chrietchurch, August 9th.