Miss Bartlett tells tale

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33786, 7 March 1975, Page 2

Miss Bartlett tells tale

(Bp

FLEUR TOCKER)

Some moralist campaigners might decline an invitation to talk to a crowd of mainly unsympathetic students, hut not the surefooted Miss Patricia Bartlett.

Yesterday, as part c. orientation week at the University of Canterbury, about 500 students, packed in the Ngaio Marsh Theatre, were assailed with her views on film censorship, and abortion.

They gave her a fair hearing. Students are often decried for “razzing” their speakers, but this time, in spite of the emotional topics, they were tolerant. Yet much of the wit which can be expected from such an audience was also missing. Perhaps it was too near the beginning of term. The star turn of the day was provided by an anqny- '

mous student who said not a word. Miss Bartlect was preparing to attack the Remuera Medical Aid Centre, and abortion generally.

“Once upon a time . . she said. “Tell us a fairy story,” said someone else. “Once upon a time, motherhood in New Zealand was rightly put on a pedestal . . .” Miss Bartlett got no further. In the gap in the curtains behind her appeared a bare male bottom, and the audience roared with delight.

After the noise died

down, the guest said she “had missed the point of the joke.” Nobody attempted to explain. Years of dealing with audiences are starting to show. She coped with difficult questions by stepping over them, or by delivering

a long answer in a plain wrapper. She was almost unflappable, although a couple of slips of the tongue left her puzzled at the reaction. While listing her many objections to the Remuera Medical Aid Centre (com-

monly called the Auckland Abortion Clinic) Miss Bartlett said it made her sad that the “Society for the Promotion of Cruelty to Animals” could advertise to find homes for unwanted animals, when the clinic in Auckland could not find homes for unwanted humans. She did not appear to notice the error. One questioner asked her on what grounds she was qualified to comment on aspects of sexual behaviour. Miss Bartlett said there were many things in life which people held opinions on but were not able to experience, such as apartheid, and, for men, abortion.

She said the behaviour of the young today was quite different from that in her day, “when I was a teen-ager, 25 years ago.” There was was hardly a college today where a girl had not become pregnant. “Boys’ High?” suggested a bright spark. “We should be teaching our girls to think. They can’t say no at the right time.” New Zealand was bringing up a weak breed of woman, and a selfish breed of man, she said. Her position as secretary of the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards was now fulltime, and she was paid an honorarium of $lOOO, which was not easy to live on she said. Tile society had 18,000 financial members. She had been glad to

accept the invitation to speak ai the university because it showed the students were prepared to listen to “a moral side,” Miss Bartlett said.