Cathedral Square

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34072, 9 February 1976, Page 14

Cathedral Square

' Sir, — The indomitable ; spirit of the Wizard now i seeks support by public petiI tion for official licence. I I have been among his audi- \ ence on odd occasions and I have been impressed by his I verbal antics and sense of j the ridiculous, even in mat-' ters of the Christian faith. : But on the day when Crl I Garrett found fault in the performance with regard to i illegal selling, I was dis- ’ appointed to hear belittlei ment of the Mother of Jesus. To say in context that her son told her “to get lost” is one thing, to say blatantly He hadn’t any time for “His bloody mother” is quite another. It is neither true nor ; funny. Mary is loved and honoured by millions. Christian people will not tolerate public blasphemy. The council does well to exercise discretion in such matters. It is prudent to have allies in heaven as on earth, even if they wear skirts. — Yours,' etc.,

R. MAXWELL. February 4, 1976.

Sir, —R. Maxwell chooses to ignore the torrent of blasphemy currently pouring out of the schools, universities and welfare institutions which are supported by compulsory taxation, and even from many churches. I am not seeking a position in any religious institution but in the City Council, a purely secular authority. As an orthodox Anglican I have ears only for the opinion of my local Bishop when it comes to allegations of public blasphemy. Local self-appointed grand inquisitors are not only wasting their time but endangering their immortal souls by usurping legitimate ecclesiastical authority. My humour is on a par with that of Dave Allen, who reaches a far greater audience than I can command in the Square. “Bloody” is a contraction of the mediaeval oath “By Our Lady.” Am I going to obey the local wowsers who are

concerned about my language? Not by Our Lady likely. —Yours, etc., lAN BRACKENBURY CHANNELL. “THE WIZARD.” February 8, 1976.

Sir, —I have just read that the Wizard has been accused of selling “Slavery for Women” badges at 300 per cent profit, which is a travesty of the truth. Cost at the factory door (Hansen and Berry, Ltd, Auckland) w r as just under 40c each, and this does not account for the extra costs of a return trip to Auckland from Tauranga, a three-month correspondence including four toll calls and the sheer time and trouble of running around chasing up orders, arranging for dispatch land delivery of the badges to I various parts of the country, etc. All of this I provided (free for the sake of the Wizard's non-profiteering dedication to the light-hearted relief : .of the long-suffering masses. {I don’t begrudge any of this I but w’hat I cannot stand is ■the thought that some misguided people might be accusing the Wizard of an ulterior motive.—Yours, etc., A. J. STEWART. Tauranga, February 5, 1976.