LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 56, 29 November 1907, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

PUNISHMENT OP GIRLS. , "Ho jests at who never felt a Ground." Sir,—ln reference to the punishment of young girls in the To Oranga Homo, ploase allow we spaco for a few remarks. These girls possibly found life such thoroughly uphill work, that they resolved to chango it. In every human being'subjected to training or discipline thpro are hostile influences to be .overcome, such as physical inability and exhaustion, irksomeness in the work, diversions, and',;distractions from other tastes, with the natural rebelliousness of human beings under authority. -Rigid rules and fences- invjte disobedience; ordinary stated customs fret the young. Cramped by confinement and often bound to some uncongenial : occupation, many try to purchase their'freedom with a great price. Good physical surroundings, and a good physical base upon which character has to be roared is,the starting point of all rightthinking people. Huxley preached tnelaws of health as a social gospel, and others have taught that where restraint is little feltbe- ' ' haviour is of the best. '. Where corporal punishment is used, in'order to produce a certain external appearanco of good conduct, fear and punishment will succeed, but tho inward sentiment cannot be gained in the same way. Wherever concealment is-prac-ticable, Wo need to appeal to tho freewill of the girl or youth; the attempt-at compulsion only increases tho natural perversity. At an oarly age, when the'girl was .pliable under influenco, and not so much given to self acsortion, punishment would sink into' tho ■■ mind ana mould.it for right-or wrong; but wo should carefully watch the' moment of transition from this humble and susceptible period to the development of egotistic preference, under which the same system'will no longer work. • "Where corporal punish'-' merit is us«l and kept. up, it should be regarded as ;a. deep injury to the person'that' inlicts it, those that havo to witness it'as the heiglit of shame and infamy. It oufOit not to Teh , repeated on the same girl or any ot-bor/ .Removal is the proper course. At tlicr-sdrae time attention/should, be paid to .the health, avoiding fatigue and maintaining the spirits and energies of the girls; to this should he added the due 'alternation' and remission of work. 'Restraints should be as , few as the situation 'admits of, not forgetting that authority, "power-over others is not an end in itself; it' is-only a .means. Carried further .-• than this', it is an evil. It seriously abates human'happiness. The restraint upon free agency, the infliction of pain on individuals, the. sotting up of a reign of terror is often tho, outcome of a lust of'domination in tho human mind, which must never bo tolerated' hi governing the young.. There is often" a defect'of treatment'when lying is regarded as a vice standing on its own independarit foundation. Now a lie is tokl to gain a. purpose—to escape a penalty or secure an'_ advantage. Tho punishment shoilld be in proportion to the motive, in the lie; A.lio to escape a tyrant's rod, is not the same as. lying to snatch an unfair advantage. -It is Only such as are fairly ;■ and'kindly dealt with that grow up truth- .. speaking, in them lies are without excuse.— I am,' etc., \ . •<■.•■■'■. ■"■'-' " "'. ■' '. ' '"■) ■■■,■'•■■ NEMO.■Pwton, November 25. ', ; ' ■ ' ' WHAT IS SOCIALISM? '■[■■■' S.ir,—Wβ- Socialists-are much obliged for your 'artiolQ.'on ..'"Socialism , and Marriage," and extracts from .English ' Yellow Press papers' you treat us to.".■'.' Obliged, because such articles are conclusive evidence of tho progress'ib'eyiond Socialism.is making everywhere. Our opponents', have been forced into the open", ana it is something that Socialism has a concrete antagonist, evenwhen such casually represents ignor r . ance, slander, lies', distortion, etc' To distribute; Anti-Socialist literature to check tho_ spread' of ■ Socialisni in England, .wo hear that the National.Conservative classes 'have requisitioned the ■ service of-a large supply, of "vans."; .Following later, there is .a report ,of 'a -great speech made '.by' the" Duke of Rutland, who'advised ,his"friends of the Yellow. Press, etc., to take, the gloves off, ,' on combating that frightful and unholy monster—that "vilest of political-creeds," Socialism: The stupid ignorance of such cultivated persons in its comicality it is truly tragical. It will be news,to such that_ Socialism, being as much a science as - gravitation,'has-no more necessary connection witk politics, or even with religion or marriage or-morality for ,that matter, if itdoes not absolutely exclude them,; than, it .has .with the moon. Moral feelings generally, whether.related to politics, religion, morality, marriage, etc., are sentiment. As / such'it is even now excluded from business economics, or the positive material facts of existence...- ■ Contemporary with the belief in o.particular economic creed, as, for instance, Capitalism,.there may and does prevail the greatest diversity of religious,- political, and moral,sentiment, not merely over the glbbo but in tho ; same country. And it always will be so, under "any possible 'economic creed,let .alone, under the. freest, latest, most enlightened, economic creed of Socialism. It cannot be denied that Socialism will have important- evolutionary' consequenceson. the social life, character and habits of the people.- That Socialism in the realm of sentiment has not an important ■ ethic or spiritual teaching. What I deny is that an extension, of physical and - intellectual liberty, which Socialism economically and morally-considered -makes for, moans the destruction of all, or any important religion and consequent loss of faith in' " duty, in humanity, and in progress or civilisation, greater intelligence flowing from/greater liborty, will necessarily culminate in a truer religion, truer faith and truer " and'more universal morality and humanity than has ■ . 6 * er f e ? ls ,ted before. Every extension of ; pure freedom has had that effect in the past, and must necessarily have that effect in the future also; But such articles as Socialism and Marriage; a Militant-Socialist's catechism, etc whatever their character, whether true or false, lead people to think. The tide seems'to flow outward, but the- under J current, the drift all tho time, is towards Socialism. - Your article is a straw, and , for the Socalist straw, wo, as Socialists, thank you.—Lam, etc., - -T A E , .Wellington, November 27, : \ . '■-, THE UNION COMPANY. ■ Sir,-—ln common with many others I have b6on interested in your'articles on the Union Company's latest steamers, tho Maori and thelAlarama, and I have that same sense of pride .m. the red-funnel fleet that is shared by. so many in New Zealand.- While fascinated to a certain extent by the manner' in which the. Company is piling up. a fleet (which, for its capital, I Jo not suppose 18 , ; T d ,n thc world ) l note'that the shareholders aro i being presented by tho tympany with the equivalent of something hk« a quarter of a million sterling. Surelv while we are proud of the Union Soinpanv, the Union Company should bo proud of the ' ?<?<u p hat ?° rye J lt so we " al,f l s ° lucrativelv Without going deeply into the question of fare 3 and freight rates (and there is food for good matter in,; both), it would only be seemly on tho partf of the Company to make some concession to/ the people who hare aided in the building-up of such a wellmanaged and admirably conducted fleet Wo aro told that, tho -Exhibition cost tho Governmont £75,000-in which connection it would be interesting to know by what amount the gross profits of the Company for 1 the year 1906-7 exceeded tho average, say for the past five years, as I have heard tho biff show called "a monster bonefit for the TJnion .Company." In the advent of tho Maori it is not necessary for passengers travelling by that steamor in normal weather to bo supplied with a meal, yet, so far I nave heard of no intended reduction in tho fare. Twenty-five shillings is qnito a lot of money for tho uso of a travelling bunk for a night; and tho Company might give of their plenty in the direction of a concession m fares on the ferry trip.—l am, etc. "£1 RETURN." Wellington, November 27.