The Moral Trend

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 243, 11 July 1938, Page 13

The Moral Trend

ln your ib'sue of this (lay. I note the report of an address in which Dr. Doris Gordon makes some very pertinent remarks upon the moral and’eocuil trend in this country. .. Dr. Gordon’s observations merit, wide attention, for it is a lesson of history that “there never has been, nor will there ever be. a society that has achieved any lasting happiness other than a society that honours and widely practises aecetism" (Christopher Hollis). M hen a people deliberately frustrate the natural end of marriage to such an extent that an authoritative committee can remark that “New ' Zealand is saturated with birth control” and reports that our country loses one-fifth of its potential citizens by means of abortion, it is patent that we arc on the same road ns that trod by degenerate Rome and Tyre, Sodom and Gomorrah. Such being the morale of the people, it in high time that our responsible leaders ceased preaching their gospel of cloying pamperimn, discarded their promises of a

“car for every family” and all enjoyment of the city for the country dwellers m favour of making an earnest appeal tor the show of some national spirit, some sense of social and personal responsibility by a people who otherwise will doom themselves to learn these essential qualities from an invading foreigner. I therefore await with Dr. Gordon some indication of whether the Government is going to adopt the recommendations of the McMillan report; and would also suggest that among certain sections of the community sumptuary laws would seem more called for than the provision of more income to be spent in a manner that can only raise our already inflated standard of living and so render yet more difficult the task of those who have enough backbone to face the responsibilities of family life.—l am, Wellington, July 7.