SOCIAL DISEASE

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 78, 1 April 1916, Page 9

SOCIAL DISEASE

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —One cannot hope to deal successfully with social uplift unless an ideal (even if only one remove above present conditions) is taken as a standard to attain to. and when once the fact is univer sally recognised that a clean room is preferable in every way to an unclean one, wb are on the way to universal cleanliness. Cleanliness of habitat encourages ■ refinement of habits and purity of thought, and, as it is written, "As a man thinks, so he is." Of course, even now this basic fact is recognised by the more .thoughtful, and, judging by the tone of contributors' letters, there are several such even in Wellington, but the questions arise, how are we to appeal to the unthinking? How are we to inculcate the necessity for self-control? It seems to me that the time is arriving —if it is not already here; —when we must no longer treat this question as something away and apart from human concern, to be discussed in the shadows, so to speak, but must be freely and openly dealt with,, and bring before the minds of the young the ravages of syphilis upon the human body; be brave enough and wise enough to trust to the intelligence of the rising (and even risen) generation to detect the unwisdom of moral uncleanliness. Surely it is practicable per media of lectures, sensible discussions, and even the Jrinema, to tactfully and successfully disclose the misery besetting prurience' uncontrolled. In respect to the suggested revival of the CD. Act, establishment of clinics, and facilities for isolation of victims, consideration of these things is, of course; advisable, but at best, they are not remedial in their effects, and only take the place of ; inadequate expedients; existing as . e;vide;nce of our ignorance,.. our moral, ineptitude,' arid. r our . shame.— Yours, etc v .' . ....•' G. V. HOOPER. 28th March, 1916.