"NEW ZEALAND ACCENT"

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 54, 6 March 1922, Page 9

"NEW ZEALAND ACCENT"

TO THI EDITOR. Sir, —Recently I noticed in the press somo comments regarding th* New Zealand accent. Many will endorse the statements, for unhappily they are only too true. One great failing on the part of our school children to-day is the omission of the letter "g," as, for instance-, "Wellin- ( ton," etc., etc. There certainly is a decided lack of thoroughness in everything—everything except "sport"—in this our groat "day", of opportunity, and one would gladly welcome the slightest 6ign of greater application on the' part of pupils, and greater earnestness re their thoroughness on the part of teachers. So muoh that is "shipshod" obtains now in. home and school, and one cannot help de--ploriug the sad result. Yet greater to be deplored is the boy's desire foi trash, or should we rather say, that "trash" in the world of print, should await a boy's love of adventure, etc. It is absolutely heartbreaking to know of young boys—and no | doubt girls also —reading and enjoying the utter rubbish conveyed in such books. Why? Why? Why will those who profess to govern our land permit this harmful rubbish to come "within our gates." In the r most earnest way I appeal to every woman—if the meu fail—to vote such "literature" out. What will our future men —what will ouraeountry be—if our boys have such as their mental food now? Books in plenty there aro, fine and helpful —neither "goody-goody" nor "nambypamby," rousing stories of noble manliness and lively _ adventure—Arthur Mce's excellent mazagine and paper, etc., etc., Woola6ton's "Spirit of the Child," and many .others —so much above these exciting "detective stories." which have caused, unhappily, several of our young men to "fall." To one and all I appeal to have all manhood-sappers in the way of printed matter or otherwise removed from our Now Zealand. Let "out part" be done; then will our boys of to-day be the noble men of the future wo long they, should be.— I am, cto., ' ■ ' TI TREE. : Marion, 3rd March, 1922. ;