MORAL LAXITY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 30 September 1924, Page 6

MORAL LAXITY.

AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

SOME AUCKLAND COMMENTS. AUCKLAND, Sept. 26. The charges .with regard to moral laxity among the young people of Napier, made last week by members of the Waiapu Diocesan Board, were referred to at the annual meeting of the St. Mary’s Homes Association yesterday by several speakers, who expressed the gravest concern at the existence of such a state of affairs as revealed, says a Taranaki Herald correspondent. One of the gravest features in connection with this sad matter, said Mr C. F. Bennett, was that so many of those implicated were connected with the Anglican church. This was very regrettable. We know, he said, that young men and women of from 18 to 20 years of age are at one of the most difficult and dangerous stages of their lives, and there is a great opportunity here for the church to grasp and to undertake some form of constructive work and to do good wherever the opportunity offers. We have heard what took place recentlf in Sydney at the artists’ ball, and‘those engaged in social work know what a strong evil is rampant among the young people of the present day, but there is one thing that impresses itself upon me most strongly.* Dancing itself is not wrong, it is one of the grandest things ever instituted, an expression of natural gaiety and The joy of life and youth and for this reason, although a good many of you may not agree with me, I should like to’ see every church social giving an opportunity for dancing under nroper supervision.

Say what you may against dancing it will continue to the end of time, and under : the right kind of super! vision it is a splendid thing. The abuse comes in when proper control is lelaxed. They tell us chaperoues have been done away with. That seems to be. one reason for the way things are going nowadays. 1 do not suggest we should start a purity campaign or anything of that kind. Goodness knows we have enough leagues of one kind or another in this cQunTrv,-. bijt we should each do what we can.

We should think this r -matter over very seriously, said Mr ‘ Bennett, and see if fathers and mothers cannot, get hold of some . girls who have lost the controlling hands of their own fathers or mothers, invite them into our homes to have a little dance under proper control, and bring them Under good, safe influences., : V

Church people must take a leading part, m setting a. proper standard of decorum in our social entertainments, as it is adherents of-' the Anglican Church who appear to be most prominently represented. The matter was also briefly referred to by the Rev. G. C. Cruicksliank, who expressed deep regret at the revelation 8 recently published in the press. The trend ,of certain iiresent-day influences'. needed To be sternly checked, and one way in which this could be accomplished was for those in sheltered homes to teach growing boys and girls the meaning of personal purity. °lt might be difficult, but it was a duty parent's should not .shirk. All those who had' social work at heart knew there was a very dangerous influence at work here in Auckland, even as in other places, and the St. Mary’s Homes were trying to repair the ravages which had already occurred. No matter hovv much one might regret the necessity for such a Rome, its work was a most important one, and never had .that work been more necessary in Auckland than now.

Bishop Avei’ill brieflyX concurred in the latter view. “In the present state of society,” he said,' “we can look forward not to any cessation, bnt to the carrying on of the work of St. Mary’s.”