SUNDAY PICNICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 90, 15 March 1941, Page 6

SUNDAY PICNICS.

(To the Editor,)

Sir, —According to your issue of tonight's "Manawatu Standard" the cbildren's Thumbs Up Club is to cease to iunction. The letters of protest from Rev. F. S. Ramson and the Palmerston North Ministers' Association, after the event, would be amusing were the results not so tragic. The children of to-day are the men and women of to-morrow and how can Rev. Mr Ramson and his colleagues expect the children to respect their churches to-morrow when chiidish, innocent pleasures are stopped by the actions of church officials to-day ? Despite the 40-hour week, (Sunday is the only day available to most parents to give their children a day out, and thousands of parents are thankful for the education, enjoyment, and incentive their children have received from Mr Garner and his Thumbs Up Club. As regards the picnic at Ashhurst, had the protesting rev. gentlemen been present and seen the children thoroughly enjoying themselves, the letters would probably never have been written. It is a fair statement that not more than 1 per cent, of the people at Ashhurst would have attended church even had they not attended the Thumbs Up picnic. Surely the thousands of parents of the Manawatu are not going to have their children deprived of a little innocent pleasure because the churches cannot hold their congregations.—l am, etc., T. AITKEN. Albert Street, 15-3-41.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —The children of Palmerston North and surrounding districts have suffered a very great disappointment by the disbandment of the Thumbs Up Club, which was organised solely for the raising of funds for patriotic purposes and incidentally, getting a great "kick" out of the tun that went with it. The criticism from various religious bodies mentioned by Mr Garner was in my opinion uncalled lor. Good work was being done to help our young men to fight overseas to enable these little children to have their freedom to live, laugh, and play when and where they pleased, and lor that reason alone 1 say let the club carry on under the same sponsorship, namely, Mr Garner, who deserves encouragement for what he has done for the children's happiness. Mr Garner puts his time into this patriotic effort for one purpose only; that is, to help to win the war, in which our boys have to fight every hour, every day of the week, including Sundays. It makes no difference, since the Thumbs Up Club has been eliminated because it held a picnic on Sunday. Let it write to Hitler asking him not to murder little children on Sundays in Great Britain through his air force, and see what kind of reply it would get.—l am, etc., ' THUMBS UP. Palmerston North, 15-3-41.

Other letters on similar lines _ have been received from "True Believer and "Thumbs Up."