NATIONAL MORALS,

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8088, 28 September 1894, Page 1

NATIONAL MORALS,

TO TUB EDI1OR. Sik, — All earnest an4 pure living men and women must sincerely thank you for your leading article of Wednesday. Too long the daily papers, while publishing tho records of immoralities innumerable, havo held aloof from frank discussion of the ways and means to check them ; and it is good to see that they begin to recogniso sonu> loftier duty than tho mero purveying of all sorts of news. Ib i3 a genuino bign of progress to bo hailed with joy and gladness by tho community afc largo. I Hhall not enter—at least, not now — into a general discussion of tho question of our national morality ; bub I would draw attention to one point, and ono alono — tho exquisito satire of Justico Richmond's dictum, " To havo female cliastity corrupted at its source strikes at the root of tho prosperity of the country." FemrtM chastity, observe ! Tho implication is too obvious to need to bo unfolded. Sir, will not our New Zealand journalists who wield such re \l and widespread, influence ; will not our teachers of religion lift up their voices against tho fearful prevalence of innle unchaatity, Tho vices flourish and decay together, and while society continues to condonp unchastity in men our sifters and oUr daughters will havo to suffer for it. Justice Richmond, if we but delete the limiting expression fewab, h emphatically right; unchustily strikes straight and hard at the root of national prosperity and progress. " Without purity there is no lasting strength." Itinerant lecturors attack our vice and learo ua, spasmodic meetings and addresses are got up at intervals by teachers oi religion, but these are not enough. What wo require is a strong popular current of opinion in favor of clean living, and vro must look to press and pulpit to set thab curront moving. — I am, etc., Dawn.