PICTURES AND MORALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13308, 15 October 1906, Page 6

PICTURES AND MORALS.

■".'__ «■ . ■■ ADDRESS BY THE REV. J. WILSON. ;*■'.':■ The Rev. James Wilson, in the course.of an address in th© Foresters' Hall, Newton, yesterday afternoon, said it seemed to him that in connection' with the recent -"Psyche Bath" prosecutions the magistrate, police officials, and others had wasted a lot of time, thought, and energy on a subject that Would; have, been better left alone. A man ■:'.■ , •was 110 better than his thoughts; his thought ■'■■ was bis -moral standard. Thought was influenced by the objects around him, and if ins natural tendency was to impurity he was likely to bo-more influenced by the gailydressed, living subjects than by a lifeless picture. ' But even supposing the subject was ; noi good and tending to help then), and tlie City, Fathers were earnest in: their;endeavour to , further the cause of social purity, then it seemed they might have found many, better subjects to work on. There were papers circulated in the colony the influence of ■ which was directly against social purity. Let the police pay a, visit to "some of U^Jr, ff ߀cond-hand. ! 'hook show ;and get hold of some of the prints retailed there, and get down on thfiVsnops that displayed • pictures of ,horrors,}; prints -that filled the child mind with things that could never bo " calculated to help them, to a noble purpose, -in life. , He suggested the advisability of• ':'•■' "prohibiting the publication of : all Divorce" Court newt. There were many abuses go-, ' '• "■ ing on and not a protest, and wrongs only ') too apparent ' that wanted righting. If, therefore, they were in earnest and if they , wanted purity of social life let . theai.' be con-, sistent : and fret down to business with a right good will. . ; »"■ .' ' - ' " •\, ' * ' i