LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18296, 12 January 1923, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

HUMAN BRUTES.

Sir,—British law. in the main at least, is practical, sensible, and humane, 'but its humanity' extends only to the protection it affords to human beings. Take, for instance, the case of that inhuman brute at Maungaturoto, who, after inflicting untold suffering on his horse, was fined a paltry £20. This miserable sum it would appear is the maximum penalty allowed, but how utterly inadequate is such a punishment, and how ; poorly does the infliction of such a fine represent the sufferings of the dumb brute, which our laws, I submit, should adequately protect! Can nothing be done in the matter of increasing the stringency of the laws protecting animals'? Unfortunately, cases of sheer brutality, as reported in the daily press, are all too common, and the paltry fines inflicted are no deterrent, and offer a poor protection to our dumb workers. In short. I submit that human brutes should bo treated as brutes, and flogged, this in addition to the proper fine. J. Y. Dixon. FRANKTON JUNCTION. Frankton Junction is a., large and increasingly important railway station, but a particularly inconvenient one for passengers, which fact was specially impressed on me last week. Arriving there (eastern entrance) with two ladies and luggage for the North-bound Rotorua express, and there being (so far as I know) no other way of getting the luggage to the train, 1 had to make two trips well loaded and on a broiling day. On the second trip I foot-measured the distance and found it to be to the luggage van 325 paces. This, tripled, made over half-a-mile I had to travel to get my luggage from motor to train. An over- . bridge at the north end of the platform J would 'reduce this distance, to, roughly, 50yds., and I think it is high time some pressure was brought to bear on 'the : Railway Department in this direction. Ladies must find a similar experience very exhausting, and I trust something will soon be done to make this much-used station a more convenient one for travellers. . Exhausted. CATTLE TICK MENACE.

Sir,— the Herald of January 10 Mr. Henry Law seeks to make light of the tick pest, which he admits he has known to exist for eight years. There may be no need for panic among dairymen, but there is surely need for some action, and concerted action, too, for eradicating these ticks. Mr. Law says this is not the South African tick. How can he make such a statement I believe that every known species exist in South Africa. Fifty years ago there were just a few seen occasionally on the cattle exactly as Mr. Law finds a few on his cattle now, and people used to pull them off, but it is. impossible to pull all the ticks off all the cattle, because the small ones would not be found. Just as fleas carry disease, so ticks do. Mr. Law, has i noticed that ticks are more prevalent when the grass has been allowed to grow rank, because that is where they breed. They only attach themselves to their host to feed and drop ... off again when gorged. Burning the grass is. a help, but not a remedy, because the ticks do not confine themselves to the paddocks, but will be found in the bush, roadside, or orchard, and the first, dog or rabbit to J cross the burn may reinfect it. It is a criminal offence to , move cattle carrying ticks in South Africa, and the fines are very heavy. Dipping is the method em ployed as being the most effective, the idea being' to collect the ticks by means of the animals and destroy them in the dip. It is with genuine regret that I learned of the prevalence of ticks in this country and I hope to see some method put into practice soon to check its .spread. A. A. . Groxfoiux !• Auckland. SCIENCE AND RELIGION. Sir,— describing some of the! wonders of wireless telegraphy, Dr. Oliver, the American - evangelist, asserted in one of his mission addresses in the Town Hall that the ether is the means of communication between God and man. , He said the ether reports our words and thoughts to God almighty. : Crude mixtures of science and religion of this sort are dangerous, and may have disastrous consequences. It is a mistake toj ■ use uncertain scientific theories as: foundations for Christian doctrines. If j the theories are found to be false or inadequate the credibility of the doctrines i may suffer. Scientists really' know very .'< ■. little about the ether. It is only ft. convenient hypothesis for- explaining certain ■ phenomena In his book on, ", The' •Limitations of Science," Professor L. T. More says: " The hypothesis of the ether ' is an attempt to accomplish the impossible." Professor Einstein asserts that we , must abolish the ether. We are told that, i ether as a material substance is impossible, and even useless; the name .is left,, i but it expresses merely the shadow of a i reality. Poincare " says: "The, time will : come, without doubt, when the ether will be rejected as useless." One school of . thought claims that all substance is 'but a differentiation of 'the ether; the other ,' school is just as positive in its belief that , the ether is a worn-out fiction. It is a : blunder to base the Christian doctrine •of God's omnipresence and ; omniscience , on a disputed scientific theoryperhaps .a worn-out fiction. i Dr. Oliver believes strongly in the old , i theory of creation as against evolution. He is, of course, entitled to his opinion. But it is a disastrous mistake to create the entirely erroneous impression that the theory of evolution?is incompatible ; with the Christian faith. As a matter of , fact the majority of the leaders of Christian thought at the present day are whole- > . hearted evolutionists; NORMAN E. BRETON.

EMERSON. ;-.;•;■■' Sir, — A number of people, , including myself, who attended Dr. Oliver's lecture in the Town Hall on Sundry night, were astonished and indignant in consequence of Dr. Oliver's altogether gratuitous and ...-unwarranted att»-k upon the life, character and work of Emerson, who, according to all competent critics, is universally acclaimed one of the greatest—if not the greatest— -'.'who has ever functioned upon this . nlpnet The reason urged for this ill-judged assault was that Emerson,. in the speak- ; er's opinion, was but a mere "carnal philosopher "—whatever that term may meanamong all others who ' have appeared during the whole of the postChristian ages. Now>*' Oliver Wendell ' Holmes, in his biographv of Rnlnh WaN i i Emerson, aptly says: His (Emerson's) i ideas of friendshio and of lov« seem ! almost too exalted for > our earthly conj ditions and suggest the " thought, as do many others of his characteristics, that i the spirit which animated his mental frame had missed its way on 'the shining j path to some brighter and better sphere of being than - this earth affords." Another of this great and humanist's biographers, Mr. George Cupples, says: "I take leave to think that Emerson is the most noteworthy, the loftiest and most heroic man that has ever appeared." One does not (doubt that the well-reasoned opinions of these eminent biographers, known the wide world over,? will far outweigh the mere professional and biased opinion of Dr. Oliver. Mn Moss ; Royal Oak, January 8, 1923.