ART UNION PERMITS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21142, 28 March 1932, Page 13

ART UNION PERMITS.

Sir,—Mr. J. F. Jones evidently views art unions with much the same degree of complacency as a bull does a red rag. 1 do not gamble on racehorses nor on the Stock Exchange; at the same time I like to have a flutter with my 2s 6d in an art union, and in doing so I do not consider I am a gambler nor immoral. As Mr. Jones says, "It all depends upon the point of view," and I contend I am just as much entitled to my point of view as Mr. Jones is to his. I do not insist on Mr. Jones taking a ticket in an art union, but certainly object to him preventing me doing so. Mr. .Tones says in effect, that if Smith owes money and pays 2s 6d for a ticket in an art union lie is using some other person's money, so art unions must be stopped to prevent him doing so. Let mo carry Mr. Jones' argument a little farther. Say that Smith, instead of putting the 2s 6d on an art union ticket, goes to church and puts it in the plate, would Mr. .Tones contend that churches should he closed on that account; or if Smith spends that 2s 6d on the movies are the picture theatres to bo shut down, or—but T think that T have shown sufficiently that Mr. ,Jones has allowed his prejudice to over-ride his judgment. It takes about 250.000 tickets to fill an art union, so that it is moro than probable that the majority of the population of the Dominion have had at least one ticket in one or more of the art unions that have been held. Surely all these people do nor. regard themselves as gamblers or immoral, nor do they apparently agree with Mr. Jones that, "our Government is most certainly committing a grievous moral wrong by extending these permits for art unions." After all, moralily is greatly a matter of time, latitude and longitude, and personal opinion. King Solomon would not-to-day, bo regarded as a moral individual; what may bo looked upon as quite moral in the East certainly not be regarded as moral in New Zealand, and there are people who do not regard it as moral to have a whisky aud soda, smoke tobacco, play cards, go to tho theatre, have art unions, etc., while others do not regard themselves as immoral for doing so. The world is made up of "all sorts and conditions of men" and a spirit of intolerance in any one sect is to be greatly deplored and deprecated. Junius Jn.