SUPERSTITION, SECTARIANISM AND SEXUALISM.

NZ Truth, Issue 509, 20 March 1915, Page 5

SUPERSTITION, SECTARIANISM AND SEXUALISM.

Pear "Truth."— Ah I lmv«: only been a render of your viiluublc paper for a few months. 1 hope you will not eonaltier it presumption on my port to mako tiHc of your columns In order to air my own pet views. I do so bocnuae I conscientiously think that thf matters 1 refer to concern the whole

of the community. First, I would briefly refer to the Karori Councillor who objected to Rottmann's body being buried m the Karori cemetery. To my mind, such was a gross exhibition of idolatry. It puts me m mind of that verse m the ballad of Reading gaol: They think a murderer's heart would taint Each simple seed they sow. It is not true! God's kindly earth Is kindlier than men know. And the red rose would but blow more red, The white rose whiter blow. Out of his mouth a red, red rose, Out of his heart a white; „ : For who can saty by what strange way Christ brings His will to Ught, Since the barren staff the pilgrim bore Bloomed m the great Pope's sight? 1 Let that Councillor remember that He who died m order that Rottmann mlgljt be cleansed of his sins, Was crucified between two robbers, and he complained not. Robber, In those days, covered a very wide category of crimes and was generally associated with something of the nature of Rottmann's misdoing. Yet Christ said to one of them, "This day shalt thou be with mo In Paradise." If the Councillor, is bo superstitious as to think that ttie consecrated ground will become unholy by having the body of a legally murdered murderer m it, there is always refuge m the crematorium. Secondly: I would like to refer to that gloomy body of wowsers who sat m Chrlstchurch m order that they might guide the destinies of the world —or this part ot it. I note that these parsons propose that NO permits be granted for any kind of gambling. 1 suppose this includes church bazaars, jumble sales, raffles, stock exchanges and art unions (to say nothing of the tote). They also propose to extend "the age of consent" to 18 years. That means that when a young woman is within three years (or, say. three years and one day) of her voting age sho is not mentally able to say whether sho shall commit "sin" or not. She may be quite competent to give an opinion uk to whether she Is .physically and mentally fit to marry- Her "sin" would then be protected by "holy" matrimony. I quite agree with the wowser's convention that all women should receive protection. 1 have sisters of my own. but I also have common sense. If such n measure was passed (and I understand that before last election the Attorney-General had tiiguilled his acquiescence m the matter) "crime" would increase.. Much crime i« only crime Ijecuuw tho statutes any it is crime. How many young peoph: arc there who commit what the Wcsleyan Conference would call "crime," ny, long before they arrive at the age of 18 ? Some of them, too. members of Methodist Church choirs. Again, If brother wowser would have his way, that protection which the Legislature m its wisdom extended to th« (In many cases) seduced mule, "apparent age." must be removed. That Is to nay. that if a young woman Is 17 years and 11 month*, who. by having led a life of uln looks nearer 22, any male who yields to her solicitations becomes a "criminal" and she becomes a factor m filling our Jails. There Is no suggestion of extending treatment or punishment to nymphomaniacs, young Imporlunerß or pnrsonlenl oxhlbltloniats. Only, that those males who fall to the solicitations of vicious young females (and we have th*m m Gorzone nplenty), must be regarded as criminals. In Sydney Smith's essays

we find that the Methodlstical person has always been looked upon as a menace to morals by trying to make everything expressive of pleasure or enjoyment a sin. Ingram, on Methodism, .says that if they are allowed to have a free hand: We are quite sure that happiness will be destroyed, reason degraded, sound religion banished from the world: and when fanaticism becomes too foolish and too prurient to bo endured (na is at lust sure to be the case), it will be succeeded by a long period of the grossest immorality, atheism, and debauchery. It is possible, from a review of some recent events, that Sydney Smith and Ingram were not wrong m making that calculation. —Yours, etc., D.H.