COMMUNITY AND MORALITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18545, 4 May 1922, Page 10

COMMUNITY AND MORALITY

f A STRIKING ADDRESS. ■_ YOUNG CITIZEN’S LEAGUE MOVEMENT. SOCIAL LIFE OF THE PEOPLE. Ofaou Op« Own Cobjuespokdwt.J ; ■' AUCKLAND, May 3. A striking address in which attention was drawn to the dangerous level of the moral tone of the community was delivered by Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M., before the Anglican General -vSvnod this afternoon. ‘ Mg Cutten (as president of the Young Citizen’s League, and Mr Horace Stebbmg, as organising secretary, waited upon the Synod in order to acquaint its members with The aims and objects of the movement. Those who were in touch with the civil and Criminal Courts of the country, said Mr Cutten, knew that they were being continually beseiged by cases of dishonesty, and cases showing impurity of life. The few cases that appeared in the newspapers were a mere symptom of the real state of affairs. The condition of the community showed a terrible state of inefficientcy from a material point of view, and a very terrible state of affairs from the spiritual. The effect on the women shows it, said Mr Cutten. Women had made a great struggle for rights and freedom and culture, but these Were material things, and not spiritual. The result was that they did the same as man, and entered upon a mad search for wealth and pleasure. As an illustration of the prevailing tone Mr Cutten said that every time a moving picture, adopted from sex type, was shown in this city, there was a -ready sale for the book at the bookshops, and he had been assured by one who ; was in a position to know that 90 per cent, of the purchasers of such books were’ girls or women. He had been informed by a,-leading criminal lawyer in Auckland that the class of cases which, were giving the legal profession most trouble were sex cases. “You will see." said Mr Cutten, “that this implies a more terrible state of affairs than was at first realised. I cannot impress it upon you too strongly. At. the Magistrate’s Court one day each week- n’hs reserved for the hearing of maintenance. cases. It is called ‘agony day.’ said ;,Mr Cutten, “and it is agony. Lust Friday two magistrates were doing the work all dav, and another for half a-day, and' then tney did not finish the work. Nowadays our women are so busy with work make for themselves, that thev have' not got time to do the work which God gives them to do in this world,” Mr ' T Cutten continued. “The > moral progress of humanity depends on our women, every ■ man is the outcome of woman’s training, yet this seems sometimes to be overlooked. In most homes the training of children was thrown upon the school teacher, and later their religious instruction ;iipon the Sunday school teacher, but it ■was the ages of one and 10, when .the feal character of the child was founded. There was no place where they would get the influence that formed character best in the home, and -such influence did not jexist to-day. “I want to tell you.’’ cantjhued Mr Cutten. “that the stability cf flic country is in danger. Stability depends upon the public opinion of the great majority, and do not iniagine that the community is kept in order by standing army—we have not got one—or by the polioe, who prevent some members of the community' interfering with other members of the community. The country depended fdrrits solidarity on tire large bulk of the people, but down below there was a large undesirable element. At the present time this element was increasing in and the majority of the people on whom the comwas decreasing ,iu size. Moke serious still was the fact, that there existed an intervening party of people who did- not carp for anything. This condition of .jthe world meant' forgetfulness of God. The Young Citizens’ League had come to llict conclusion that great ends could not he Attained by material means, nor could happiness depend upon material things in education. The spiritual was not being touched upon. The Boy Scout movement had irecome an organisation instead of a movemejit. and the same thing applied to religion. To many religion was a mere matter of ■ form, but religion was a matter of the heart, and the heart only. There was only one way in which trouble could he met. and that was the proper education of -the young.’’ •The speaker explained that, th e constitution and objects of the. Young Citizens’ League, and said that it was definitely n reljgious institution, because it endeavoured to '.teach reverence and Christian service. The Primate (Bishop Julius) said (hat no subject gave the church more anxiety than the present condition of the dominion, and the means by which that condition might he improved. They were very thankful for any institution which recogifiscd these conditions and tried to improve them. lie was at one,with the deputation in desiring, to ‘ bring a better tone into social life through the manliness of the children, and wherever people were working .for those ends'they had the support of every member of the Synod.