PRACTICE AND PRECEPT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21920, 4 April 1933, Page 10

PRACTICE AND PRECEPT

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In your issue of last Tuesday there is another letter from “ Presbyterian ” on the above subject. He wishes to know why I do not live in either Glasgow or Grosvenor streets. This is really a personal matter. If I do prefer to live in a mansion in an aristocratic quarter of the town I am at least in good company and following the example of some of our ministers of religion. He also asks why do the people of Glasgow street still live there. The reason is that they are so poor they cannot afford to live anywhere else. A few days ago 1 was speaking to a lady who was living in a house that was a menace to the health of her family, but yet she was compelled to live there because she could not afford a larger rent. Your correspondent also implies that a great deal of the fault lies with the people themselves. It is a great pity that your correspondent had not the courage to sign hia name instead of hiding behind a hedge and throwing stones at people who are unable to defend themselves. I have inspected some of the houses in Glasgow street, and know what I am talking about. This street is only 24 feet wide, and the poor people are living under conditions that would be hard to beat even in Glasgow. In Grosvenor street things are almost as bad. This street is 33 feet wide. For most of the winter the gutters arc half full of stagnant water, and for 24 hours of the day the people are almost suffocated with smoke from the engine sheds. “Presbyterian ” also accuses me of attacking the ministers of religion. I attack no one; I only state facts. Every time a minister enters the pulpit he makes a profession that be is trying to carry out the precept, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,’’ and as long as they do not attempt to alter the conditions under which the poor people are living they certainly are not practising what they preach. I hate to talk religion —there is too much of it done already by those who make a profession of it—but the theory of Christianity is that the Founder of our faith came to earth, suffered, and died to save even the poor children of Glasgow street, and yet His professed

followers allow these children to live under the Editions I have described A. „ matter of fact our churches have become merely social clubs. might bo some excuse for us if we could not afford the money to abolish these conditions, but, as I- have pointed out., m t last two years we have squandered, £2OO 000 which could have been advantageSSU chirk their duty.— l am, etc., to shirk tneir uu >o w g HACK LOCK. Dunedin, March -50.