UNLICENSED PLEASURES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22096, 28 October 1933, Page 5

UNLICENSED PLEASURES

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In answer to your second leader, whatever our work in life may be it certainly hinders progress if we sit down in self-satisfied complacency. Personally, if I were an editor of an important paper I would welcome kindly criticism. It is a terrible thing to be perfectly satisfied with the results of one’s efforts; e.g., I can never understand how any paper can be content to publish such advertisements as those we do see advertising a certain brand of soap. I have, however, no quarrel with the press, as it has always been generous and tolerant in accepting anything I have tried to write. I merely felt that, religion being such a big thing in life, it might he a good thing if synod expressed the wish for more space for religious matters in the press. Evidently synod thought otherwise and as I seldom agreed • with synod, or ■ synod with me, I must leave it at that and go on to the real object I hope to attain in this letter, viz.—to arouse public interest in the lack of effort to suppress the exaggerated pleasures of the young people of to-day. How synod could turn down two motions dealing with youth and the church and unlicensed pleasures of our young people is difficult to understand. One can only take the inference that the body of clergy and the body of representative laymen in the synod do not care. Youth and the church do not concern them and to the tremendous evil of drinking at dances they do not wish to give a second thought. Of course, I could not unburden myself in synod with a gallery full of women present. I was not prepared to give the startling facts of the abuses at many of the dances there, but as you spoke of the vagueness of my remarks, I was prepared to do so if you cared to accept the responsibility. The information I have regarding drink and other abuses at dances, received second-hand and otherwise, Is not exaggerated, I do not take notice of information unless it is from a reliable source. You admit that there has been

undesirable excesses. Surely, then, you can see the need to curb those excesses. The publicity given to the attitude of synod in turning down my motion has caused me to receive many letters, telephone messages, and interviews on the . subject of drink at dances and, with the exception of one, they all agreed that synod was wrong in its attitude towards such a big evil. Everyone bates a fuss, but if anything is to be done we must, be prepared to make a fuss. The Apostles, we are told, turned the world upside down; the woman hunting for the last piece of silver, the woman representing the Church, turned the house upside down in looking for the coin which, through her carelessness, she had lost. The Church must be prepared to turn the world upside down to rescue the young men and women who, through the carelessness of the Church and their own short-sighted foolishness, are being lost. Decent young people tell me that it is all right generally for the first few dances; then th? large majority disappear for a time, and when they come back what they disappeared for is very noticeable. I knew of one party where the doctor had to be sent for to attend a girl who not only was drunk but worse; of young men and girls getting into bunks together: and of their going out into the garden and covering themselves with rugs;—this behaviour among our so-called “society” young people. In spite of your hesitation to publish statements which I was not prepared to utter in synod, it seems a pity that we should both be smothered in this cloak of mock modesty which prevents us from speaking out plainly, Tins great evil of drinking at dances is the cause of even greater evils which threaten —yes, • not merely threaten, but are destroying— the purity of tbe splendid youth of New Zealand. A passing phase it may be, but let ns hurry its passing for the sake of our younger brothers and sisters. One leading citizen told me that he would not allow his daughter to attend the University because of the life of many of the students with whom she would have to mix. The uncontrolled youth of our University gives much food for thought. Unless a boy or gild, on entering the University, is of a strong character, backed up with Christian principles, there is boqnd to be disaster ahead. Of course it may be said “Youth must sow its wild oats.” Yes, but we reap what we sow, and if youth is being allowed to indulge itself in drink and impurity then, when university days are over or the time comes for serious thought, it will be youth that has not been quite clean. But why is all this necessary? Why pass this wrong all over as a “passing phase?” Why should not youth pass from youth to manhood _ cleanly? To my mind, Sir, there is much wrong to-day, and how to put it right I know not, but I would crave your indulgence to make the following suggestions;—We must start with the home, father and mother. I have known parents so interested in outside social work that they have left their own children to be brought up by others, and the result is they have gone wrong. Homes arc so often not homes but boarding houses, parents and children not even sitting down to meals together; no real atmosphere of home life. I would suggest then that we put our homes right. Then, as the child goes from home to school, we need the right atmosphere there, and we shall not get it unless we get men and women to teach, not because they are out to earn a living, but because they feel the call of vocation. The minds and habits of our young people begin to decay even at school. One high school master once remarked to a parent who was speaking to him about the habits of her boy, “ Don’t wprry; they are all dirty little devils.” A boy to-day does not think he is a man unless he can swear. I said to a boy lately, “Why swear? ” He answered, Do you think I am a Sissie?” I say, then, we need God in the home and God in- the school. Then, again, what example are our young people getting from the older members of the community? In many cases very poor. A good example from older people is necessary then if we are going to help youth to be clean. Hospitality of good homes would help the young people a lot who are away from home. I always found when I lived in Dunedin that the young people of the university and others were always pleased to come to one’s house, glad to have a yarn and a cup of tea and a smoke perhaps. I think it is a good thing to encourage our young people to bring their friends to the home, and I am sure the young people away from home like it, and their parents would appredate it. Hundreds of them prefer clean fun; they don’t want to drink; they prefer not to; but unfortunately many of them have not the backbone to stand up against the temptation offered them. I am told one girl resented my remarks about the young people of to-day. She said there are boys and girls who do not approve of drinking at dances. Quite so; but I say to those young people, Do something about it; in some way give a lead to Others. If a number of young people made up their minds to clean up these dances they could do it. The girls, particularly, could do much, but while our girls are doing their best to throw themselves off the pedestal on which man has placed them, their influence for good will not be great. ,

Now, Mr Editor, having taken you to task for self-satisfqjjtion, let me say as a priest that the church is failing our young people. Synod showed that in its apathy to my motion. Our churches and services are too unattractive, the sermons often too uninteresting. We do not offer our boys and girls anything to do, so I say, Make the churches more attractive; the clergy cannot do it alone; they must have helpers. Once more I say it is out of my love for youth that I condemn the present evils of youth such as drinking at dances, etc:, —I am, etc., K. D. Andrews-Baxter. October 25. [lt is not clear why Mr Andrews-Bax-ter imputes self-satisfaction to us. We expressed the view that he had exaggerated the evils to which he’•directs attention. And we declined to abjure the newspaper’s responsibility by permitting him to contribute in his own words an article to our columns on the subject of these evils.— Ed., O.D.T.]