OUR HEATHEN.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11531, 7 May 1918, Page 8

OUR HEATHEN.

To The Editor. Sir, —I whs a passenger in a secoud class smoking ''car of the J 5 p.m. tain frrom Feilding to Marten on Saturday last. Tiio car was in vaded at Feilding by numerous young male passengers, and, some older, who are apparently employed at the *Kakariki Freezing Works. They seemed to have had more alcoholic liquor than was necessary, but were not “drunk.” A few, still greedv, were still swilling liquor in the" car. Of this I do not complain but mention it as a phase. I do complain, however, that the lan guage of many of these young passengers, some scarcely out of their teens, was almost unceasingly disgusting and filthy in the extreme. I have been in various sorts of company where language is generally supposed to be somewhat lurid, but this, both ss to quantity and quality, was absolutely the filthiest and most wantonly disgusting I have ever heard. It was amazing in its shamelessness. Hud it boon used in a public street the result would have deservedly been fine or imprisonment. Now, I was what would be termed an ordinarily de : cent traveller who had paid my faro and so was entitled to travel in that car in ordinary comfort. There weie several other passengers of a similar kind amongst them two school boys and a little, 1 think, Maori grl. Had I sheen in a street I could have avoided the foulness of which I complain. I have since hoard that" these ■ Kakariki Freezing Works employees are notorious and an annoyance on Saturday nights especially. I wish to enquire wnether something cannot be done to protect. _ railway travellers from that sort of thing? It seemed to me that several of these young people might well have been soldiers, whereby- they would be learning something of discipline and and fair conduct and perhaps even to swear decently. But they would at present be a disgrace to the Now Zealand army. When I arrived home I found on my table a copy of the “Southern " Cross” and a copy of the “Church Chronicle.” Each of them urgently advocating the “Melanesian” unci “Maori” missions. In the latter publication there is a prayer compiled by the Bishop of Wellington for each day of the month. That for the 4th inst (Saturday) reads “That it may please Thee to awaken in the European people of this Dominion a sense of their responsibility to their Maori brethren and to dispose them to infuse now life into the Maori Mission.” I suggest to the Bishop that next month he add a prayer for the awakening of the European people (including tho clergy of all (lenominations)in this district to a sense of their responsibilty to the heathen at the Kakariki Freezing Works. I am forwarding with my name and address a copy of this letter to each of the Bishop of Wellington and the Railway ''traffic Manager, Wanganui,—-I am., ..etc. a railway passenger.. 6th. May, 1918.