CIVILIAN LIFE

Southland Times, Issue 25335, 11 April 1944, Page 4

CIVILIAN LIFE

DISTURBING TRENDS Bad as the war was, he thought there were aspects of our civilian life that might be even worse, said the Rev. F. V. Hart, C.F., in a sermon in Nelson Cathedral. He recently returned to New Zealand from the Middle East after having served with the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force in some of its campaigns. Were we always conscious of what our boys were going through while we were living in comfort? asked Mr Hart. He knew something of what they had had to endure, and of what they were thinking. There would not be any Easter holidays at Cassino. Our servicemen would come back hating war. There was something wrong with a man who did not hate it, but he was not sure that they would not hate more certain trends among the civilian population. He had noticed among'civilians in Britain, Australia and New Zealand a longing for excitement, a desire to live only for the day. These were disturbing trends and unworthy of our fighting men, all of whom were good fellows_even hard cases—and against whom he would hear no word spoken. As instances of how news from the home front could have a bad effect on morale, he recalled hearing a New Zealand broadcast while in a dug-out. One item stated that the highest wages earned on the wharf were £l9 a week and the lowest £9. “Fancy telling that to men who were keeping a wife on nine shillings a day,” said Mr Hart. Other upsetters of morale were those cads who had broken up homes while soldiers were away. Often men had brought him letters conveying such news. As far as he could see, those who were living on the thrills and frills of war were drunk with high wages. Secondly, there were those who were staying at home and amassing fortunes. Thirdly, there were people who genuinely wanted to see a better world, but did not know how to go about it. Fourthly, there was a small minority who knew that the world would be saved by God’s laws alone.