Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 444, 28 August 1928, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

PAPATOETOE RATEPAYERS’ WELFARE LEAGUE

Sir, — Allow* me, on behalf of our league, to express our appreciation of your prompt and full reports of the letters written on behalf of the league by our president, Mr. J. G. Browne. I can assure you that it has helped our league very much in dealing with the statements of our opponents. Our league is out to give every ratepayer a fair deal, and our motto is “Papatoetoe first; private interest last.” W. A. NESBITT, Hon. Sec., Papatoetoe Ratepayers’ Welfare League.

THE NEW AUSTRALIA

Sir, — I read with great interest the article in Saturday’s supplement by T. Walsh, giving an all-to-brief outline of the genesis and ultimate end of the expedition from Australia to Paraguay. I am sure a great many of your readers would like to hear or read more about that gallant adventure. CIIAS. BAILEY.

THE SEVENTH DAY

Sir, —■ Your correspondent in The Sun of August 25, in attempting to defend Archbishop Julius, has betrayed an ignorance of the teaching of the Church to which he professes to belong. In the Fourth Commandment are the words: “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, thy God.” The Church Catechism, however, answers the question as to why we observe the first day of the week instead of the seventh as follows:—“Because the Apostles did so, and the Universal Church ever since has done the same.” The first day was kept by the Apostles after the Resurrection as a weekly observance of the greatest "festival of the Church. Thus, by Apostolic authority we may substitute “first” for “seventh” in the Fourth Commandment. If we were to follow the Fourth Commandment to the letter, our church services would be held on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, instead of the Christian Sunday. MARJORIE M.

SUNDAY OBSERVANCE

Sir, — I have read the various comments on Archbishop Julius’s suggestion with regard to Sunday observance. 1 heartily agree with Rev. J. w. Kemp when he says: “It is a grave and serious thing when the professed spiritual guides of the people point their followers along a road that ends in disappointment, if not ruin,” and it is for very reason that many see the futility of pointing their followers along the road of Sunday observance As a student of the Bible, Mr. Kemp surely must know that Sunday never had and never can have any sanctity. lt ls + .* ot in , the P° wer of any man to sanctify a day and the Bible nowhere attributes any sacredness to Sundav* nor can it be shown that Sunday was ever “the Lord’s day.’ Sunday is of Pagan origin and to point men along this road is to point them along a road that will indeed end m disappointment.” Then Mr. Fletcher says: “1 don’t agree with the secularisation of Sunday,” but can he show that it has ever been anything else but secular? The plain fact is that there is no Divine authority back of Sunday observance. If the spiritual

guides will recognise the spirituality of the Law of God and contend for the day that God Himself has appointed—not for Israel only (as “A.E.C.” would have us believe), but for all who join themselves to the Lord to be His servants—see Num. 15, 16, 29-31, Isa.. 56: 6,7 —they will then have the best of reasons for contending for the observance of the day of rest. F. L. SHARP. Sec. Religious Liberty Association.

SUNDAY GAMES

Sir,— I have great admiration for Archbishop Julius for his courage of conviction regarding Sunday observance. I am far from being “sport mad,” but seeing that Sunday to the average man is the only “free” day as a reward for a monotonous week of “striving for a living,” why sho.uld it be so painfully dull? The old fairy tale of breaking the Sabbath is hopelessly out of harmony with modern thought. How many really take it seriously? Modern science has upset it completely. I “have every respect for people with religious tendencies, and have no desire to tread on their corns, but surely it is fair to ask for a fifty-fifty deal jn return? Let the more enlightened, who have outgrown superstition, live their own lives without protest. Fancy chaining up children’s swings in a public park on Sundays (as is done here). The thing is monstrous! I notice that they now have their plays and pictures in London on Sunday and why not? Let the church-lovers have their church by all means, but in fairness let the playlover have his play, the tennis player his tennis, and the footballer his football. I was going to mention the golfer, but no recollection, for some strange and unfair reason, I find that he has always been permitted to carry on. I am certain that many working men would spend more within their means, and keep in closer touch with their wife and kiddies if Sunday games were permitted, instead of. making any excuse to get out of town, just to escape the monotony of our gloomy observance of Sunday. Our churchmen would be far more popular if they favoured sports on Sunday afternoons, particularly if they were active in special events, where a percentage of the gates could go to charity. That would be real “painless” taxation, and would also do away with constant street collections. Some prominent sporting leaders have also expressed opposition to Sunday games, but we want to hear from the active players themselves. They are “free” to speak. Leaders are not. It has also been said that Sunday crowds might offend the susceptibilities of religious passers-by. Now just imagine any real “religious” person being offended at thousands of people wending their way to the Auckland Domain to patronise a benefit for the Blind Institute, the Orphans’ Home, or the needy unemployed. Anyway I would like to see your paper submit the issue to the people in some way, and see the result. —FAIR TO ALL.

CRUELTY TO CALVES

Sir, — Attention is being called to the inhuman treatment of “veal calves” on their way to market. It is high time that effective steps should be taken to put an end to this cruel traffic. The writer lives close to a country railway station where truck-loads of those starving little creatures are almost daily being passed along the line, and their plaintive outcry Is heartrending. There is no need to give the location

of the railway station, as it is only one of many, and it would be unfair to single it out. Any movement to remedy matters should be put in execution without delay, or the season will be too far advanced to make it worth while until the 1929 season—l2 months later. The position is that those miserable little animals are taken away from th* farms a few hours after birth, art carted to the nearest railway station, and there are loaded on to trucks, and in these they stand shivering and bleating for hours at wayside stations and on the line en route to the shambles. It is often from 24 to 4$ hours before they reach their destination. Whether they are forced to endure further miseries there I am unable to say. That they are oftlmes starving when put on the railway is evident from their buckled-up appearance. Some are evidently In better case to stand the Journey than others, owing, on doubt, to being taken from th** farms of more humane owners. TTiese are, unfortunately, exceptions to th® rule. Later on in the summer there will be a hideous outcry in the night from piggies on their way to market, the noise probably caused through the boss grunters relieving the pangs cj starvation by chawing chunks out o. their more timid comrades. True, they are merely swine, but ? _ VERB SAP-

THE A.A.A.

Sir,— . The statement in one of your receni issues that at each monthly meet in? .of the council of the Automobile Asso* ciation nearly 50 members are struc* off, principally through resignationsmakes bad reading, and although ***•* of these resignations may be due petty causes, the number is sufficien b large to merit serious attention on part of the council. The advantage of membership are so great, a - n d_ subscription is so small that it real *i.~ surprising that any motorist gives the matter a moment’s thougn can refrain from joining. join, however, may be due to aliauJ ness—but resignations are more r.' Possibly one contributory cause is 15 in the list of “Patrols’ Duties lined for the guidance of the n appointed patrolmen, of whom, way, I have not yet seen o ; the city. Rule 15 runs as “The patrol is not expected to chans wheels for male members unl . member is in evening dress. » a patrol should change a wne«i lady member.” This rule might ts been expressed in better that is a detail. Now. my point is u The young member who dons c i u fc# dress to do a round of the n'-gn is conceded a privilege which 1 _,_jy to me because my wife very P j considers that at 60 years o £ should have lost all desire kind of thing. Ido most of oT ing in daylight,, either day touring, when evening dress» * conventional nor comfortab . lounge suit is just as vahiaW* as a dress suit is to a y° un 2,_ a Kie cf and although I am quito D ece&' changing a tyre or a wheel wn sary, I probably am not iw* the average young man. * - is the most common of very and I should certainly p^strongly seeing an AAA.■ f hinr ibC ing me by, or standing trr>u ble. I® while I wrestled with tyre my opinion, the same servi . _ gDeC tiYe extended to all members, 0 f tl»* of clothing or sex. The f ° u “ t B r>Automobile Association or t ,ertain most readily give the need vice, no matter how trifling tn may be. and if the A lick lan shoa ld sires to extend its popular! inntaiat once do away with such an ing and petty ditfC £^ n moTORI 6 *