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Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 28, 10 March 1914, Page 6

Another responsible cleric has had his moral susceptibilities hurt, and again by that puzzle of the ages —the wilful feminine. A Canadian bishop has peeped in on women's afternoon gatherings, and been shocked. At these functions, he said, women danced and dressed shamelessly. Did Bishop Farthing get his information first-hand, or is he basing his denunciation on information reported to him? The world is well aware that such things may, and do, exist. Such antics at Newport, for instance, would be called Society revellings, but in the Bowery the sociologists would have a harder name for them. But the bishop should remember that the world is a mighty large concern, and it would be strange if it did not have a few drab spots on it. What he really should emphasise is that, despite the pained exclamations of positive eugenists, the human race —it is incontrovertible—is steadily improving. These outbursts against the frivollings of light-headed feminines 4Jre too spasmodic to carry conviction. Women of this type are fair game for pulpit denunciators, but there are so many decent and womenly women in the world that it appeals to the layman as not quite fair that their influence should be disregarded. The "shameless" female will have her fling—let her. Personally, we pin our faith to the strong, sane women whose influence for good is never-ending. Bishop Farthing comments further that some girls spend more on clothes than a clergyman's whole salary came to. Perhaps so, but that might easily be because the good work of so many clergymen is so poorly rewarded. We have known many such instances.