Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 8, No. 10 July 25, 1945

These perturbing Puns discussed

page break

These perturbing Puns discussed

These are the two letters exchanged between John Ziman, the editor of this year's Capping magazine, and the Rev. K. D. Andrews-Baxter.

Dear Sir,

Do you think
That omniscient God
May possibly blink,
Or occasionally nod?

You've announced that His aid
Not the Bolshevik guns,
Was the factor that made
The defeat of the Huns.

Then those are His servants
Who played for "God's team"
And, although not observants,
Are perhaps seraphim.

Victoria College
Has been in the fight
And we who seek knowledge
Shed blood for that right.

We've obeyed God
In the use of the swords,
Would it sound very odd
Were we wholly the Lord's?

Now, sir, you've denounced
Our efforts at fun.
We should have been trounced
For a prurient pun.

The books need no cooking,
The logic is clear.
The Lord wasn't looking
When Capping was here.

"More retro Satanis"
But God's not so slick,
And the clue to the yarn is
Presumably Nick.

Don't treat me severely
For rude, risque rhymin',
I remain.
Quite sincerely,

Yours,

J. M. Ziman.

Dear Sir,—I think that omniscient God often "blinks" and "nods." He would not be the Father of All if he did not I don't think I said His aid, and not the Bolshevik guns was the factor that won the war. I said, "Without His aid, the Huns could not have been defeated." I am sure the men of Victoria College gallantly did their bit. I should not think it very odd if you were "wholly the Lord's." It is odd that you may not be, for to be "wholly the Lord's" is natural, for man belongs to God. I do not denounce your efforts for fun, but the expression they led you to. I think the Lord was looking "when Capping was here," and I think He must have been rather disgusted at times to see the brains of this country witnessing to their wit in so poor a way as resulted in your magazine. Youth must have its day, and that day must include fun; even such a wowser as I must have fun in my day; but why not make wit clever? Surely you men of Victoria College are clever enough to compose a magazine of wit without resorting to suggestive yarns and pictures. Next year, give the public something clever and clean. The world is pretty rotten at present, and if you men of Victoria College made an effort to clean it up, or some part of it, and come forth as good healthy Christians with well-balanced Christian lives to take part in the job, you could do much. I mean as healthy Christians, men and women who are out to do what is right, and using the God-given things of the world, and not abusing them by word or deed.

(Sgd.)

K. D. Andrews-Baxter.