CHRISTEL YARDLEY/FAIRFAX NZ

Two children's books have been removed from the display window and will no longer be sold in the Salvation Army store.

Once upon a time, there were golliwogs and red Indians, all colouring people's conversations.

That was a long, long time ago.

Yet, even though such words are now confined to history, when do they lose their power to hurt and become quaint artefacts of civilisation, open to academic discussion?

It seems not yet.

READ MORE:
* Auckland bookstore's quiet protest against banned book
* Violent video games played during Auckland intermediate
* Racy teen novel Into the River banned

For when Hamilton's Salvation Army displayed Ten Little N..... Boys, by Nora Case, published about 1951, passers-by were outraged. 

The golliwog is a black fictional character created by Florence Kate Upton that appears in children's books in the late 19th century.

The Sallies thought they were selling (and raising funds for a good cause from) a wee piece of history. Instead, they were peddling racist slurs. Even though the racist slur was nearly 70 years old and belonged to another continent.

And it wasn't the only offending artefact. There was also The Three Golliwogs, by Enid Blyton.

Salvation Army regional manager Nigel Waters said no offence was intended by the exhibit.

In August 1981, Taranaki toy shops couldn't meet the demand for golliwogs like this one, being hugged by three-year-old Ellen Somerton of New Plymouth.

"If it has caused offence, we obviously wholeheartedly apologise.

"I knew it was in the shop window. It is my aim to try to generate as much funds as possible for the Salvation Army and all that they do and I encourage my managers to create as much money as possible.

"At no stage did we think it was going to cause offence. As soon as we knew, we withdrew both books from the window. They will no longer be sold."

Golliwogs for sale at the Methodist Church Fair.

Waters said there were no active discussions about the books, except that they were a part of a list of collectibles in a silent auction.

He said the items are of a bygone age and by some of the world's most famous authors.

"When it was written, no offence was intended. But now it is being judged by 21st century standards."

And so Waters has neatly encapsulated the crux of the problem.

Sociolinguist and Waikato University lecturer in children's literature Dr Nicola Daly said literature reflects the values of the time when it was published.

The 10 Little N...... rhyme was adapted in the late 1800s from 10 Little Injuns, written by Septimus Winner in 1868. It was also used by Agatha Christie in her 1939 novel Ten Little N......, which was later retitled And Then There Were None. 

Daly said the book is a historical artefact.

"Today we're much more aware of how insulting language can be and because that language is so powerful, we have to be very careful, because it can be so offensive."

"N..... is incredibly offensive, some people still won't say it today.

"I can see why it upsets people and why some wouldn't want it to be shown. 

"It's a very derogatory term, very racist.

"It has terrible connotations with the past and present and links to all of the dark history of slavery. It is incredibly offensive, especially to African Americans and people with dark skin."

New Zealanders are less aware than Americans of the word's offensiveness, but she's still somewhat surprised the book was put in a shop window.

But there is also censorship.

She said a lot of old rhymes have reference to political situations that were going on at the time they were written; for example, Ring a Ring o' Roses refers to the plague.

"Often they refer to the very negative and sinister aspects of our history."

Daly said such books should be kept in specialist collections.

"They do have a value because they are a record of how things were and show us how things have changed and remind us that we don't want to go back there.

"If people have them in their possession, they could get in touch with their local library – someone might be interested, as a historical document."

Dame Susan Devoy disagrees. She is part of the racist slur camp. 

She is on record as saying "the reality is that golliwogs and words like n..... were born out of racism and represent an era that are best left in the past where they belong".

A Human Rights Commission spokeswoman said The Human Rights Act 1993 protects against encouraging racial disharmony, but the threshold at which such an action is unlawful is high.

"While it's recognised that these kinds of words and symbols are offensive to a number of people, their sale or public display is not against the law."

Trade Me external communications adviser Logan Mudge said somebody could sell such books on Trade Me, but Trade Me reserves the right to remove the books.

"Our starting point is that we allow things to be sold on Trade Me that are in the seller's possession, not on our banned and restricted list and legal to sell."

Trade Me does not allow any items that glorify racial, sexual, religious or other intolerance, hatred or violence or that promote organisations with those views. This applies very specifically to the likes of KKK or Nazi memorabilia/propaganda, he said.

But the Ten Little N..... Boys book would almost certainly be allowed – unless someone complained. 

If a complaint was received, an overall assessment would be made based on community reaction to the listing, Mudge said.

"Items like books are a little trickier and we tend to take items like this on a case-by-case basis – we'll use our own judgment and we'll listen to what our community says. Our members are pretty good at letting us know if they feel something onsite is breaching our rules or if they don't think it's cool.

"We haven't banned items like these books, but we don't have any copies on Trade Me right now."

In 2015, Pak'n Save pulled golliwog dolls from its Clarence St store after a photo of a black "Happy Gollies" children's toy, retailing for $21.99, attracted a storm of opprobrium.

Other retailers to feel the heat include Ballantynes, H&J Smith, and the now consigned to history itself Kirkcaldie & Stains.

But Rachel Pope, from the Hamilton secondhand bookshop Browsers, has sympathy for these remnants of past civilisations. 

Old children's books often have golliwogs in them, she said.

"Blyton is a hugely loved author. I would probably stock some of these old children's books myself, but I don't see them that often."

Pope said occasionally she'll have books come through the shop she'll choose not to stock because they're offensive, but equally there are old things that come through which are truly shocking, but valuable.

They make you realise how things have changed, she said.

"On one hand, it may frighten you because the 50s were a different age, but on the other, it is instructive. It's a different world and thank god we have moved on. 

"It's good to learn about these things."

But Pope's also mindful of their offensiveness. 

"I'm uncomfortable they would display this in the shop window. You don't want to offend, but there is a market for that type of thing and they are just trying to make money."

 - Stuff