The Gospel of Hard Work.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16702, 10 December 1919, Page 8

The Gospel of Hard Work.

That Mr Massey has tho courage of his opinions was shown once more when, in his address at Newmarket on Monday, lie held up the example of the pioneers of Now Zealand as worthy of being imitated to-day. Ho had been saying that there was no man in Now Zealand who could not get land if he had tho same grit and energy as those who had already taken it up, when he was interrupted by tho question, "Whore "is tho money to como from?'' "Go "to work," replied Jlr Massey, "earn "the money and do as the early sot- " tiers of this country did." It was tho soundest of advice, and Mr Massoy was well qualified to give it, for ho entered tho school of hard physical work in tho Imck-blocks of Auckland forty or fifty years ago, which is a good deal more than his leading political opponents can claim. It was a life which demanded from those who followed it self-reliance, industry, # perseverance, and thrift,- and it produced the finest t3*pe of men that Now Zealand hn3 seen, or is ever likely to see. But a mere popularity-hunting politician would never havo advised any elector to follow such a courso, for tho primitive virtues of tho early settlers oro not greatly esteemed nowadays by candidates of a certain class or by their leaders. Instead of tho strong' tonic of advice to go and work, they prefor to administer large doses of the soothing syrup of promises of "freo everything." Tho inevitablo result of a prolonged course of this treatment is that tho mental and moral fibre of a large portion of the community has becomo weakened. Tho idea of hard work— tho foundation on which tho settlement of New Zealand was based, and on which its further development depends —becomes abhorrent to them. Less work, not more, is thoir euro for the troubles that beset tho country; an easy job, not pioneering/ is what they oro looking for. All this, of. course, is dreadfully old-fashioned, and wo quite expect that Mr Masscy's critics of tho Opposition Press will seize on his advieo as a subject for somo of their laboured jestings, as was Mr Burnett's advocacy of a .simpler life, with less expenditure on luxuries, as a euro for profiteering. On that occasion tho Liberal apologists flogged thoir brains to evolvo somo heavy jocularities at the oxpenso .Mr Burnett. Tho result was not very funny, beeausc tliq Liberal wags discovered—not with pleasurethat what they had been ridiculing was tho doctrine preached by his Majesty tho King, and accepted by the 40 million other fools in Britain. But it is still possible that they may hold up to ridicule tho mere suggestion that we should to-day practise somo of the simple virtnes of the pioneers of New Zealand. New Zealand owes Mr Massey thanks for reminding the present generation that there is a better and a finer method of making its way in life than that of leaning on the Government for everything. Tho loaning habit tends to produce a nation of loafers, and it would be well if more of our public men wero to preach tho greatest of secular gospels—the gospel of hard work and sell-relianco.