LET’S MEND OUR WAYS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28471, 28 December 1957, Page 8

LET’S MEND OUR WAYS

[By

WHIM WHAM]

Sir, here are a few New Year Resolutions For You and Me in our Capacity as public Institutions.— 1. To keep our Tempers and be kind to our poetical Rivals and our political Foes. After all, they have as much Right to exist as We have— I suppose. 2. To pick other people’s Brains less and try if we can’t discern Something. 3. To argue a Lot less about Education and try if we can’t actually LEARN Something. 4. Never any More to quote ‘overseas Experts’ or ‘overseas’ This and That: There’s many a fatuous Word uttered through an overseas Kat. If we have to import our Thoughts let’s have the Makers s Name and the Source— Sir, YOU wouldn’t go to the T.AJ3. and ask for a quid each Way on the ‘overseas Horse.’! 5. To cease behaving and thinking as if we had NO national Interests of our own, as if Mother Macmillan or Uncle Ike or the ‘Manchester Guardian* or the 8.8. C. knew what was Best for us—-Sir, let’s make a supreme Effort and TRY to be rational! 6. To turn both deaf Ears to the mealy-mouthed Voice that (especially in Culchural Directions) praises our little Efforts and flatters— It usually tells well-meant Lies, and it’s the worth of the Job, not the Size of the Gong that matters. 7. (Impossible but still worth trying) to write in future Nothing but plain good Sense And to tell—dare we, Sir?—Nothing but the Truth regardless of Expense!