BELIEFS OF ASIANS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30146, 1 June 1963, Page 19

BELIEFS OF ASIANS

Dr. Sutch Sees Value

The religions and philosophies of Asia had a more profound effect on the ethics of the Asian peoples than Christianity had on the Western races, Dr. W. B. Sutch. secretary of Industries and Commerce, said in an address on “Asia in the World.”

When Asian powers eventually dominated the world he hoped they’ would retain these values, and not become imitations of the I industrialised Western world’s people, to whom the motorcar was among the most important things in life. Asia’s arts and philosophies were the most important contributions she could make to world today, Dr. Sutch said. Dr. Sutch was giving the first lecture in a series of 18 to be given weekly on “Understanding Asia.” The series has been organised by the Workers' Education Association. More than 60 persons attended. Dr. Sutch traced Asian development from Europe’s Dark Ages, which. he said, were times of great enlightenment and prosperity in Asia, to the present day when Asia was beginning the ‘ painful process of economic ' stabilisation” which would precede its inevitable general industrial and economic growth. Asian countries, from being merely the suppliers of raw material for the West and the markets for Western goods, were now strongly nationalist, and were themselves determined to become technologically proficient, Dr. Sutch said. Statistics showed that Asians, who already comprised half the world's population, would, by the year 2000. number about 4,000.000,000. About six in every 10 persons would then be Asian, he said. This mass of people would probably dominate the world, and he hoped they would retain the philosophic values and arts inherited from the former great Asian civilisations.