NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1599, 16 November 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

In an excellent article in the Lon- ■ don Economist of September 28, the, Editor, Mr.' I?. W. Hirst, indulges in some new reflections upon Ben-, tbam's Book of Fallacies, and Sydney Smith's \famous essay upon it. He makos two points which are al--ways timely. The first has to do with the unfortunate fact that rhe-. toric, and what BenthaM' called "deceptions" . arguments, are more generally used, and are generally more effective, than appeals to reason. "Nothing, therefore," says Mr;. Hirst, is quite so-important to a democracy as the spread of political intelligence, nor of all • its benefactors do any deserve more gratitude than those who maintain sound- doctrines by sound arguments, and destroy by tongue or pen those evergreen fallacies and whose fruits are injustice, evil laws, and. wasteful or corrupt administration." It is for this reason that prudent people, anxious for the nation's welfare, are desirous that the teaching of history and political • economy should be made important features of our system of higher 'education. The second point noted by Mr. Hirst is the importance that criticism shall be free: "Another fallacy which stall flourishes," he. says, "is that which would get rid of the liberty of the Press by dwelling upon its licentiousness. Even in the freest country," he goes on, "a Government has at its disposal quite enough means of influencing the Press. One need only mention that most obvious, -most- innocent and most effective device of exchanging news for support. [He might have mentioned also the simple device, abolished by our own Reform Government, of granting public money, under the _ guise of buying advertising space, in return for support.] But to stifle criticism is bad for the rulers as well as for the people. It is almost impossible that an uncriticised Government can govern well. Countries where® no one is allowed to complain in public are just the countries where violent revolutions are most frequent. Public men and public measures would bp very much wmso If thoy were not opes to attack No human virtue

is proof against a servile unanimity of praise. The best security for public conduct is the certainty that it will be exposed to criticism and scrutiny." No doubt some of the antiReform newspapers, enjoying for the first time for over 20 years the liberty of criticising the Government, will realise how ill off they woiild be had their old patrons succeedod in gagging the Press. They arc probably realising now the usefulness and importance of a free press.

.The other day, discussing the value of the Public Service Act, we took a little space to point out that in addition to the very desirablo material benefits of non-political control there were great moral, benefits to be secured as well. : One of the anti-lleform newspapers in the South has actually said, in'commenting upon our article, that this shows that- we have to some extent weakenetj in our support of the principle of non-political control! Really, the 'case of the anti-Reform faction must be weaker than we. had thought it was, when' its leading journalistic supporters- have nothing :in their armoury better than senseless misstatement. This cheerful misrepresentation'of our quite Well-known opinions is so very like the Federation of equally astonishing . perversion of the simple l facts' of Waihi .that wo cannot help thinking that the old Spoils party and the Federation are making such' a ' neck-and-neck race of it downhill that there ought to he Bomo; brisk even: money betting as to which will reach the bottom first.

Some interest has been aroused in Germany by the operations of the Gesnllschaft fur Reform der Maennertracht. This is not, as one might suppose, a scientific body or /an ironmongery firm. It is a society bont upon the reform of- men's dttr.s, and it? theory appears to be as sound .as the application of it is revolting. On the practical side, it "aims' at developing the beneficial tendencies due to sport,, and accordingly ban's waistcoats,, braces, .socks, open coats and pointed .boots. ■ .It hopes that in time' the. German male wi.il war knickers, soft shirts without collars, , golf stockings and leather caps, so that in time Ambassadors unci Judges will look as if they were off to the Olyntpic Games. There is an aesthetic side to the movement, too. Colours are recommended, and flounces, trimmings, laqe and erabfoidecy. In West Germany thfcre js another so\ ■ ciety which goes rather further than this, _ It calls itself the Union for Civilised Garb ('Verein der ICuJturtracht), and its chief ahxiety is if persuade Germany that to be civilised one must wear in summer a pale pink or blue suit, straw sandals and a straw b.iretta. Thq organiser, who puts his theory in practice, is mar« ried to a youthful heiress who is woman enough to stick to and PoiRET, One canaot avoid ■ dering how much better off the world would be if the energies expended by these and other : foolish empiricists could be expended in rational endeavour. . • •