VOICES of the NATION

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 136, 5 March 1927, Page 17

VOICES of the NATION

SAYINGS AND WRITINGS :: OF THE TIMES :: ::

The Facts the Thing. “Accurate observation in social and religious life was one of the great things needed in the present day. In economic questions it was obvious to him that people confused what they would like to be with what they thought was. That was particularly so in such questions as the standard of life, the levels of wages, and in all questions relating to money. Half of our economic fallacies were rooted in the problems of the changes in the value of money. They could not get any fact in relation to modern life in its right sense unless they threw up the purely selfish standpoint. They wanted in their solution’ of social questions a passion for facts and not for blame, and the power to appreciate their setting in the complete system of thought.” —Sir Josiah Stamp. A Martian on the British.

“I find, said “Martian of the Interior” the British people, as I had been led to- expect, possessing many fine qualities of heart and mind. They are, above all things, a liberty-loving and fair-play people. Their first instinct, if dispute arises, is to make and keep a ring, so that the issue may be fairly fought out. They shake hands heartily when entering a conflict. They shake hands even more heartily —if that be possible—when the fight is over. They don’t know what harbouring resentment means. They are a stubborn and enduring people—like their own Bulldog in many ways. You may pipe to them; but ’they' won’t dance unless they are so minded. You may, with every gravity, prove the imperative need for them to take, this or that course. Thev will listen tolerantly and then—shrug 'their shoulders. They take a lot of rousing, just as their own Bulldog does. But, again nke their own Bulldog, let them get their teeth in and they’ll take even more shaking off than he does. They indignantly deny sentimentality, though they are really rather sentimental. They will hotly disclaim the fact if you parade it in their favour. And the more, of the milk of human kindness is in them, the more scornfully will they poohpooh what they themselves style ‘sobstuff,’ and they have a real genius for self-government.”—Hon. I. J. Macnamara, in a fanciful book. Not Worth While.

“If America cancelled the whole British war debt we should only stand to gain the difference between our payments to lier and the smaller amounts which we are able to collect from' our debtors—say twopence in the rate of income-tax. It is not enough to tempt us to join in an agitated appeal for clemency.”—“Manchester Guardian.”

Lord Oxford on Nature Lessons. "He had been surprised, and he might say sometimes shocked, when playing golf and saying to the little caddie carrying his clubs, “What bird is that we hear?’ or ‘What is that flower?’ to meet with absolute ignoiance in response. Teachers in a gathering to which he pointed that out not long ago protested that once or twice a week they took children into the lanes and bv-wavs and gave them that kind of instruction. Such instruction ought to be the rule. Teachers ought to be equipped much more fully with all the new instruments of ’education which the growth of science and the progress of invention had placed at our disposal. They could not . teach history, geography, natural history, even i'n their most'elementary features, half so well by word of mouth, maps, and • diagrams as they could if the teacher were provided, as he could be at a comparatively moderate cost, with a film showing, for example, the life of a bee or a nasturtium, or stirring scenes of English history.”—Lord Oxford in a speech reported in the “Times.” An Intolerable Ideal.

“The ideal social system was sometimes represented to us as though it would automatically relieve the citizen of the burden of his responsibilities. The citizen had only, it was suggested, to put his vote in the ballot box as he would put a penny in the slot, and the ideal social system would do the rest. We sometimes deluded ourselves by thinking that that was just the sort of svstem that would suit us. In reality there was none of us who could endure it for a day, because it would deprive us of our right to responsibility, which was the last thing a free man could ever surrender. Surely it was nearer the mark to say that the good social svstem was one which would increase the responsibility reposed in the citizens and not the one which deprived them of responsibility by treating them as if they wore all regimented units in a mass.”—Principal L. I’. Jacks.

For Longevity. “The need for more temperate habits of life has never before been so urgent. The central need is for less food, wisely selected and well masticated ; for scrupulous personal cleanliness; for simple exercise, such as is afforded bv leisurely, walking, coupled with deep' I Uathing; for regular sipping of water; for regular hours of sleep; for frequent periods of relaxation, and quiet meditation; for plain living and lofty thinking, not occasionally, but as an established daily regime. These are some of the things which make for well-being and longevity.”—Mr. Grenville Kleiser, in the “Battle Creek Idea.” The Tax Burden.

“Taxation in proportion to income and population is between two and three times heavier in England, France, and Italy than it is in the United States, and those payments that could at best mean a paltry gain for most American taxpayers mean to the overtaxed debtors a crushing load.” —A statement signed by American professors.

No United Action in China. “It has been obvious for a long time past that united action by the Powers in Chinese affairs had become a diplomatic fiction that did no good to China or to anyone else. And since, under Bolshevist guidance, the anti-foreign movement in China had been specially directed against Great Britain—since, in fact, Great Britain had to bear all the odium, while others Powers, if they suffered at all, suffered only indirectly.” —“The Times” (London).

Why All These War Preparations? “According to President Coolidge, the United States has 550,000 men under arms at the present time, the largest number in our history in time of peace. We are told that ‘America has more officers—brigadier-generals, colonels, lieutenant-colonels, majors, captains, and lieutenants—than it had in the mighty army in France when peace was declared’; that ‘we could put into the field to-day, at short notice, an army one-third larger than that which moved to victory in the Argonne.’ Why these enormous expenditures for war preparation ? Why this largest armed force in our history? We are assured that all this preparation is for national defence. But against whom must we defend ourselves? Who is threatening to attack us? Certainly, not Europe. There is not a nation in the Old World that could attack us if it would. Every European government is bankrupt. There is not one that has the resources to fight another war, even if it wanted to. Across the Atlantic we are safe.What about the Pacific? China is helpless. Japan is powerless against us. Her financial position is precarious, and her navy has only CO per cent, of the fighting strength of ours. The Japanese are a brave and proud people, ambitious and resourceful. But they have never shown a capacity to blunder on so stupendous a .scale as to attempt to invade another country three thousand miles across the seas which possesses resources double or even treble their own.”—The American “Zion Herald.” A Difficult F°recast. “Probably it is more difficult than usual at the present time to foretell with any substantial degree of accuracy the trend of trade during the coming year. It looks as though the immediate future will be much more free from labour difficulties than the. last few years and that in itself will give a feeling of confidence to buyers and manufacturers to enter into commitments for the future. Arrears of orders due to the coal stoppage will probably help to swell the volume of business in the first half of the year. It must not be imagined however that the consequences of the prolonged stoppage are all behind us. Dividends in many directions must suffer with the resultant diminution of purchasing power, and there is also the vast accumulated loss of purchasing power of the large number of workers directly and indirectly affected. To restore conditions to normal will require infinite patience during a long period of unremitting effort.”—Sir J. George Beharrell, D. 5.0., managing director, Dunlop Rubber C0.,-Ltd., in “System.”

President Coolidge and Armaments. “I do not believe we can advance the policy of peace by a return to the policy of competitive armaments. While; I favour an adequate Army and Navy, I am opposed to any effort to militarise this nation. When that method is worked out to its logical consequences the result is always a complete failure. We can render no better service to humanity than to put forth all our influence to prevent the world from slipping back into the grasp of that ravaging svstem. Nations rejoice in the fact that they have the courage to fight each other. When will the time come that they have the courage to trust each other?”—From a recent speech by * President Coolidge. What Chen Should Know.

“It is necessary to pointt out to Mr.Chen and his associates that, if they are to justify their claim to be considered as a representative and civilised Administration, they must prove not only their ability but their instant readiness to perform one of the elementary functions of a civilised society by defending the lives and property of peaceful citizens, whether 'extra-territorial-ists’ or not, against murderous rioters. It is hardly to be supposed that any but the most extreme fanatics in the movement to liberate China from foreign bondage really desires to. kill foreign trade in general, and British trade n particular, by a deliberate policy of sabotage and terrorism. Leaders like ■Mr. Chen must be, astute enough to realise that without foreign trade, conducted in circumstances of reasonable security, they will have throttled the goose that lays the golden eggs. If the Cantonese want to trade with the foreignerfi thev must protect him and his business interests. They cannot have it both ways, and the sooner they acquire a clear understanding of the alternatives the better it will be for China and the world in general.”— “Daily News.”

On ignoring posterity, “I would say, in all humility, to our younger writers, make haste slowly. Some day you will be old, wondering what posterity has in store for you. Don’t bother about posterity now, but do the very best that is in you, and enjov the verdict of the present. To admit that posterity’s verdict is all important is to belittle the criticism (frequently signed) of certain young critics who labour under the impression that what they say about a book is of far more importance* than the book itsqlf. With a few notable exceptions, posterity does not trouble about the critics, and they need not keep an eye on posterity.”—Mr. G. B. Burgin, the well-known'novelist, in a letter to the “Evening Standard.” A Plea For the League.

“The League of Nations stands for the Brotherhood of all the people in the world. The real reason why so few people support the League of Nations is apathy. This apathy is largely due to selfishness and laziness; and unless people rouse themselves to take more interest in the League of Nations, we shall drift on in the bad old way, go on spending millions of pounds on armaments and eventually find selves involved in another war. As Lord Grey has told us, ‘Great armaments lead inevitably to war.’ Now is the time to do something, now while millions of people in the world can remember all the horrors and tragedies of the last war. A generation is growing up who will onlv read about it and who will not have had personal experience of it. To them it will only be a chapter of history, and they will not realise what war means in the same way as those who lived through it and took part in it.”—Rear-Admiral J. D. Allen, C. 8., in the “Brotherhood World.”