OVERSEAS OPINIONS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 218, 10 June 1933, Page 17

OVERSEAS OPINIONS

Breakfast Table Grumbles. Lord Marshall, presiding at the filth annual meeting of the Newsvendors’ Benevolent and Provident Institution in London, said he supposed that Hie “newspaper has always been a sort of Aunt Sally with the public. The man who does not dare to grumble at the breakfast bacon has to take it out of something.’’ he said, “so he grumbles at the newspaper. Let him find a single error or a single opinion that displeases him and lie condemns not only the newspaper containing it, but the whole Press of the country. But,” lie added, "he does not give up his newspaper, for the sufficient reason that he cannot get along without it. if the average man will analyse his newspaper, blue pencil its errors, its unwelcome opinions, and any features that offend, and leave unmarked those items that may reasonably be passed as instructive and entertaining, not very much blue pencil will be required.” Bating and Unemployment.

“It is too ofteu overlooked,” urges the Morning Post (Loudon), "that the volume of unemployment is very uueveutly distributed as between district and district. The National Exchequer certainly bears the major part of the burden in the form of contributions towards the insurance fund proper and transitional benefit. But in addition poor relief Imposes a substantial burden which is borne locally by the rates. This burden has greatly increased during the past twelve months, and has begun to cause acute anxiety and distress In the localities mainly affected. The rates In many of the Northern towns are at a level which cannot continue to be borne without serious economic consequences. New industries naturally avoid these highly-rated towns, and old ones are being driven to seek a less burdensome habitation elsewhere In the result those which are left artcompelled to shoulder a still greater burden. A pall of stagnation is in this way falling upon the North.” Nature in Art.

“Bo we iu the study of the past find some ages or places where life has been more coherent, richer and fuller? Bo we draw more enjoyment from wireless, television and aeroplanes than Cowper did from the contemplation of a budding tree? Bead his letters and you will doubt it. We have forgotten the realities of work and building for pretentious words like architecture, design, and volume. Style is only a museum mime for something that arises by the way. To-day great scientists like Eddington and Jeans are writing of nature and science iu terms almost of poetry while so many modern artists are seeking some philosopher's stone of dynamic ratio, or dynamic symmetry or some elixir of life devised from negro sculpture or Paleolithic man’s art. Creative imagination to-day seems to be the mark not of the artist, but of Hie scientist."—Mr. Alee Miller, the sculptor, spetiking to the National Union of Students' Conference at Cambridge. Democratic Ideals for India.

“It has been argued with. truth,’’ says Colonel John Btiehtiu, M. 8., "that political systems do not appear out of the void, but have their roots deep in history, and depend for their success upon the nature of the society to which they are applied. Parliamentary democracy is not a thing which comes into being full-grown. A form of government which has served well in the West cannot be indiscriminately applied to the East. Western civilisation -has behind it the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the French Revolution, and India has had none of these things in her history. What the Government proposals demand and deserve is a searching and fair-minded examination, both in Britain and in India. The test jnust be the facts of the ease and the new spirit which I believe to be already inspiring other domains of public policy. Let us get rid of the notion that any surrender of historic power is necessarily a betrayal of duty and a confession of impotence. It was a recent Viceroy of India, Lord Minto, who laid down what may well be regarded as an axiom of Imperial rule—'No man is so strong as he who is not afraid to be called weak.” Revolutionary Socialism.

When revolutionary Socialists discredit Parliament in a Parliamentary country they destroy their own best weapon of offence or defence. In Englund they have allowed themselves to be associated in the general mind with the idea of anti-constitutional revolution. They have, in general, deserved no better; they have talked in terms of unrealities so long that they must not be surprised if the workingclass has begun to take them at their word. Who can expect the average man to understand what 'the dictatorship of the proletariat’ means when translated into terms of British realities? And how many revolutionary Socialists have a right to expect that the average man should understand what 'the dictatorship of the proletariat.' means in British terms, when they showed no sign of understanding, or trying to understand, its meaning themselves. They themselves are as much to blame as anybody for the simple and obvious consequence of their unthinking parrotry; that the average man remembers the word ‘Dictator’ and forgets the rest.”—Mr. Middleton Murray, in “The Adelphi.” Craftsmanship.

"Material progress and invention have now readied such a pitch that less and less intelligence is needed to control the machines that have usurped the muscle, eye, and brain of man. The perfection of machinery must not be allowed to bring about the degradation of'humanity. A renaissance of craftsmanship t.s needed —a revival of that sense.of creative ability and mastery and ownership and independence which is so much lacking .to-day. A new desire to become producers and craftsmen is evident on every side. Occupational centres organised to give tin- tremendous army of unemployed an outlook on life calculated to overcome ail feelings of helplessness, depression, ami inferiority are providing temporary assistance. In the nation’s darkest hour craft teachers tiro being sought far mid wide to aid in dispelling the people’s gloom and fear Our calling seems about to enter on its inheritance. The renaissance has begun."—Mr. A. Ross, of Liverpool, addressing the conference of the Institute of liandicral’t teachers at Nottingham.

Propaganda. “Propaganda was always assumed to be criminal by those who disagreed with it; yet all great literature, inasmuch as it represented a man’s attitude to life, must be propaganda on behalf of that attitude—for the artist wants us to agree with his vision. The man who believes in Keats’ phrase that ‘truth is beauty’ must bo either a propagandist or a moral coward.” — Mr. 11. M. Tomlinson.

The Other Side. "I notice,” said Lord Eustace Percy, in a recent speech, "that a day or two ago someone commented on what he said was the tendency in some teachers to instil into their pupils the idea that a social and economic revolution was bound to take place. Apart from the question of the desirability of introducing such topics into the school, the conviction that a social and economic revolution is bound to take place, by the operation of economic forces, during the next generation, is no longer confined to any one school of political thought We know—everyone who has foresight ought to know—that Hie conditions of the past are never going to return, and it will be well if all of us can fill til the formula for the reformer dictated by Mr. Rudyard Kipling. that be should be able to see " ‘The old life shrivel as a scroll, And to unheralded dismays, submit his body and his soul.’ ”

The Barter of Goods. “The world as a whole,” says the “Times,” of London, "lias moved nearer to barter, and our own commercial system is being brought into relation with that fact It is not a very desirable development, even though in connection with some countries, and notably with Russia, experience has shown that it. is inevitable. But with most countries it may be hoped that a system of doser regard to the balance of trade will not prove inconsistent with au expansion of the volume of trade nor with a restoration of an extensive use of the credit system. The obstacles in the way are the interlocked problems of international debts, excessive tariffs, exchange restrictions, prohibitions, and al! the armoury of weapons which countries have been driven to use or have chosen to use in an effort to make themselves self-supporting and to dam themselves of” from the rest of a troubled world.”

German Nationalism. "What is this new spirit of German nationalism? The worst of the All--I'russian Imperialism, with an added savagery, a racial pride, an exclusiveness which cannot allow to any fellowsubject not of ‘pure Nordic bit th equality of rights and citizenship within the nation to which be belongs. Are vou going to discuss revision with a Government like that? Are you going to discuss with such a Government the Polish Corridor? The Polish Corridor is Inhabited by Poles; does the Government dare to put another Pole under the heel of such a Government? Europe is menaced and Germany is afflicted by this narrow, exclusive, aggressive spirit, where it is a crime to be in favour of peace and a crime to be a Jew.” —Sir Austen Chamberlain, M.P. Look Around.

“In these days a man who will not raise his head from his own desk or his own pass-book is au idiot, lie Is throwing away a means of steeling himself against shocks and alarms. He is failing in citizenship. Ho is helping to increase the weakness of the body politic,” writes the Medical Correspondent of the "Times Trade and Engineering Supplement.” “In addition, be is losing a chance of helping himself. It is a delusion that John Smith grew rich by minding his own business —as a glance tit the activities of most rich men at once shows. The truth is that success in any walk of life is made more and not less likely by a wide sympathy and by carefully acquired knowledge. If we have taught ourselves to understand the forces which govern and determine the life of our country, we have, at the same time, equipped ourselves to direct those affairs of which we are the centre. Above ail, we have intensified, in ourselves, that spirit of service without the exercise of which the world, certainly, will not find a satisfactory way out of its difficulties.”

Britain’s 'Flu’ Visitation. "In the weeks from that ending December 3, 1932, to that ending March 25, 11)33, more than 40,000 cases of acute pneumonia (primary or influenzal) have been notified in England and Wales,” says the "British Medical Journal.” “In the 118 great towns, which include rather more than half the population of England and Wales, 10,028 deaths have been attributed to influenza —2033 of these in London. Hence the deaths directly attributed to influenza in the whole country may be estimated at some 20.000. This, of course, is not the whole bill', since increases under the headings of diseases of the respiratory organs and of the heart are usually associated with an epidemic of influenza. This is a formidable total, but much smaller than at one time seemed probable. In its rate of increase at the cud of last year the epidemic looked like depriving that of 1928-2!) of its position as the worst recrudescence since the pandemic of 1918-19. It seems clear now that the 1932-33 outbreak will prove to have been definitely less severe than that of 1928-29, but comparable with those of 1922 and 1927.”

Fashion Director in Industry. "I visualise the day, not very far ahead, when all textile firms will find a director of fashion as necessary and as profitable a member of their boards of management as a director of finance or a director of technique. The fashion director will need to bo a keen student of the fashion psychology of the masses, the determining factor in the sale of his firm's materials. He will have to be ever ready to make adjustments and changes, so as to keep pace with the restless movement in the world of fabric fashions.. Upon his artistic judgment, enterprise and foresight. in regard to fashionable textures. designs and colours —or, in other words, his gift of anticipating public taste- —the success of his firm ! will very largely depend. Fabries. ! branded with fashion will always find ii ready sale all over the world, and ; price competition, the bane of almost ; every manufacturers’ life, will be ! found to decline in ratio to the increase in the artistic merit of Hie goods.”— Mr. Edward 11. Symonds, in : the “Journal of the Royal Society of . Arts.”