THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 260, 30 July 1941, Page 6

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Comments—Reflections

Choose an author as you choose friend. —The Earl of Roscommon.

“The Church lives today in a hostile world. The attitude of the totalitarian States in Europe toward the Christian Church is fairly well understood by British people, but the attitude of Japan, the totalitarian State ‘par excellence’ of the Far East, is not so well known. The situation is the more grave in Japan in that the attack is being directed upon an infant Church by a ruthless and determined foe, Another challenge to the position and vitality of the Christian Church comes from the persistent fact of war. There is apt to be a slow .attrition of Christ-, ian ideals during war-time. The Church in the West has sufficient experience of this kind of spiritual damage to take the proper precautions against it or at least to be aware of the danger in advance.” —Rev. 'A. M. Chirgwin, in his book, “Under Fire.”

“The war has changed things and made the gospel of freedom easier. We are cheerfully engaged on self-sacrifice to a degree never imagined before: 10/- in the pound. We are going back to a religion which proffers as its only reward, blood and toil, tears and sweat, with iron self-control and now with newborn self-respect. Well, let’s cash in. They say that the British have no faith, but only a double dose of conscience. It has seemed to me that, as faith weakened, conscience went too. The Chinese, the Spaniards, the Jews, the Africans, the. Czechs called to us for help in vain; while the Fascists cried: ‘Britain, mind your own business,’ and others echoed Cain: 'Am I my brother’s keeper?’ No faith ! no conscience! Nonsense! If it did become dim and dull, it has now revived as never before as a faith in freedom involving duty and sacrifice. It is upon that faith that we should now build.. This war is the ‘way back to religion’; the way back to.self-con-trol and self-sacrifice. I see nothing horrible in a war which restores the soul; nothing horrible in men, women and even'children dying for such a faith. A Greek said proudly the other day: ‘We taught mankind to live. We will now teach them how to die.’ I salute that Greek; I acclaim a comrade. I can only add that dying for one’s faith is even easier than dying for one’s country.”—Rt; Hon. Josiah C. Wedgwood, in a recent address.

“This year’s British Budget is an attempt to relate finance to the war’s general economic problems. Its avowed object is to reduce the spending power of Us all to the limits imposed by the dwindling supply of goods; and it is accompanied by a useful survey of our economic resources and how' we are using them. In the calendar year 1938, national income was estimated at £4500 millions, of which (after paying taxes and local rates) we spent £3500 millions on ourselves. In 1940 national income rose to £5600 millions, and as total expenditure, public and private, was £6600 millions, we drew £lOOO millions out of capital resources—sale of gold to America, realization of dollar securities, supplies on credit from the Dominions and depletion -of stocks of goods at home. This year, with the further war effort, national income may be £6OOO millions and Government expenditure over £5OOO millions. Assuming that we get 1 £2lOO millions from the Dominions and America that would leave about £3OOO millions for our private use—£6oo millions less than in 1940, which roughly corresponds to the Chancellor’s ‘gap’ of £5OO millions. But it is only £2600 millions at 1938 prices, or 25 per eent. less than we had for our own use then. When we think of all the things on which we cannot economize by 25 per cent..

it is dear that our expenditure on luxuries must be cut to the bone, and those making them as far as possible, to war work.” —“Sunday Times,” London.

“The last war will be. fought on the threshold of the human conscientiousness. Here will come the victory leading to enduring jieace. For if there is to be no more war conflict in the world, hate must be laid low, and resentment. Malice must be routed, and envying. Greed must be cast down from eminence by generosity.’ Aggression must vanish before the strength of unselfishness. All the ancient and proud forces of sin, the embattled lusts for power and material possession, must be vanquished before peace is to come to this earth. Here is a battle which each one of us should wage now. For til) the people of this earth have swept evil from the collective consciousness no treaty will bring security, no peace will have enduring qualities. The final victory rests with the individual.”— “Journal-Herald,” Dayton, Ohio.

“The Nazis arc now running around in economic circles. Not only have war and. armaments confiscated, the full increment in productivity in the old Germany since 1933, but the colossal cost of fighting during this period is cancelling out most of tlie economic benefits from the overrunning of 14 other nations and the bringing of three more within the Nazi orbit. The Reich has manoeuvred itself into an illogical position. It takes military power to keep forcible possession of her neighbours, and yet it requires peace to test the validity of Nazi plans to improve living standards through introducing science and invention into the agriculture and industry of all segments of

the new United (captive) States of Europe. Unless tlie Nazis succeed in a spectacular manner in providing more and better goods to the conquered peoples, it is unthinkable that they can long suppress the desire of these peoples for independence.”—Mr. M. S. Rukeyser, in the New York “JournalAmerican.” * » * The Unconquerable Race Things of the noblest kind our own soil breeds; Stout are our men, and warlike are our steeds; Rome, though her eagle through the world had flown Could never make this island all her own. —Edmund Waller.