TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 149, 27 June 1925, Page 15

TOPICS OF THE DAY

(By "M.H.C.")

We are gradually finding out; that - in the old days (which are; always the. "good" days according to. some minds) quite a number of mistaken ideas; were accepted as "gospel truthj," and some; very sad mistakes were-made in-con-sequence. _ Take the';old saying, -which was often, sad, to,: relate, acted .upon, that "the . fool of the-family .goes into the church."-, If brains, personality, and fineness of .character are emphatically wanted anywhere in any "iprpfession, r they ;■ are needed' in theVchurch'.: '■■•, ;The dimculties :of building;on'■ a sure, foundation- a_ true belief^-with reasonable"-i and continued instruction what;: to,'be-ij lieye—and .; the :;.powers Vnecessary.-. to bring before ": people an. ideal ■'■'of':.life:. which they will accept. and act'upon— are colossal. .They:need people -of:-'ex-ceptional .ability,, eloquentyV. sincere; "pure in: heart," ; patient, -.industrious,and, withal, full .of sympathy; aridslpve for humanity. '■ Wliat' a category,.;of' perfection !■'. ;But ..a; minister, of ..the 'Gospel' is but poorly; ; ;equipped>) without ;-the* majority, of these qualities,7 and- it is -the' "square/ pegs^'r-theVmen-:without.y.-.any: ■real iiispiration,. who are'-.utterly unsuitcd to their i work, who,' are. the 'uri-. fortunate causes :,pf; the r.failures/ invtKis'or that church--toiinterest' humanity, "or tormake a sensible- difference in; r.tK' 'misery, of the /world. ; The' -great; band ol workers .outside,- any , church.- or %.pr--ganisatiori : seem to ■ count for a .great deal; and it; is tho'feelinfr- of many7tliafc: if the work -could - only- be :!a6ne within the borders of'faith that-much more and" better results .would ,be;. obtained. The fact that: there: are niariy fine and. splen-: did .men within the."churchesVdoes, not' over-balance. the iact.that there are. ,so I many -quite ;unsuited: : for- their special"' Work..- r-'■■'■■'.: --:-'---:-' :-:;' : „,-■>, v •■"'.■ 0.-'': vl

Then follows, another; mistaken 'idea,• and that is -that -all women are /suited! for motherhood/and housework. ' It was ■generally... supposed .that the '-riiysteribWforce entitled "Nature": provided, all the females/of .the.;race; with;.the beautifiJ*' ..qualities necessary;, for motherhood, - arid it has taken a.mighty.long: timei to es-". tablish the fact that many of them "are rank failures!in this direction.'. Quite-as many, beautiful qualities, :ot ,more, are needed for, motherhood as are necessary in the church .ministry./ But,' again, there are, so many -failures, inore's the'pity—for 'the, happiness and: goodness- of>-the' iittle ones is/the ..most important tiling 1' in the world; In:.the. present,/.'there isi a great effort being made to render housework more attractive,; better paid, and;to remove thefstigma -which 'has al-: ways "attached" to ,the>;"Blavey,':■•'.:'/the. tweeny,'. -;-or .-whateviar: more; or less contemptuous term might "be applied to those who/were obliged to do' the'most necessary work of all. Kitchens, instead' of being large and barnlike' places, with a great extent of floor to be "scrubbed, and open shelving for a dust-catcher ■with, the contents thereon, are now com-, pact, with, cupboards, either glassedl or plain, to, protect the, china and glassware, the saucepans, and general equipment. The stoves are tiled, and with gas or electric fires,,and thought is*continually being given to the convenience and comfort of the kitchen; science is brought, to bear on cookery; regular hours are becoming common; 'and the Kitting-room outside of {he kitchen is also,to be found in the better style of house. In all,- the domestic life is being uplifted, and as there are thousands of domestically-inclined women who 'take the keenest interest in recipes and cooking generally, with a real pride in house management, it looks as though there will be an improvement in the outlook for those who take up what is fast becoming known as "domestic science." The girls who are suited to the 'work will be able to take it up happily, while quite a wide world is open to those who have no taste for domestic work or life.

. '-. . . ■;* ■■ ■ .:.» .'...■*,'■ .■■:■:•'.'-: .■;■'■"■»■.■;■ ;'.■■ 'In the category of 'mistaken ideas there can certainly., be; /counted those which condemn the women who are interested in helping the : "lame' dogs", of the world over their particular stiles.' To some people, and people of'consideration and position, b& it v; remarked, ; such wonien <'; condemned;'■ as '■"nastyminded," as ; they must "necessarily be aware, of ; the.; sins and- mistakes' of humanity/ It is, however; a very poorly-equipped mind. that, cannot-hate a silvery cordially without in \ the least hating the sinner, jit is the business, of the clergy ,to know and; cope with: all these matters;; and yet .no one: ever. dreams of thinking them ''nasty-mirid-oo" : because . their : work . takes—orshould take; them—among thel:'badlyminded and ill-conducted people. 'There are far more unpleasantly/ conversationed people among those who never "do. a tap" for others than among those :who hax.e a. broad and kindly outlook on-the ■world, which includes bad as well as good folk—not to mention the majority—which ia neither one nor the otter.

•-. Some comments' on : "Juggling with. *£ c ? ole" and a speech. by i Sir Alfred Mond are 'particularly interesting,; coming: from a .London correspondent. The writer declares that Sir Alfred haa "let himself go" on the subject of.unemployment,, which is-: the biggest 1 and most haggard problem of all with which the war has, confronted Great Britain. "Here we are, full seven years after the' war, with a round million registered outof-T-orks, not counting half-timers, . and many thousands of unrecorded ones. The majority of these :post-war Imiserablea are 'on tho dole.' They parade once a ;week'in.their suburb, in a dingy queue with their fellows, to draw a bare subsistence allowance." This is apart, from the poor-law relief, which costs' the nation about 60 millions.each year, and it 25 stated that the ruinous ■. expense of Keeping thes« doleful battalions is crush-; ing industrial revival under a, burden of taxes. The point; is made also that thousands draw the dole money in preference to doing any kind of job. Still more take the little work which will eke .out the dole without depriving them of ■tuThe -bold-Sir Alfred comes forward with a suggestion to make the dole a ..■wages subsidy, and'for it to be paid to those employers who are prepared, on the strength of such subsidy, to give the workers productive jobs. This, he thinks, would rid the nation of the post-war Old Man of the Sea, enable industry to revive and compete favourably with currency-favoured 'Continental;rivals,-' and also cure (jhe. growing deadly canker of pauperised idiers. The'suggested schema 'is'hedged-'around by the promoter with shrewd provisions, but while some are enthusiastically in favour of it. a: la.vge number-look upon it with suspicion, while a third division urges that the situation is abnormal and transient, and calls for drastic treatment. It'will be interesting to find! what follows after Sir Alfred Monti's iunusuai idea.