In the Public Eye

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 11, 14 January 1933, Page 15

In the Public Eye

Krishnamurti, the young Indian who was hailed by many Theosophists as the New Messiah, may. visit New Zealand this year. In actual life the New Messiah is so plain and simple that an unobservant eye might even pass him by as not deserving attention. But it is this plainness and simpleness of life that the New Messiah holds out to the public as the ideal life. The continual hurry and bustle of life, and the constant effort to attain:the worldly ends makes us forget our ultimate object. Simple life, according to Nature, - provides more time and opportunity for contemplation, and the achievement of Nirvana (self-forgetfulness)—the great object of life. The ideal man is one who thinks of others first. Contentment with your lot in the world and discontent with {spiritual attainments should be the principal guide of life. We do not live for the sake, of clothes, but we put clothes on because they help us to live. In the same way we do not live for the sake of our body, but our physical life is only a medium for the development of our spiritual nature. This young man, whose body has been used, in the words of his disciples, "as a vehicle for the expression of the final and the Greatest Teacher of the world" (the final Messiah), is deeply; contemplative, but by no means pessimistic. "There is nothing wrong with the world," he seems to suggest, "but the Maya (the illusion of the senses and the understanding) mislead people. Given a proper outlook, the wo"rld is even an enioyable place!" ■ The Messiah predicts no cataclysm or catastrophe to the world.' Indeed, he refrains from prophesying and working miracles- altogether. His idea is that the greatest miracle is the world itself. The contemplation of one rosebud leads to the infinity. There is nothing to fear in the .world excepting your own self. Do your daily work and keep cheerful, but do not forget that far. above everything and in front of everything is God. Concerning himself, the attitude of the New Messiah displays a great deal of conscientious scruple. He does not appear to be anxious to upset the arranged order of .the world or strip the minds of the public of all the religious beliefs with which they are imbued. But Krishnamurti says he feels impelled to proclaim himself. It is probably this reluctance to interfere with the established order that gives the New Messiah many moments of anxiety. He seems to fall into a sort of stupor or contemplative mood when everybody around him observes silence and leaves him to himself. It is usually with a sigh indicative of a decision after some struggle that he emerges from this mood. He (iocs not ask you to receive him at once, .but he suggests to the public that it would do them no harm to examine his title. Mr. William Green. Mr. William Green, the successor of Samuel Gompers at the head of the large,_ influential and conservative American Federation of Labour this week made a statement on the subject of unemployment in the United- States Mr. fareen's organisation has grown increasingly concerned about this question. Whereas last year it rejected a proposal to endorse unemployment insurance a recent vote approved: such a scheme and Mr. Green himself has had a large hand in this change. When Mr. Green succeeded the late Mr. Gompers there were "other Biehmonds" in. the field and some of them were very strong candidates, notably Mr. James Dunn, of Quincy, the veteran first vicepresident of the organisation. Mr Matthew Woll was also regarded as a likely successor of the famous leader now dead. Mr. Green's exceptional ability, howeyer, manifested itself and in addition he had the backing of the powerful United Mine Workers of which he was secretary-treasurer. He is known as "a conservative of Gompers's school," but it must be recalled that Mr. Green's own organisation, the big member of the federation/is in a sense automatically on the side of the radical element in respect of some main issues. _ The miners, however, were industrially organised not so much for reasons of political theory as for practical reasons. In many regions trade organisation of workers has been adopted and has worked, on the whole, satisfactorily. In the ease of the mining areas such trades as the teamster, the electrician, the engineer, and the carpenter have been confined largely to the mining industry. To all intents and purposes the followers of these trades are miners;'and the fact that Mr. Green lis a miner does not mean that he is a champion of industrial unionism as a whole. Mr. Green, who is almpst 60 years of age, first came into prominence 32 years ago when he was elected to his first important position in ; the organisation of the United Mine Workers of America. He has been, in politics and at one time sat in the Ohio Senate, but of late years he has devoted himpelf more closely to the task of organising the ranks c/b labour. Mr. Green is a staunch Baptist, a prominent Oddfellow, and a member of that great American brotherhood the Elks. He has written a good deal on labour subjects, and one of his publications is a work' on the Ohio Workmen's Compensation law. Early in 1924 he won a signal victory for his union over the bituminous coal operators, and due appreciation was shown of his work in that battle. In 1931 he was re-elected for his eighth successive term as President of the A. F. of L. and at that time affirmed his belief in light beer, an arms cut, and a wider ban on immigrants to the United States. Last year, one of his principal utterances was the declaration, supported by instances, that President Hoover was a foe of labour.

It is some time since we heard of Captain F. T. Courtney, but he was .in the news this week with a statement on the subject of the missing "Bert" Hinkler. Not so long ago Captain Courtney was considering a flight from London to Wellington. Five years have passed since then and the flight remains unmade, but someone may do it someday. Captain Courtney proposed* to make the journey in a flying boat and the actual flying time he expected to be not more than seven days. He proposed to fly 1500 miles a day and stop only long enough- to re-fuel at the end of each stage. ■-.".- Captain 6ourtney is reputed to be one of the most daring of all England's famous pilots, and in addition is credited with an "air sense which seems to give him an almost uncanny power. Strange to say, he was rejected when he first attempted to join the Air Force in wartime because he wore glasses and was therefore .considered, useless as a pilot. He enlisted as a mechanic, however, and returned from France with the rank of flight-commander. Captain Courtney is best known to the public as the demonstrator of the auto-gyro invention by M. de la Cierva, which he flew at Farnborough in 1925 and in France last year. Captain Courtney was recently appointed technical manager of a new English company which was formed to place the auto-gyro on the British market. ' _ Harry Harper called him "a great pilot" and once described <the system by which Courtney protected himself when he was acting as a test pilot. Before ascending into the air with any new aerial steed ho -would walk found her and gain ideas of what to do in tho air. After that he would turn to the designer with acute questions born of thorough experienco; Finally he would taxi the machine about the ground, accustom himself to the controls, take a few short flights, then make a turn in the air and finally soar higher. He would 'sometimes, make dozens of flights before giving his verdict on a new "machine. ■ • Admiral A. G. |lotliamV Vico-Admiral Alan Geoffrey Hotham, C.8., C.M.G., who has' just been promoted Admiral on the retired list became Director of the Naval Intelligence Division of the Naval Staff, Admiralty, in succession to Bear-Admiral Maurice S. Fitzmauriee, C.8., C.M.G., on 15th August, 1924. He was then a Eear-Ad-miral, and his last service was as Naval Adviser to the New Zealand representative at the Imperial Conference, and since then he had studied at the Senior Ofdcors' Technical Course at Portsmouth. From May, 1920, to July, 1923, he was Commodore in Command of the New Zealand Station, with his broad pennant in the Chatham/ He had-pre-viously been Director of the Trade divisiojf.at the Admiralty, and also Assistant Director of Naval Equipment. At Jutland he commanded the light cruiser Comus, in which vessel he had, three months earlier, assisted in the destruction, of the German raider Grief. Eear-Admiral Fitzmauriee, C.8., C.M.G., had been D.N.I, for throe years, being appointed a few months after his promotion to flag rank in November, 1920. Although most of the-Admiralty directorships held by officers are now two-year posts, the chief of 'the Intelligence Division has been usually an exception of this rule, and in the case of Eear-Admiral Fitzmaurico he had special experience of the work; having been Assistant Director of Ifaval Intelligence in 1910-12, and of the Intelligence Division of tho Waj: Staff in 1912-14. During the war ho was in command of the battleship Triumph un, til she was torpedoed off Gallopoli. In a letter of 9th June, 1915, published in his book on the Dardanelles, Lord Wester Wemyss says: "The captain of the Triumph is now my Chief of Staff and of immense assistance." Captain Fitzmauriee was also Principal Naval Transport Officer at tho Dardanelles and Salonika. In 1918 he was Senior Naval Officer on the coast of Palestine, and afterwards Commodore Commanding the Aegean Squadron. ' Mr. S. Walder. The arrival in Auckland of Mr. S. Walder, Lord Mayor of Sydney, recently, recalled that he was elected to hi soffiee just about one year ago. Mr. Walder, who, of course, was elected as an alderman at the last civic poll, was expected to become Lord Mayor before he did. On the occasion of the .previous choice of a new man to fill the office he was universally regarded as almost certain to be elected, and one Sydney newspaper sent to his home a reporter and photographer with instructions to obtain material for the publication of his life story and. of details concerning his homo life. Alderman Walder, who was naturally willing to provide the newspapers with the necessary material, was photographed on the lawn of his beautiful home. Mrs. Walder,did not care for the proceedings at all, but was persuaded into them by the pressmen. "What," • she said, "if all this appears in print and Mr. Walder is not elected? Won't it be embarrassing?" However, Mrs. Walder was assured that her husband's election was certain, the story and photographs were published, and then what Mrs. Walder feared happened. Alderman Walder was not chosen Lord Mayor. However, that has now been remedied, and it is universally admitted that Sydney is fortunate in possessing such a man as its first citizen. Mrs. Walder is also highly esteemed. For years she has taken the greatest interest in tho work of the Free Kindergarten, and for four years she occupied tho position of president of tho committee of the Moore Park Kindergarten. She has been on the executive committee of the Fresh Air League for some time, and is also connected with the Darling Point branch of the Crippled Children's League, tho Deaf and Dumb Society, and with the Nowtown Day Nurseries.