The Scheme of Things

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1935, Page 19

The Scheme of Things

By M.H.C,

The necessity for a scapegoat was realised by the Israelites in far-distant times, and those who have seen that marvellous picture of "The Scapegoat" in the Sydney Art Gallery will have realised to what an extent the poor creature must have suffered. The dry desert around, long lines of sand, unbroken except by a mound here and there (which might have meant the burial-place of those lost terribly and miserably), the crimson sun. purple shadows, and the emaciated, suffering animal, with bloodshot eyes and terror in every line —all bring before the beholder what the artist meant when he depicted the scene. All those years ago the people turned a scapegoat loose in the wilderness to bear the burden of their sins and shortcomings, and, strange to say, while many things have changed, the world still needs, and gets, its scapegoats. These coma in many ways, suffering is inflicted on the deserving because of the sins of others; little children, women, men, all suffer as scapegoats, and theirs is a prolonged misery at times, too often, lasting throughout life. The old, stem saying that the children shall suffer for, the sins of the parents, even unto the j third and fourth generation, is boms out in hundreds of thousands of instances still; yet the world takes no heed, but misconduct and selfishness go on, and the vicarious suffering also.

It is not a strange thing that women are the ones who wish so passionately to have a better regime, and seek ceaselessly to get conditions remedied that cause such misery. They are the ones who, as a rule, go among % the people who suffer; and • they are the •ones who agonise over the suffering of their own—and both causes keep them ever alert and trying for betterment. In reading the "Life of Mr. Justice McCardie," it is impossible not to deeply sympathise with him, for he was one of the few, men who saw things as women see them; he also worked ceaselessly to get some better consideration for the poor and oppressed, for the unfortunate children who are born deficient, and for the still more miserable mothers who have to bear these children. It is possible to understand his tragic end by suicide after three successive attacks of Influenza, when he would keep on working when' he should have been in bed and receiving skilled care, and he looked round on his defeated efforts to help the unfortunates who had no chance of ever being anything but mindless and a burden on the strong and clever ones of the world.: To establish some remedy for this state of things was a passionate 'wish of Mr. Justice McCardie, and it seems a terribly sad thing that he could not have taken a little more bodily care and have lived to work for the ends he desired after his retirement, when he would have had more time and would not have been bound by his position and its limitations. There is no knowing what he may have done; but it is pos-

sible that wherever he is he may yet be able to exert thought and prayer for those things which were denied him in this life, v

The question of the scapegoat was ever before him, as it is before many women who think, and who realise what the conditions of life are for those who have neither health, strength, nor position' to enable • them to make known their tragic position in life. Enough is known of the submerged lives in this city to make some piti-

ful thought even in the minds of thosa who are most determined to keep things as they are, and prevent any legislation or enactments which would help the saddest cases of all. The scapegoats of life who are mentally afflicted are ■ among the most pitiful. It would be well for those who frustrate any attempt at improved conditions to have to live under the same disabilities and with such people". A. change of heart would surely come, and such men as Mr. Justice McCardie would have the joy of feeling that at least a beginning had been made to improve matters. Women have grown used to struggling for such betterment, and still will go on, for it is impossible for them to help trying to get their world amended, though dis-

couragement is their lot on all sides at present. The organised women of the world are all at one in these matters; the same story of effort comes from all parts of the Empire and from every nation where women are able to take any part in the affairs of life. '

Accounts from India, China, Japan, and other parts, East and West, are all the same, ceaseless effort to help the scapegoats of life, and if possible to prevent any more such being thrust into a world without their own volition, where they are not wanted by anyone and are only a burden on the fit. These things must be mended in time, arid those who are older look with hope on the better education and knowledge of the young, believing that when their time comes to have a say in the affairs of their nation and of the world, they will remedy evils which, in the present, it seems almost hopeless to attack.

Taking the lighter side of the,scapegoat question, it is somewhat amusing to note how a type of man is ever j ready to make women the scapegoats I for all sorts of odd things. Just recently a learned gentleman took upon himself, to call women "over the coals" on account of what he considered the bad cooking of the day. What he did not know (and is well known to women) is that it is the older women as a very general rule who are the unwholesome cooks. He regretted that the young ones did not learn to cook as their mothers had done before them, but, as a matter of fact, there is excellent, wholesome^ properly-balanced cooking taught in the schools nowadays, but the pupils very generally are not allowed to "take new-fangled notions" home. The mother, who ( has always turned out her cabbage a Ipvely green colour by cooking it with plenty of soda and thus removing all particle of nourishment from it, scouted the suggestion of her daughter from the cooking classes that she should not do this and refused to allow any kind of change. It is the older women as a rule who rejoice in rich, creamy, buttery recipes; the young prefer savouries and fresh greejjs, and so the tale goes on. £

The young cooks have little chance while at home, and often forget what they have learned on account of not getting any practice, but probably later on they will call up to memory what they learned and things will be better. Women have lately been scapegoats in the uncomfortable state of the streets; and yet it is very seldom women are seen throwing about tobacco tins and cigarette cases, expectorating in a disgusting manner, or behaving generally in the way which a section of the'other sex is guilty of in'the streets.'" Both men and women loiter in groups and talk, both are equally careless about the • right and left of the pathways, but, as the Israelites found, it is most 'convenient to have scapegoats, and to a type, as said before, women ■ are the people who come in for the purpose. Although they cannot be turned out into the wildernesses of life,-yet life itself, is-made into a. .wilderness that no man would willingly' enter.- •■• ■• ;