CLEAR THINKING

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 18, 22 January 1937, Page 7

CLEAR THINKING

RIGHT USE OF LEISURE SOLVING THE PROBLEM UNIVERSITIES' TASK (Special to the "Evening Post.' - ) AUCKLAND, This Day. Maintaining that one of man's obligations and duties is to think rationally and effectively, the Hon. J. A. Hanan, M.L.C., during the course of his presidential address to the University Senate, of which he is Chancellor, said that it seemed reasonable to submit that the universities, producing as they do so many men and women who have had the benefits of higher education, must accept a serious responsibility in forming and guiding public opinion. In an age when democracy was a common form of Government, and the ideals of democracy were theoretically accepted, it was for the universities to attempt to secure the realisation of such ideals in practice, and it was gratifying to note that greater interest was being displayed by the universities in studies concerned fundamentally with human relationships. More prominence, he suggested, might be given to the problem of the right use of leisure. "THE MIND IS THE MAN." "If we are to arrive at sound conclusions concerning forms of Government institutions, economic systems, or social services, we must unshrinkingly examine their foundations," continued the Chancellor. "This foundation or fountain source is the mind and character of man. The mind is the man. We make our destiny by our thinking, and the only determinism in Nature is furnished by the verdicts of the mind. Wrong, careless, or indifferent thinking is the portal through which wild revolutionary forces with their excesses enter into the structures of civilisation; arrests and sets back the true progress of humanity and a more rational world order. There is no doubt that the possibilities of social progress are often destroyed by ignorant attempts to reach the desired ends by short cuts. "Discontent is healthful as an indication that higher ideals are illumining present conditions and encouraging us to seek pathways of future promise; still the danger is ever present, that through following wrong lines of action, our discontenir may bring us ultimata failure, and defeat, for the time being, its own ends. Much time and energy have been wasted, owing to the fact that, rushing headlong into inviting paths, the traveller eventually finds himself losing sight of his goal, and regains the true path only after painful effort. Again, an everpresent temptation to indolence accompanies our life. While our ideas may force us into the arena, indolence tempts us to seek an easy way to their realisation. Broad and easy of travel are the avenues which attract in. the hope of finding a shorter and easier travel route. Hence we are ever; seeking a panacea—a cure-all. The; most elementary thinker realises the existence of past and out-worn conditions, but hastens to accept the most plausible and easy remedy offered, hoping thus to stifle the world-cry within him and relapse into a condition of indolence. "There is good ground for maintaining that individualism and collectivism are correlative forces based respectively upon the natural l&ws of the struggle for existence and those, of cooperation, and must, as nearly as possible, remain in equipoise, in order to produce normal evolution or progress. "The trouble with, past ages has been that society has drifted too far in one direction. At one period there was strong pressure for Communism, and at another a loud cry for the greatest personal freedom, and so the industrial world has toiled on from century to century flying from one extreme to the other, as a steel film between two magnetic poles. Moreover," attempts at establishing equality will extinguish all higher endeavour, and, after a few generations of failure, will place society at the foot of the ladder of progress again to begin its toilsome ascent by the way of the immutable laws of evolution.

REALITIES MUST BE FACED. ] "Despite human defects, the progress of humanity, if irregular, has been astounding, particularly -from material and sociological points of view; but as in every age, as we ascend we perceive that very much remains to be accomplished in meeting social obligations and curing social ills and supplying ' social deficiencies. These admittedly difficult tasks concern man as,"an intellectual and spiritual being. Bealities must be. faced and fearless and constructive efforts must, be made to sweep away obstacles in the roadway. "Referring to the marvellous advance in material power, the difficulty of the human spirit is to make: the necessary adaptations. Man's increased knowledge, carrying with it increased responsibilities, calls for the exercise and discipline of his higher powers. "The great power , of a people lies in its mind. The 'inward' moulds the 'outward.' Hence the necessity 'to widen the foundations and openings of the mind, and train its highest powers and resources in order to gain a higher standard of life and. character. ' "This, then, is the true, aim and mission of education which should be recognised as the highest interest and duty of a ( community. A nation, to make real progress in civilisation, must have as its effective means an education with no standstill periods, that will unfold and direct aright and make for the training and. improvement of man's whole nature —intellectual and moral; for a wise public-spirited citizenship; for the quickening of a man's social conscience in the service of humanity,, and for the enlargement and enrichment of his personality. In this connection it should certainly be mentioned that the degree of. civilisation of mankind is not measured by accumulation of the means of living or by material progress but by the character and nature of life lived."