SECURE FOUNDATIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 42, 19 February 1937, Page 8

SECURE FOUNDATIONS

In carefully weighed words llie President of the Methodist Conference (the Rev. F. Copeland) referred in his inaugural address to the need and the limits of social security. One of the elementary functions of any Government, he said, was the provision of some measure of social security for its people. In the developed modern world any social and economic order failing to meet the fundamental needs of men, women, and children for food, shelter, and clothing, must stand self-condemned before the conscience of mankind. This requires qualification. The apparent failure of a social and economic order may be partly the failure of people living under that order. Even the Christian order cannot succeed unless the people are prepared to act in accordance with it. The social order, too, cannot be made automatically secure without effort. This qualification is one that should necessarily be made. Otherwise an easy and illusory escape may be sought by blaming the system, and substituting for it something untried and dangerous, when what is required is not destruction of the order but reinforcement at weak points, and above all support by an intelligent and energetic people. It is probable that Mr. Copeland recognised that his statement called for some qualification because he proceeded to state that, while there must be no stinting of public and private effort to meet the needs of the times, it should also be frankly recognised that there were definite limits to the degree of social security conduciye to the growth of strong and virile character. We interpret this as meaning that all that is possible of achievement by the exercise of the powers of Government is not always wise. Paradoxically, too much security in the structure may undermine the security of the foundations of'society. A people who are taught and verily believe that everything should be done for them by the organised Government will rapidly lose the power of doing things for themselves. And a Government dependent upon people thus void of initiative is trusting upon the staff of a bruised reed "on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand and pierce it." But how is the decision to be made between the social security measures which are reasonable and beneficial and those which are destructive of the strength of society? We suggest that the decision can be made only by careful examination of the moral as well as the material consequences of measures. While making provision for the material requirements of those who may be unfortunate, the State should avoid anything which has even the appearance of a penalty upon those who by industry, selfreliance, thrift, and sobriety—qualities essential to the State —have made i provision for themselves. The moral strength should not be impaired by : one-sided attention to material needs. : Above all those who direct the affairs ! of the State should be on their guard against easy adoption of the fallacious idea, destructive of all initiative, that those who arc materially successful hnvi; become sn by unsocial : uk-ilkkls ;iml an- fit victims for attack.