ON THE WATCH TOWER.

Evening Star, Issue 14888, 29 May 1912, Page 2

ON THE WATCH TOWER.

[By Ariel.}

Strikes are rapidly becoming the chief of the world. \Vkn men are for a.living wage they have mv heart* sympathy; but when they make war for an idea, as Napoleon said, I am '• full of obstacles/' and when they strike because one or two will not join a union „r because a distinct class of workers want a enion of their own. I am entirely against them, and I believe this is the attitude ot xhe creat majority ot the populations ot .ivilSed countries. We seem to be getting nearer and nearer to the state ot llme~ that p.-vaib-d at the beginning ot the ~F,ench involution. 130 years ago. Then the people were intoxicated with -th-lils that they did not kt:ow haw to iiT,. ' Thee was a conduit <iin ot loudmouthed d ■Y!.!g< gmes preaching violence at>.l compulsions "f various sorts, by winch the masses «-eie to get cheap food. Every such etfott defeated itself, and made the i rouble worse, until, after 10 years of Mirfering under the nostrums of agitator*. the country was glad to receive a despot to throttle' fools and restore order.

U the outset the Revolution was a phiio.-oi.hy. It sought constitutions. liberty." and equality. But as soon as it passed front the hands of thoughtful men into the hands of hungry ones it lost all it- virtue and usefulness. The masses in Paris, like the I'netoria.n guards in Home. rtded the Kmpire. The Paris mob wanted cheap bread. What was simpler, said hungry men. than to forbid the expowt of corn. " That would compel the farmers to sell their corn cheaply. So it would, but it did not compel them to grow it. They put in les.- crop, and prices rose. Another demagogue could speedily fix that up. Let the law of the maximum make it an offence to take more than a fixed price for corn. Hungry men made the law, and tile farmers gave their crops to their cattle and pigs, ns the maximum price did not pav. Again prices rose. What was the fault it! this kind of world-mending? Simple this: One class set itself against the ■nation. They did not legislate for the general welfare, but for the I'aris mob. who unhappily had the Legislature in its power. Liberty is not tho tyranny of one section of the nation over all the rest, but freedom for each section to do the best it can for itself. In that way the world's best results have been achieved. The safeguard of the modern world against srctinnal revolution and tyranny lies in rapidity ot communication and the rapid spread' of information as to what other places are doing. No one city can ever again rule an empire. * * -::■ * * # * £418! There's the respect that- makes the Wairea so long in sailing. She has shuffled off the metal coils of rope, and the hempen ceils—ay, there's the rubber coiis. too: oif with them, lest they tempt it- to the undiscovered spelter from whose gale there would be no returns. This £4lB makes us rather lose the shares we have tb;in buy those others that did not go off. And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought: And enterprises of great pith and moment. With this regard their currents turn away. And lose the nan-.'.' of action. The te-t of gambling as a business is this : Will the money market hack your ventures? It won't. thtilp won't lend grandfather another pennv when he finds that the t!!d Curiosity Shop keeper hopes to make Nel'."s fortune at. Mi,, gaming table. 'Juilp is no mode': of virtue or beauty, but fVr:-y b::rik ;:<id every leve!lefnsai. Whv •;.< ?•;,.; ; ~. i;-,. ..edito,back the !:.te- : ■-!!;'• .-:.■;■ {:■:!,l,h.:' Whv the ohiioxi...',- !•;•".: :' ■■.'■■h ,-is h'.-v,.-.-.bf.' bit of b!"e ~..;•.-. !':-■ ! : . the m.»t? My I'amili.u •,•••> ; "o - '-.-.• <.' : \.\- the word. " »,.t ;. til :>• :!. " ■. ■ic ii-i ! in the .-i-li.:.!''.- ■ •■. ■ : '.:■:: .•■ - ! .■noug".. indeed. ]',< <;:•: , ■ i.:: f inv.'-:! i m dredgieg befof.-. out.-, and ores r hj ~.:•■ i i 1 iit; rite i-.: i--; ,'.• appoiiitna i.i. !':;|it-:in Xapfer ir-; y. ( .;■ ail! l-.n-.v.. he t"> ■ N.ipi.lerni-,f !ive lighters. or. again, he .irta'y "tie simply a far tielii that is itrrc:: though blue ~K< the color for di.-tanee. "lis distance lends enchantment to Cue view. And robes the mouutain in its azure hue. Whatever Captain Napier's qua'iitic:. maybe, 1 stand by the principle of piomoting local men. The pleasures of hope should be denied to no man. and they are denied when promotion always goes abroad. .Napoleon was not only a great captain, but a t nder and maker of great captains. He raised up scores of estrordinary men from the ranks. He did not import his chiefs. His marvellous success in war arose largely from the stimulus of hope that he administered. Every soldier carried a marshal's baton in his knapsack, as the saying went. I'hat is. every man had hope that service would be -rewarded by promotion. The keeping of the stimulus before our tire brigade seems to me to be of vital importance to every citizen. We raise our nun professional men. Our Judges are all men elevated to the Bench in. New Zealand. The same is true of several of our bishops and professors, and most of our inspectors and editors. This, apart from the quality ot the men—and that is excellent—is a great advantage to the various professions from which these leaders are chosen. It is time that the principle of preference to local men and women was recognised by all our boards as far as possible. The'efficiency of the public service is involved.

We made vfiy little of Kmpire Daw Are we yjoing to let it die out? Are we going to take our lead from Archbishop KWly. of Sydney, and Father O'Reilly, of Bat hurst, with their opposition Australian Day? I trust not. It is a time for laying all the emphasis we can on tile Kmpire. It is the ureatest fact in the political world, and the best fact. Divisions and growing differences are the curse of the •world. tireat unions, free and enlightened, and so rich that they can't afford to tight, are the hope of the 'world. Was it for the good of humanity that the Tax Roman a was broken up. an 1 the Kmpire divided into scores of States, which for 1.500 years have drenched their tields in blood? Father O'Reilly objects to Kmpire Day because it savors of jingoism. [ deny that the Kmpire is jingoistic. It .-lands for peace, and asks onlv lo be let alone. h> rejoicing in its trreatness and d--. determination to maintain vhat greatness is no.' jingoism, but common sense ami patriot!,;!)!. But even if .Father O'Reilly, with his blood feud against England, were right., 1 would suggest to him that it is I letter to be in a position to be a jingo yourself than to be in terror of somebody else's jingoism.

I Dunk there w a yrouth of liovalism amongst w. By this I do not" mean loyalty, though the two things may run together. By Koyalism I mean increased deference to portions, and a growth of pomp and circumstance in connection with the Throne. Corouatioas. durbars, investitures, and the like ware never «j splendid or taken «o seriously. I notice, too, that the King's head is* returning to our tump*—though, personally, I preferred the artistic stamp* of a few years a"o. I ceo, too, on Government envelopes. 3 " On His Majesty's Servite." where we formerly had "On Public Service Only." For myself I regard these things as rather small potatoes, indicating the "touch of a would-be aristocrat. Still, as the King is the symbol of our nationality and unity, long may he- wave. But I would rather .see some enthusiasm on Empire Day than tee no end of indirect official compliment ai print. Eighteen junior footballers in Svdnev were disqualified for life for assaulting \i referee. The eame paper reports one life diaqualificatioa in Wellington, for kicking a Teferee. The fentence w drastic, but the offence is unpardonable. Such phi vers as these are dwquaMfied- by by second nature, -which is habit, There are

—-fi —' ' \' , """ """* some bom without seif-cofdrol, and aomo without the capacity for seeing more than their own eido of a matter. Others who ar© not congeaitaUy hopeless cultivate, their tcmDer as if it were a lovely flower. Many parents never cheek wild outbursts iiv their children; indeed, they encourage thceo fits by rewarding them—that is. by giving ivnv to them or bribing the young maniac to* be quiet. The cruellest stepmother or baby-farmer could not do more htrt-ni to the. child. To help a child to rule its temper, and to help it lo think that it niiiy be. wrong and pomabixiy el.se right, is the true higher education, lint how eJia-ll the blind lead the blind ? The patents theJnselve.s are often ready to believe any silly tale about a. neighbor, teacher, "or cmployef that ;.t child may choose to tell. and I=o bias and foolish judging are cultivated. The worst of it m that bov* of. this Mitt have the confident egotism that makes leader*. They will have a big pay in strike* by and. by. get on to boards and the .like, and lower the tone of the whole community. There are other hereditary evils besides those that run in the infamous ,/ukeg family.

'Sir ( ! *hririe>s Crn.tulisou,' by Vtichardson. is a. somuwluit teilioiwi book. Like Scott's '."Redgamttlet' and Smollett's ' Humphry Clinker," it lies umler the. disadvantaso of being a *tory told in a at*les of letters. Still. Sir diaries is the presentment of a perfect, gentleman. Ho could keep his temper under great provocation, lie had courage, enough not to fight if he conkl help it. He was sslow to believe evil of anybody, and the very soul of honor and justice." lint hi« virtues lean to failing's side. He is too good to bo interesting. Give me just a pinch of the old Adam, please, that I may recognise a. relative. On a. suitable occasion let Nicholas thrash S'pieeis by all means, and I'll count it to him for righteousness, whatever the AntiDefence League may «ny. Hut Nicholas is a man of peace, and can keep li.w temper as far a.s he is concerned himself. When lie fights it is in d-efeai.ee of the helpU'c*. like\Smike, tho victim of Sqneers, or his sister Kate, when Mulberry Hawke insults her. But fellows who quarrel with the umpire when he gives them out or gives a- free kick against them are egoFists. Yhev are- thinking of their petty selves all the time. Very different and verv fine it* the character that Hamlet gives Horatio :

Thou hast been As one. in suffering all. that suffers nothing : A man that fortune's buffets an<l rewards-Hiie-l ta'eti with equal thanks; and bless'd are those Whose blood and judgment are so well commingled That they are not a. pipe for fortune's fingers To s«.»ini(.l what stop she plertfiC. Give me that ma.it That, is not- passion's slave, and I will wear him In mv heartV core, ay, in mv heart of heart. As I do thee. The ladies, of course, have more license. I'ope joins Virgil in wondering that " in soft bosoms dwells such mighty i-age.'' Hut he sings to cool it. and in his. ' Moral E.-saViS' describes, his ideal woman with itll even temper, And mistress of herself, tho' china fall. Be this a woman's fame : with this tinblcsc. Toasts live a scorn, ami queens may die a j.*t. -::- * -::- * * *-..-» Mr Lloyd Geuig.t hits been :il it again. "This is not, Linn-house!" shouted a. bhtulloodwl larrikin when the Chancellor rounded on a broad acted duke. Several .able.. h:.ve sit.ee told lis of how the duke's friends hrve been blushing to see a Chancellor want manners. "How can the poor ■ h-.i'- duke heip what his ancestors did -'IOO years ago':" 1 gtte.-s he doesn't want to hHp it. The unearned' increment in 400 VHitts is vety ron.-idcK'.blo, and will, in the "poor, dea'- duke's estimation, coveru multitude ■ !>' atu-est t;il silts. But even dukes -In-eld reinemb'.'i ceif.tin proverbial advice to i hose who live in glass houses. When lleuiv VIII. came to deal with the results ot p;c.yc:- for the dead he found that the Chinch owned something like a third ot the 1;om1- < f the „;,ti, m . No doubt these land- co-itributed something to the poor, ■i-id sturdy b >rgars were numerous. Bluff tlal's. policy \v:i- not closer seUlellH'iit. Hi- gave and sold on easy terms va.st estaies for political services and as royal favor-. Nobody is reported to have le-ftt-ed. If Lloyd George ami T. had been thete and had a chance we'd have had some, you bet. Well, the poor, dear duke's "ii'.ce-ti >;.- wete there, and they bad :> chanc, and didn't mi.ss it. The poor, deal duke is still in possession iu 1912, whin the Welsh Chancellor. George, pro-po-es in disendow the Church in Wales. I'umiiklful of die proverb already referred to. the noble duke protests against the pioposi'd sacrilege, and (he Chancellor didn't miss his cham-e. That's all ihete is to it: and I think that the ( haiu-ellot-is as much entitled to his retort :ts the. duke i- to 'tis lands. * -K- * -->';.•• ■::- *■

Thf author of "Faiiy Kings' .is n»nt>> various journals a seri"s of 'Fraiikley I'apeis' that an' m.t ve>y suggestive of her imaginative hooks. In her last she. traces the disabilities <>}' women to prehistoric conditions, and imagines an Arcadian epoch-when women were tree and independent, until men adopted the device of catching them voting and lini'.iiuir them in subjection. Xever. ury la.ss, never. '.I hero have never been policies and deliberate volitions and courses of coiuiuci in =nieh matters. They w.mo about as the result nt general causes. They me a kind of fate. Did anyone resolve that woman should rovers- Nature by putting on the frills and miors. while man retired into drab monochrome? Xobody resolved it])id tvrivoite resolve, to turn Xaturo topsyturvy by making women compete for men. as o'ur authoress puis it? Xo one resolved it. U i-mae about. Women did as much at it as men. 'the fact that men are strong ami gives them no yd vantage i» <liie-Jting the gu-at policies ot Mother Nature. She pulls down and >«ts up at. her' own •will—wluttevev that may be. 1 see in advert.isornp.nU that laborers are wante<! at lCs a. day, cooks at 20s a week, and governesses at- 10s a week. Did anybodv, or any assembly of bodies, ever discuss "and <lecfdft upon these disiiin tion.s? Never. They came to pass, and they will never be" got ri<l of, and (hey are nobodv's fault.