IDEALISTS.

Evening Star, Issue 16837, 12 September 1918, Page 7

IDEALISTS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Mr Elliott Btandfleld, the pessimistic philosopher, in hs letter on ‘ Idealists,’ tells us:that these good people forget that human nature is real, not ideal, that “the spirit of human nature cannot be expelled,” and that at bottom that spirit is “love of self, self-interest, and selfishness.” Undiluted pessimism! There is another side to the picture. We see human nature the world over making the noblest sacrifices; so there is vastly more hope for the world than is contained in Mr Standfield’s dismal and disheartening epistle. The masses of men and women may be trusted to take right courses in politics and economics when they are well instructed and led by men with courage enough to tell them the truth and declare a just policy which, strangely enough, has never yet been done by any stateman or office-seeker in any country on earth since the days of the great Hebrew legislator Moses. Mr Elliott Standflold would be one of the last men to attempt it. All his letters lead nowhere; but perhaps ho is quite as good a statesman as those we have had in New Zealand—rather better, I think; anyway, I for one would prefer him for the Premiership. But we shall have a much better loader. He will not be a Socialist, ho will not belong to the trade union crowd, he will have far greater knowledge and sense than that party which is often rendered helpless by ignorance and self-conceit. The coming leader of Democracy in New Zealand will destroy monopoly and carry out a great policy of freedom and justice. Whatever Mr Standfield may think about it, the human nature of the majority of voters in this and every other country is quite good enough to give effect to such a policy.—l am, etc.. E.T.E. September 11.