RIGHT AND WRONG

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 July 1939, Page 8

RIGHT AND WRONG

SUCCESS ONLY CRITERION

LONDON, May 29

Very Rev. A. S. Duncan-Jones, Dean of Chichester, preaching in Chichester Cathedral yesterday, said that a striking feature of the world now was the elevation of the lie into a principle of action.

The leaders of great peoples publicly proclaimed that they would use the lie as a chief element in their policy. Herr Hitler laid it down that “success is the only earthly criterion of right and wrong.” Signor Mussolini expressed with terse brilliance a. similar contempt for reason and morality.

“We live in an age,” the Dean said, “when propaganda has replaced truth.

“The propagandist must know bis audience, understand its fears, its worries, and its disappointments. He must restore its faith in itself, and make the members feel that their worries are due to some blackguard, some hidden hand, some wily foe. As long as he does this it does not matter what lies he tells.” Hand in hand were appeals to the crowd to place themselves in the hands of a leader who was sacrosanct and above criticism. He might change his whole policy, contradict everything he had said before, but still he would and must be always right.