The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia. Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1919. THE GOSPEL OF WORK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 16 October 1919, Page 4

The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia. Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1919. THE GOSPEL OF WORK.

One of the most interesting subjects tothe student cf the history of mankind is to compare the spirit of various nationalities during major crises and to note hdw remarkably similar are !the thoughts and actions of the people of th© present time to those of centuries long past. True it is that each succeeding epoch has shown vast development and progress over its predecessors, but we suppose that as long as the world lasts there will remain fundamental' characteristics which the passage of time with its manifoid lessons will alter but little. While peaceful days last the characteristics to which we refer are inclined to remain more or leas hidden, but when great events take place nations often show in some respectsi but' little advance. It is thought by many people that the world was never befpre in such a state of unrest as it is to-day; that economic and social conditions were never so i acute; and probably such" a statement is true, but there are abundant proofs that nations have passed through almost exactly similar ' experience® to those which are so much in evidence at the f present time. One may go back into the -history of the Jews during the years isucoeediiig Nebuehadnezza' s destruction of Jerusalem, and it is found that the failure of the nation to recover its strength and to rebuild the capital wag due to the many divisions among the "people, the disloyalty of "sections, and an unwillingness to sink their differences and unite for the work of reconstruction and to secure their freedom from the foreign yoke. Nearly two centuries elapsed before the historian of the time (Nehemiah) coufd write "So built we the wall; for the people had a mind to work." The secret of the restoration lay in' that brief statement, and while that spirit remained the Jews prospered. 'We may mention the downfall of the Roman Empire, which remained all powerful until the disease of laziness and an insatiable desire -,ior ease anj luxury undermined the nation and it went down never to be restored. -So one might refer to other nations which have undergone similar disasters, and in every case there is the same reason for their downfall. It is not difficult to understand why such should be the case for man is so constituted that he cannot live in isolated luxury and ease without affecting more or less seriously the welfare of all his fellow men. The old maxim of "All work and no play" is still .true, but the adoption of any system of a, maximum of ease and comfrot with a minimum of work means irreparable national loss and ultimate disaster. Yet such an idea seems to have a very strong grip -over several large bodies of men employed in essential industries, and there are constant cries for more money, shorter -working, hour®. It is difficult to find rime or reason in the demands of the extreme Socialist elements. Their plan seems to be to limit production a« much us possible, and to demand from their employers, whom they frequently, and very often wrongly, refer to as capitalists, the highest wages,, with the object of destroying the. present social system. Yet in doing so it is clear that they are working the most grievous injuries upon the whole nation by forcing up prices and retarding progress at a time, when the utmost production is essential to make good the enormous losses of food and materials of the past five years. We have no city wall to build, but the economic fabric upon which the nation's life entirely depends has been worn 'threadbare, and is in serious danger of falling to pieces. No Government or section of the peojple can alone completely restore it;- nor do we believe any new system based tipon theory can ' save the nation. The people alone have the power, and unless they have a "mind to work" there will undoubtedly be a repetition of the disasters Avhich have befallen so many kingdoms and nations in the past. Any plans having a<s a, basis the idea of a minimum of effort are destructive, and those who formulate them are enemies of the Empire and sii§«kl be treated' as isuch. There have Been* satisfactory advances since 1914 in wages in the great majority of industries1, and conditions have been much improved, but unfortunately many of the workers have failed to realise that they have a duty to the nation to restore it and to provide the guarantee for its future safety. Fortunately there seem to be indications than a change for the better is taking place in Great Britain, the leaders having learned the seriousness of such methods as those adopted by the railwaymen in the recent strike. To-day's news shows that some prominent Labor leaders are very anxious to find satisfactory foundations for industrial reconstruction.