WANT OF THINKING.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2643, 21 January 1908, Page 7

WANT OF THINKING.

(By England's Prime Minister, Sir * Henry Campbell-Bannerman.) It is a fact that want of thinking is the great danger and drawback of the age. We pass from event to event, from war to war, from earthquake to earthquake, from crime to crime, from debate to debate, from sermon to sermon, from novel to novel, from article to article, from cricket match to cricket match, from horse race to horse race, and so on, the great mass of the community never troubling to think, or to form any opinion for themselves, even on subjects of the greatest importance. T look upon this as one of the inherent vices of my fellow countrymen and hence it is that they may ;without injustice often be accused of being flighty and uncertain in their judgements. I believe it is largely due to the diffusion of literature. We take our beliefs and opinions from other people, from writers in the newspapers, and from speakers. We ought to form our own judgement, with due regard to other people, but always reserving to Qurselves a final opinion, and not simply taking what we read, even in our pet newspaper, and stittl less what we read in what is not our own pet newspaper. Therefore, ] say, form your own opinions, and not take those that are second-hand.