NEW SOCIAL ORDER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 6 December 1940, Page 3

NEW SOCIAL ORDER

DEAN’S ADDRESS TO ROTARY CLUB PERSONALITY AND CO-OPERATION THE UNENDING STRUGGLE BETWEEN EVIL AND GOOD The sacredness of personality, and co-operation, were two of the things all should strive to maintain in the building of a new social order after the war, said the Dean of Nelson, the Very Rev P. B. Haggitt in an address at the weekly luncheon of the Nelson Rotary Club.

The two biggest tasks being faced today were the winning of the war and the building of a new social order after the war, said the Dean. He would speak about the second mentioned task because it was one which all had to think of now, and he considered that Rotary was making a big contribution to the new social order by its fellowship. “The war is part of an unending struggle—between moral evil and moral good,” said the Dean. That war had always been going on, the same as it had in the human body between the forces of disease and health. The only way to overcome evil was to strengthen the forces of good, just as it was best to resist temptations by keeping norally fit. “Live in the top flat in your living and though the cellar will still be there it will not worry you overmuch,” he said. “It is far better to light the candle than to curse the darkness.” There were two good things which all should strive to maintain—the sacredness of personality and co-operation, said the Dean. The sacredness of personality was in danger to-day with bombings and totalitarianism. There were four kinds of totalitarianism —in Germany, Russia. Italy and Turkey, respectively—all different in some respects but all four having the tendency to crush personality. The tendency was to macadamise souls and make all servants of the State. Admittedly some extent of regimentation of the people by the State was necessary on account of the follies of the people. Traffic inspectors were necessary, and city bylaws and other laws were necessary but the doctrine of “nothing uncontrolled by the State” was equivalent to “nothing above the State.” To worship the State was idolatrous. “Industry and business generally must learn, and Rotary is helping in this, that it has to do a bit more in the way of building up the characters of its employees,” said the Dean. “Another thing that industry should insist on and live up to is mutual respect between employer and employee.” Co-operation was natural, because all were dependent on each other, continued the speaker. A look around the luncheon table would show how many countries and people were responsible for the provision of all the things on the table. Ambition and competition were important features in co-opera-tion. If a man did not have an ambition to make a success of his work, then he should give it up. Competition was natural and inevitable but both amj bition and competition had to be check- | ed by consideration for the other man. | The whole world was run by man’s ; senses of vocation, and each one had a j place and a certain power. The Chrisj tian Church existed for two great pur- ! poses. One was to help people’s per- ! sonalities, and in that the Church pro- | vided the ideals, and the other was to help peoples to live together and to cooperate. The Church had a worldwide mission because it had the truth. The world needed the realisation ol' the brotherhood of man and the Church alone had the right to talk of the brotherhood of man. “Why don’t you all get behind the Church and regard it as a society founded by Christ for the welfare of mankind: the Church exists to help the world to a higher level.’’ he concluded.