NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23159, 4 October 1938, Page 10

NOTES AND COMMENTS

, FRENCH 40-HOUR WEEK "The strength of a country lies not only in its armies, but at least as much in the daily work done in its factories, the stability of its currency, and the happy state of its finances," said the French Premier, M. Daladier, in announcing further modifications of the 40-hour week. "I am not opposed to the 40-hour week or to any social law, but I say that the factories must be able to work normally. At present, in consequence of the social laws which we are alone in applying, our factories must refuse orders. I may mention one which has just had to refuse an American order worth £83,000, because the 40-hour week prevented its execution." USES OF ADVERSITY "History shows that too much worldly comfort slows the Church to the pace of the world itself," said Dr. Harris Kirk, an American preacher, speaking in Westminster Chapel of the Church's tribulations in many countries to-day. "The , Church can only find new life in facing hardship and trials and tribulations. It is going once again into the wilderness, where it will recover its spirituality at the cost of much of its material accumulations. It will again take up the pilgrim way, but with a considerable simplification of baggage; and be able to speak home to the hearts of the lost generations words of comfort like those of Greatheart: 'Children, the milk and honey is beyond this wilderness!' " WAR DENIES FREEDOM

"Can we take war out of the world?" asked Dean T. W. Graham in addressing American students. "Removal of war is basic to keeping democracy. War is absolute denial of democracy. The hope that the world might be saved from bloodshed is as old as Isaiah. In past centurieß it was only a hope. For most of these centuries idealists had to be satisfied with the expression of a hope. Peace, peace, when tljere is no peace. Some of us believe we are in the first generation to make the frontal attack on war. The World War gave an opportunity for us to organise directly against war as an instrument of public policy. In the World Con- . ference of Churches at Oxford there were variations of opinion as to the duty of the Christian citizen to the State in time of war, but no difference of opinion as to war itself. Everyone recognised that war is destructive of personality and the sense of judgment of the common man. It is 'also the most definite illustration of the persistence of sin to keep us on our knees in penitence. We must spend ourselves in purposeful, prayerful endeavour to overcome this factor so destructive of the ideas for which Jesus stood, especially the right of the individual to make his own judgment. Are you concerned for the opportunity for the ordinary man to make judgments as to the common good? Then the world must be fashioned after the mind of the great democrat of the ages: Jesus Christ. Then must we set ourselves to drive war out of the world. Then must you give yourselves in every area of life to make democracy effective." MIGRATION AND FARMING

An obvious feature of tin* economic history of the nineteenth was the flow of population from the Old World to the new, writes Professor A. 6. B. Fisher, formerly professor of economics at Otago University and now of London University, in a letter to the Sunday 'times. In the New World facilities were available for producing the rapidly-increasing supplies of food and raw materials necessary for the attainment and maintenance of the higher standards of living which the economic progress of the world at that time made possible. The emigrants were better off than if they had stayed at home, and those who were left behind benefited from the productive activities of the New World. If we look at the world to-day, do we see anything at all resembling this picture? Anyone who is in doubt as to the field of activity in which he should seek to make a living would probably, if he were sensible, look about for occupations which were, or seemed likely to be, the most prosperous. Is farming, the field of activity to which it is usually assumed that emigrants should devote themselves, attractive from this point of view? On the contrary the world as a whole already has more farmers than it needs, and the remarkable and entirely admirable improvements in agricultural technique, which are still being made, are likely to make available for us in the future increased supplies of better quality foods with an even smaller proportionate expenditure >of human effort than at present. Any policy which looks to further net extensions of employment in this field is, in 1938, a romantic anachronism.) IMAGINATION IN BUSINESS

"All the finer human qualities and the purest pleasures in life are enhanced by the precious gift of imagination, 'the mightiest lever known to the moral world,'" paid Viscount Wakefield, in addressing London students of commerce. "So, in the world of business the great opportunities are found more often than.not by the gift of imagination. The man blessed with imagination who can visualise something as yet unrealised, anticipate a need or invent some entirely new method of making or selling, is rare enough to be suro of a hearty welcome. Imagination in business is the equivalent of poetic inspiration. II; may emerge as a complex Bcheme conceived in the brain of a business chief, the fruit of years of experience of men and affairs. Just as easily, it may be the imagination of a brilliant youngster who produces some quite simple idea capable, even so, of revolutionising an entire industry. Curiosity and imagination almost presuppose the third quality, enthusiasm, which is the grand motive quality. It carries the Banguine temperament unharmed through disaster and depression. With it one may scale the greatest heights of achievement." Speaking ag an employer, I would forgive many shortcomings in a man who has the gift of enthusiasm. Emerson has well said, 'nothing is achieved without enthusiasm.' The youngster bubbling over with energy and enthusiasm may make a: few mistakes until experience steadies him, but he generally survives to become a front-rank fighter of immense value. I plead with you young people to fight against the easy conception of a job as merely an unavoidable means of keeping the wolf from the door. You can "give to that job a zest and quality all your own."