MOST HUMANE CUSTOM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23780, 7 October 1940, Page 6

MOST HUMANE CUSTOM

Many savage tribes here and there about the world, unused to the sometimes dubious blessings of civilisation, including air warfare, would object strongly to abrupt awakening from their slumbers by the banshee waitings of sirens, writes "Lueio" in the Manchester Guardian. They hold that a sleeper should be roused very gently, lest the soul, wandering at the moment, should not have time to return to the body and be lost in consequence. Jn old-time civilised Asia, too, much importance was attached to the very gentle awakening of sleepers. Indian religious works tell us tlint musicians, with a light touch, should be called in for the rousing of persons of consequence. Adept imitators of bird calls were attached to the Court of Japan. The procedure for awakening the Shogun was first to give voice to three cock-crows and then to carry on with lively sparrow-chirpings until the great man yawned, stretched, and sat up in bed. A CANDID AMERICAN A candid indictment of his own country was made by Dr. H. W. Hobson, Bishop of Southern Ohio, in a recent address. "Certainly for America there has been only a sham neutrality," he said. "For two years over 50 per cent of Japan's war materials were supplied by us. Since the European markets were cut off last fall we have helped out Japan by increasing our shipments of war materials to over 80 per cent of the total needs. Gasoline has gone to Italy in order that Mussolini's son might more easily fly his aeroplane over the Ethiopians, and have the sensation he described of dropping bombs into the huddled, helpless crowds, and watching their bodies blown into mangled bits, like (to use his words) a rose bursting into bloom. Let's not forget wo were a party to that frightful blasphemy. For the year before the outbreak of the war in Europe our exports of scrap iron to Germany jumped up 400 per cent. Thus wo helped to supply the tanks which ground their cruel way through Holland and Belgium. Driving down from Columbus, I listened to a speech written by the Secretary of State of our country. He was dealing with the importance and value of foreign trade. Figures were presented showing the increase in our exports during the years since these wars broke out. Then lie spoke of the benefits of this to the people of America, describing these benefits in the words 'safety,' 'comfort' and 'enjoyment.' I heard no word of the millions killed in China, or the tens of millions made destitute, as a result of some of this foreign trade in which we've engaged." ,