PASSING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26197, 6 July 1946, Page 3

PASSING NOTES

“ The men of culture are the true apostles of equality.”—M. Arnold. The late Mr Willi Fels was one of our greatest citizens, and he combined in a rare degree business ability, profound scholarship and a spirit of public generosity that manifested itself on a princely scale. Will it be possible to find men of his type in the coming years when paternal governments both here and elsewhere are bending every effort towards an equal distribution of incomes? Will such great benefactors be possible when the long arm of the State reaches out to displace private enterprise and when the chief aim is security rather than progress? Of course if the oncoming changes make everyone happier we may be compensated for our losses in other directions, but so far these changes seem to stir up more discontent and disillusionment, as if the approach to equality made little appeal to mankind. To be sure, the new regime is producing a new class of rich men in spite of our efforts at equality.' But this new class of gel-rich-quick men seems for the most part •to spend its wealth and leisure in racing, gambling and motoring rather than in the splendid fields of art and the acquisition of rare treasures for the nation which was the noble passion of the life of Mr Fels. " The wealth you give away is the only wealth you will always possess.”— Martial. The splendid feature of Mr Fels’ career was that while he controlled many important business ventures te found time to pursue with patient ardour his many-sided studies and as a patron of art, like the old Roman Maecenas, to keep open house for all men, however humble, who enjoyed the sight of his treasures. He was a great connoisseur whose opinion was valued by English and European experts. The building up of his unique collections led him to delve deeply into the realms of history so that he knew the fascinating background of every rare coin and work of art. In like manner, his fine medallions’ which had been struck by successive Popes caused him to plunge into many phases of papal history. His large collection of Maori relics was of special value, and in his business tours he was always on the watch for new items. Every tree and plant in his garden was a thing of beauty collected from far and wide. He valued things not for their market value, but for their intrinsic loveliness. In short, the lesson from Mr Fels’ life in these days of shorter hours and greater leisure, is that we should all strive to make the same wise and noble use of our leisure as he did for the enrichment of his fellowmen and the whole nation.

“ Daubed with undiscerning praise.”— Cowper.

At the recent Labour Conference Mr James Roberts introduced each Cabinet Minister in glowing terms to the delegates present. Apparently our Ministers are all men of outstanding ability and unrivalled re ords. For example, “ Nobody had carried out duties of State more ably than Mr Sullivan,” and Mr Ben Roberts “ had created a finer impression than any other Minister of Agriculture in the last 40 years,” which seems strange for not long ago Mr Poison had to plead with an audience of farmers to give Mr Roberts a hearing. But a special ovation was accorded to Mr Semple, who was greeted with musical honours and prolonged applause. One can understand Mr Semple’s popularity as a veteran of the party and a tireless Minister of Works, but was he wise to comply with the request of the audience and sing Waltzing Matilda ”? After all the hero of that popular song is a swagger with a tu'ker-bag camped at a billabong. Surely he should have avoided such an ill-omen of slump and depression! Has he studied the warnings of Mr Walsh, and does he see our roads crowded with swaggers when the Labour bubble of fictitious prosperity bursts like the atomi” bomb? If so, let us hope there is still time to falsify Mr Semple’s dream at the coming election. “ What misadventure is so early up That’ calls our person from our morning’s rest?”—“Romeo and Juliet.” Held over from last week is a letter from X, who thinks it curious that “ summer time ” should continue through the winter. “ Would it not be much more reasonable,” he writes, “to restore the clocks to standard time, and if it is thought desirable, that we should all rise half an hour earlier, to put forward by half an hour all the events of the day and thus enjoy the privilege of observing the correct time while enjoying all the advantages (or suffering the disadvantages) of summer time.” To which the reply is that X has been enjoying the reform he asks for without knowing it. For actually “sum- , mer time ” was abolished last year, and New Zealand standard time is now stabilised at 12 hours in advance of Greenwich mean time, instead of the former 11 hours 30 minutes. We are therefore on standard time now. The fa r t that our clock gives us a lead of full 12 hours places us at least in the forefront of each new day, and no territory can forestall us. In effect, X is already rising half an hour earlier, and all the events of his day are put forward half an hour, which is what he wanted. Human habit attaches peculiar significance to the clock although in origin the marking of the hours was entirely Conventional. Radar experts claim to have heard messages from heavenly bodies, but one may be certain they never heard the sun striking 12! But daylight saving is specially appropriate to winter when daylight is in shortest supply.

Blow blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As man’s ingratitude. r- —“As You Like It.’

In earlier days great princes kept a “ whipping boy ” at hand who took the whipping his master should have suffered. Thus a boy called Mungo Murray used to be whipped for Charles I. Some one has aptly described Britain as the whipping boy of the world to-day. She is vilified and abused on all hands for the faults of other nations. In every . country where she stands on guard to help weak nations or backward peoples she meets with curses, ingratitude, and violence. Bui why, then, do they call in Britain? Because of her almost incredible authority and long experience in the art of governing men. In spite of their bitter reproaches, in their hearts they trust her justice, her competency and her professional honour. That was proved by the tributes paid to her by all the Indian leaders recently—they knew that the failure to solve their problem was their own fault. Now at the threatened departure of the British envoys, Moslems and Hindus are already flying at each others’ throats. The story repeats itself in Greece. Palestine. Egypt, and Java. Britain plays the Good Samaritan and the rival factions cheerfully take pot shots at her officials and soldiers. Why does she not leave them to stew in their own juice? This she is trying to do. but everywhere minorities howl out that they will be murdered if she quits. She is in fact a prisoner of her own greatness, but it looks as if she is growing tired of abuse and yiolence and will call on the United Nations to take a turn. Probably she finds it hard not to smile when she sees America being abused in China, and ordered to get out; for in past times America jeered at our efforts to help other people and now she is pained and hurt at her own sad experience in that field. Civis.