ONE-TRACK MINDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26917, 1 November 1948, Page 6

ONE-TRACK MINDS

SYMPTOMS EVIDENT NEW ZEALAND CULTURE WRITERS "WRESTLING WITH CONSCIENCES " “ Symptoms in New Zealand of the one-track mind, of the lack of that variety and originality which should be the essential characteristic of culture,” were examined by Dr D. Daiches Raphael in a talk over the.'national network of radio stations last night. Dr Raphael recently resigned his position as professor of philosophy at the University of Otago. “ Look at New Zealand writers,” Dr Raphael said. “ Instead of getting on with their job, they spend three-quarters of their time wrestling with their consciences as to whether they are producing a native culture and as to what direction New Zealand literature should take. Meanwhile, New' Zealand literature stands still.” A considerable section of the New’ Zealand “intelligentsia” had adopted a doctrinaire attitude.; because State control had worked well in some things, they thought it had to be right for everything, including the, things that were expressions of individuality and so were best left to grow up according to individual bent with the richness that came from variety—such things as education and the arts. “The Elephant and Society” “I always think,” Dr Raphael continued, “ of the self-,appointed ‘ intelligentsia ’ of New Zealand as * The Elephant and Society.’ I expect most of you have heard the joke about the Englishman, the American and the Frenchman who were asked to write about the eleohant. The Englishman entitled his effort ’Hunting the Elephant,’ the American, of course, wrote about ‘ Bigger and Better Elephants,' whfie the Frenchman produced a dainty pamphlet on ‘The Love-life of the Elephant.’ The traditional story does not include a New Zealander in the party, but if a New Zealander were added I have no doubt what his title would be, ‘The Elephant and Society.' “Of course, we are talking of the class of New Zealanders who go m for writing and such-like activities. Ask them to give a lecture to a literary club, and they announce ‘Litera-v ture and Society.’ If they give a radio talk on the cinema it is entitled ‘The Film and Society.’ And so on, ad nauseum. I do not so much mind their excessive concern with society (I share that vice myself), but I wish they .would show a little originality in their titles. As a matter of fact, the content of the lecture, or talk, has often little or nothing to do with society, but still the £ood old title pops up. It is expected, you see, ‘ the done thing,’ like wearing evening dress in Dunedin on the slightest pretext. “All this is a symptom of the onetrack mind, of the lack of that variety and originality which should be the essential characteristic of culture. Now just look at New Zealand writers. Instead of getting on with the job, they spend three-quarters of their time wrestling with their consciences as to whether they are producing a native culture and as to what direction New Zealand literature should take. Meanwhile, New Zealand literature stands still.

“ But it is a serious business, this writing (‘ creative writing ’ is the current pet phrase). And, like any other serious matter they think it should come under the State. So far they have only got to the stage of asking for State support, but sooner or later they will ask the State to set up tribunals ta tell them what to do. We are continually informed,” said Dr Raphael, “ that a New Zealand author cannot make a living from his writing. Well, how many authors elsewhere make .a living that way? And why should they expect to do so? The really good writer writes because he has something to say, something that will not stay bottled up but has to come out, not because he decides to earn a living by it. And, in fact, if you look at New Zealand writers Who really have got something to say you find that they get on with it in their spare time, while earning their living by doing an ordinary sort of job. They get on with it, and don’t talk so much about it.” “Not a High Standard” It was generally conceded, he said, that New Zealand culture did not reach a very high standard in comparison with European countries. But, he added, the standard of culture which has been reached has a wider spread than .in Europe, or at any rate wider than in England. “If you took a typi-' cal small English town comparable with Dunedin you would not find anything like so many people interested in good music, higher education, and so on. You might find a few who reach higher standards of culture—though actually I doubt that, too, for those higher standards are mainly confined to a few centres like London, Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh. The reasons why New Zealand does not reach a higher standard of culture are isolation and small population. You cannot- do much about the isolation, but you can do something about immigration of larger numbers if you really want to.”