Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, SATURDAY, MAY 2, 1925. THE SOUL OF THE NATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16719, 2 May 1925, Page 6

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, SATURDAY, MAY 2, 1925. THE SOUL OF THE NATION.

A strong indictment of the Western nations lias been made by a great Eastern poet, author, and mystic. He alleges that the soul of the peoples of the Western nations has been smothered by professionalism. What he means and expresses, in eloquent words, cannot be done justice to in condensation. Shortly put, it is that what is natural in men or peoples—love of family, love of the nation, truth towayd humanity—is noble and true. It is departed from. The natural is overlaid and smothered by artificial encrustations. These present a false beauty. They obscure and choke that which is natural. Competition and accumlation of wealth or national possessions, engenders individual and national strife. It is professionalism, the worshippers of which have created the doctrine of the survival of the fittest. The result may glitter for a time in the artificial glamor of temporary success, but the result is cold, even though beautiful, and destructive of truth to humanity. There is hardly a word in the language vtliat. is put to so many uses as the word ‘soul.' It is sometimes narrowed down to mean "the understanding or intellectual principle of man’s nature.” It is not in this limited sense that Sir Rabindranath Tagore regards the souls of the Western peoples which ho secs to bo smother* ed by the professionalism of the nations. If the derivation of tho word'"soul” is considered it may be described as "the moving billowy element of man.” This suggests "those shadowy recollections” of words worth which "be they what they may are yet the fountain light of all our day.” The mystic sees in the soul a great unseen reality, that is greater, even, than the physical life which it may control; that is' spiritual; that is eternal. Ho claims it to be tho spiritual, rational, and immortal part of man, which distinguishes him from (lie brutes. The "soul,” which is capable of being smothered, must be that which can be set; on tire for love of truth and humanity. Science cannot do it. Politics range in shallows beneath it. History fails to record it. More simply the accusation brought against the peoples of the Western nations is that, as is the case with individuals, they have dual natures. A man may be amiable, generous, and affectionate in the family, but, professionally he becomes a savage, preying upon others, cold, calculating, grasping. The peoples, although individually regardful of the rights of humanity, collectively are regardless of such rights. The nation becomes professional, selfish, cruel. Evidence of the charge, brought against professionalism in peoples and nations, that the element of professionalism in both is smothering spiritual truth, and is therefore the cause of Western disruption, international wars, ami industrial strife, is difficult to marshall. It is probably impossible, in professional terms, to prove the charge. It does not follow that it docs not contain an element of truth Collective egoism, in nations, is taken by Sir Rabindranath Tagore to be a sign at least of the corrupting professionalism which he finds is difficult. to prove. In individuals it is repulsive. In nations it upsets the balance. "Germany, in cultivating this megalomania, lost her balance; Britain has been cultivating it; America now has Iter huge, ideals of greatness. It is this spirit of bigness which leads you to be always lengthening your dreadnoughts, to multiply your army, your soldiers, your wealth, vour possessions.” Professionalism is also charged with the disparagement and impairment of natural gifts to man. Naturally men are creative. "From them come art, religion, poetry and song, but in their professional capacity only the machinery and the organisation for producing things.” The facts, arrayed against the Western nations as peoples smothered in soul by their professionalism, may of course bo attributable to other causes. They arc at least formidable. They are wars with little prospect of check even though science threatens the coin-

batants with annihilation; classes arrayed in battle against each other; men against women; seioneo piling up of power, which the neglected foundations cannot support; scientific power, built upon ever increasing knowledge of the secrets of creation, narrowing rather than broadening man’s views. In these things, says our accuser, happiness is not to be found. The. soul of the people has been smothered. This criticism of the Western nations, based possibly upon the actual conditions of groat numbers of the Eastern races, which often are living under conditions of great suffering and even starvation, is, after all, built upon ah assumption, viz., that science and truth are necessarily in opposition. It also takes it as an axiom that the results of science cannot be used for the sake of humanity, to as great a degree as in a professionalism which is adverse to the best interests of mankind. There is really no reason why science should not be used solely for the sake of humanity. Science is the search for knowledge and truth and the mystic does harm rather than good jn/claiming science and truth to be in invariable opposition. It is rather a terrific picture of the peoples of the Western nations that this great Eastern poet and philosopher would have us believe to be true. A man must be somewhat of a monster, if he is an angel in his own home and a devil in the office. So too the nation. Can we take the collective peoples in sections or closely analyse the motives of rulers? We see them, on the one hand, trying, as followers of the Christian gospel, to civilise barbarous races in the outer world, while at home no effort is spared to relieve the sick, ennoble the young, and ameliorate the’conditions of prisoners and outcasts. Can it be that those same nations; when moving as nations, are guilty of the most unscrupulous acts based upon selfishness, greed, and cruelty? Sir Rabindranath Tagore is greater than his creed. In parable he secs a vision of hope for the Western nations. The cause for the smothering of the soul of the nations will be removed. Truth will prevail for humanity. Truth is rpally present all the time, but hidden as a kernel. The speaker of truth is at present hidden behind all the latest developments of the age. It is invisible. You do not see the. forest in a single seed. ‘‘So with the nation, and the idea of the nation, there is within it .that, kernel of truth which shows itself in willing sacrifice, for a cause. This truth wMI win in the end. It will come out and blossom, but at the moment. I must denounce the egoism and cruelty of this professional, the nation.”