BOOK OF THE WEEK

Taranaki Daily News, 11 June 1932, Page 11 (Supplement)

BOOK OF THE WEEK

THE WORLD’S MISTAKES

(By

C.E.)

"The Unseen Assassins,” by Norman Angell: Hamish Hamilton, London, through Thos. Avery and Sons, Ltd., New Plymouth. Sir Norman Angell is an author who requires no introduction. Journalist and publicist, he has been before the public for a quarter of a century. He has a vigorous style, he reasons patiently and clearly, and he. has a particularly happy knack of using arresting phrases. "The Unseen Assassins” is one of them. No one could pass such a title without at least inquiring what it means, ine answer will be found quite easily in a brief resume of the book.

One is attracted by the simplicity and frankness of Sir Normans opening. In the first sentence he takes the reader completely into his confidence by statin- in the plainest terms what he proposes to say. The simple truth which he is trying to state is, he says, this. “The greatest evils which devastate our civilisation and at times nearly destroy it are not due in the main either to the wickedness or the evil intention of men; nor to the lack of knowledge in the sense that we lack the knowledge to release atomic energy, or to com; municate with Mars, or cure cancer. Those evils are due to the failuie to apply to our social relationships knowledge which is of practically universal possession, often self-evident in the facts of daily fife and experience and to derive from that already available knowledge the relevant social truth. We disregard knowledge which we possess, though we are unaware of that disregard. We do not desire to create social or economic evils, to impose injustice and bring about war, but we apply policies in which those results are inherent because we fail to see the implications of the policies. Those unperceived implications are the Unseen Assassins of our peace and welfare.

So Sir Norman sets out to show that the opinion or attitude of the ordinary man is not a negligible factor in human affairs; that, on the contrary, it generally determines public policy and the nature of our society, and that such evils as war are not imposed upon us against our will or oui desire by small minorities or vested interests. To show what this means he introduces the reader to an ordinal y voter, Mr. John Smith,_ and sketches some of the problems which John Smith as a voter (“and so our ruler and the • guardian of our fortunes as we are of his”) is asked to decide. This Is a very effective method of putting the case, for one is quickly in sympathy with John Smith, who is hard enough put to it toy earn his living, provide for .his family, and meet the daily drive of life, and yet is compelled, under a democratic system of government, to "make hurriedly, casually, as the result of a mere spare-time attention, decisions in matters which have baffled experts who have spent whole lives in stufly of them.” It may be questioned, Sir Norman admits, whether Smith matters. "He does ” is the emphatic answer. “His notions Ofnationalism, patriotism,j morality, of what is important and. unimportant, what permissible and_ what noj, determine the kind of world in'which we live. He made the last war and will make the next by-reason of.-that alism by which he. and which has split Europe into warring-States.” As Smith does matter consideration must be given to- his powers and possi--bilities, and as he : "has. .changed the object :of his; passions and-loyalties many times in. the past” it.is unlikely the world has seen the last change. "Whether he changes to a worse or better loyalty will depend,” Sir Norman asserts, "upon the degree of his understanding of the basic processes of his society. That men should fight is perhaps part of our nature; but what we fight about is part' of our nurture, education, way of thought; the way we see things.” ' . The question arises whether Smiths problem can be simplified for him, and the author devotes a very illuminating and entertaining chapter to this subject, arguing from a premise which .he states in characteristic fashion: "Smith cannot be governed by experts; nor govern without them.” It is his opinion that Smith can be helped; that many of the worst political difficulties of the world would have 'been avoided by observing almost self-evident social principles. "By enabling John Smith to grasp and apply the simple principles which are not beyond his capacity he may avoid the need of bothering with the curative complexities that are.” All this matter is in a sense introductory to the study of the “assassins,” especially thfe sovereign assassin, war. Then there are the “most unseen assassins,” which are simply impulses, and in dealing with them the author gives a very impressive answer to his own question, "Why do men refuse to see the visible, to reject co-operation, defy justice; in order to impose their will by coercion?” It is worth while 'also to ponder his answer to the question, “Why should instinct •so often work against social arrangement?” °Throughout the book Sir Norman brings keen analytical powers to his aid in his endeavour to disclose the mistakes the world has made and is making. His plea is for a sense of individual responsibility and an effort towards internationalism. He tells us that nationalism is to-day the most potent force in European economics and politics; he shows how it enters not only into the political problems of Europe but also into such economic problems as tariffs, the creation of . a workable monetary system, the maldistribution of gold and the settlement of These are matters that demand attention, and Sir Norman treats, of them (n such a simple way as to bring them easily within the power of comprehension of everyone who takes life seriously enough to desire information and instruction. No one need be afraid to opeu his book, for it is. neither, dull nor abstruse. His touch is light; his phrases are snappy, and he uses home y illustrations with marked aptitude. People who want to know more about the great questions of the day will find him a facile teacher.

Two • momentous books. — The Unseen Assassins,” by Sir Norman Angell, author ot “The Great Illusion,” price 9/6. No one concerned with the greatest problems of his time can afford not to read this book. Reparations and War Debts,’ by the RjS-. Hon. D. Lloyd George, price 4/6. this book reveals facts about the World War which are responsible for the present worldwide depression. Obtainable from Thomas Avery and Sons, Ltd., Booksellers, New Plymouth.*