DEMOCRACY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20780, 15 July 1937, Page 8

DEMOCRACY

CIVIC COMPLACENCY ITS DEATH KNELL WARNING ISSUED By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, July 14. A grave warning against the intrusion of ••racketeering” into the channels of New Zealand administration. a criticism of what he termed the “ballyhoo optimism” of indifference and an indictment of civic complacency, were uttered by Dr. F. W. Hart, Professor of Education at the University of California, in a public address in the Town Half under the auspices of the New Education Fellowship. He declared that the price of civic complacency was economic ruin, social disaster and the death of democracy. “Since the end of that tragic war we fought to make the world safe for democracy we have seen democracies fall like frosted leaves in autumn rain,” Dr. Hart stated. “To-day democracy is on trial for its life, and unless we as citizens take the witness stand and testify that we are capable of governing ourselves wisely and intelligently democracy will be banished from the face of the earth. I do not enjoy the role of alarmist, but the geese that cackled under the walls of Rome are credited with having rendered greater service than all the sleeping optimists within. Historically speaking I would have preferred to have been one of the geese.” In spite of its wide practice “ballyhoo optimism” had not turned the tide of depression in the United States and it had taken millions of dollars to put men back into work. Moreover, it would take millions more to keep them there. False optimism would not save democracy. Dr. Boyd asserted when he outlined the desperate plight in which 4,000,000 people of the City of Chicago had been placed as a sole result of civic complacency. In 1932 Chicago was morally and financially bankrupt, the Board of Education alone being in debt for current expenses to the extent o 134,000.000 dollars, and the whole of the Administration being in the hands of gangsters “I want to warn New Zealanders never to allow the racketeer’ to gain a foothold in their comiaunity,” Dr. Hart continued. “Like a snowball, once started, he developed into an avalanche which is almost impossible to stop.” To combat complacency, Dr. Hart urged greater individual and small group study of political, social and economic problems in order that democratic responsibilit’es might be taken seriously. He advocated the formation of fireside forums and suggested that the schools might be opened for public discussions. In the public

i hools themselves he commended the ’□elusion in the curriculum of an intensive study of the problems of current life in order that children might be educated to enjoy the full privileges of democracy.