AN AGE OF HURRY.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15274, 26 June 1923, Page 8

AN AGE OF HURRY.

. NOT ENOUGH USE OF BRAINS. Sir Hugh Allen, director of the Royal College of Music, South Kensington, irt his address to the students at the opening of the new term, said:— We are constantly in danger of being in a hurry. Every new invention seems to he devoted to the saving of time, and yet we seem to have less of it every year; or lo the annihilation of space so that we can transport ourselves with great rapidity anywhere and back again as quick as thought. The result is we become more and more restless and have not the time to devote to quiet contemplation of things which, after all, is the only means of gaining stability and wisdom. There is a general desire to speed up everything, to get everywhere, to do everything, sec and hear everything in the shortest possible time with the least possible trouble lo ourselves. The very efficiency and rapidity of our means of transport creates a disposition to leave our movement; to the last minute. And then we find we are often late, but there is always at hand the excuse that we were delayed by the train or omnibus, whereas it "was our own delay entirely. ’ A Broadcasting Prospect. There is a danger that it will become less necessary to use our brains but only our eyes and ears. Now we are faced with a further sho-t-eni development in broadcasting. When the day arrives with an invitation for broadcasting which will operate through every window, whether we like it or not, we shall have to get a license and an instrument to keep it out of, rather than to help it into, our houses. The old earth is a very fair size, but we all collect in little bunches of any number from 50,000 to 8,000,000 for what we call companionship. We spend our lives in getting in each other's way, treading on each other’s toes, trying to get hold of each other’s belongings, and generally behaving’ in an undignified way. We call' this human progress, and we are very proud of it. \ye know it is uncomfortable and unhealthy; we all know we would so much rather be alone in the wilderness contemplating nature in majestic loneliness, but we all say the same: Give me city life, | give me mankind in bulk, give me London. Human beings are gradually drawn into ever-growing masses; the forces which altract then, are irresistible; they are drawn in and spend their remaining days in a stream of glorious and everlasting activity. Look al Wembley! The danger or this age is hurrying —making short-cuts, trying to run before we can walk. But there is no short cut to the trained mind of the trained artist, and work done in a burry is never half as well done as that done at a sLeady pan*-