TOPICS OF THE DAY

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20463, 1 April 1938, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY

Broad-M indedness A correspondent of The London Times recently contributed an article which is particularly timely. Broad-mindedness, he says, is a quality much and rightly valued in these days. Indeed, intolerance has never been a weakness of our nation, nor in general of any civilised race for any length of time. Even when political or religious passions run high, and controversy rages, the protagonists are the few and their followers make up but a small part of the community. The great majority of men and women cry lor a plague on both parties, some being ignorant and others indifferent to the issues which convulse the minds of their contemporaries. But between the bigoted and the careless there is always a fairly large number of quite, levelheaded persons who take no part in the conflict; who are thoughtfully tolerant and go on doing the ordinary good and kind things amid the upheaval around them. Their names may not appear in history, and they are often held in contempt by the champions of different causes; but their patient wisdom provides that ground of common sense on which agreement is at last reached. Yet it is necessary to scrutinise carefully much which goes by the name of largeness of mind, for other and inferior qualities are apt to masquerade under its appearance and to deceive the simple. Laxity of principle, for instance, is often mistaken for magnanimity. Individually this is sometimes, though not invariably, the consequence of failure in the hidden life. It is comforting to condone wrong in oneself by secretly or openly impugning the modern mind has outgrown it. Thus the conscience is blunted and rationalises the fact by thinking that wider liberty has been attained.