The Dominion MONDAY, JULY 19, 1909. THE BASIS OF SOCIAL REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 563, 19 July 1909, Page 6

The Dominion MONDAY, JULY 19, 1909. THE BASIS OF SOCIAL REFORM.

. One of the most.interesting men in the House of Commons is Mil. Harold Cox, who represents Preston; Mr. Cox is on all ,hands admitted to be one of the shrewdest logicians in the House, and it is largely because he is constitutionally incapable of taking any view ,on any . question . except the one which proceeds logically from fundamental principles that he has failed to rise to the eminence which his great mental gifts would enable him to reach. He finds his consolation, perhaps, in the fact 'that he performs the .function of'a' light in dark places'. Every "party" man disagrees with the views'of the member for Pres'ton as often as he agrees with them, .but all the'?men. who' take, their work seriously, are always glad of the illumination which he brings to the subject in debate. He is constantly dispelling the clouds of vagueness in which -most' of the political controversies .of .Britain are conducted. An excellent example of his habit of seeing clearly the truth, that his illogical contemporaries obscure for themselves occurs in an article in the Nineteenth; Century, in which:he criticises the Budget.,':ln the course of this article he exposes a fallacy which underlies most of the zeal that is everywhere being shown for"social reHowever the politicians' may dif-; fer on other points, they, are all agreed that; "social reform" is very necessary. And 'of course "social ■; reform" has alv ways'been, and always will be, necessary and desirable.' But. the trouble with the "social reformers" is, not; merely, that their■': legislative programmes, for the achievement 6f/reform differ 'from each other, but that'hardly any, of them have any clear conception of the end,for which they are so/feady to furnish ,the means. They' ! simply''-- feel,' " in'. 'a v vague ! way, that ; ;. the ' world ■ is \': an'' illmadeo.worid,''' .and. .th'ai 1 - society. ,is sadly in need of ''repair,' Most'of the talk of.'social reform is >as useless, and ".' as meaningless;.as'th'e.current';talk.in/this country, of/the 'necessity of "discharging our responsibilities to tho 'Maori." The' abstract noun has, so hypnotised the' politicians that they, have forgotten to think clearly about its. .practical import./, -.. "A nation,", says Me. Cox, "is not a potter's vessel; it is a living tree. It can, indeed, be.shattered, by Jsocial dynamite, j but when the would-be /destroyer attempts mentally, to •: regroup tho disjointed fragments, -he will discover that they are not inert'material' for him to mould, but Hying with human ambitions and human passions, /and that he himself is n'oti'a'superh.uman potter, but only one of. them.'./;Wei cannot ,therefpre hope.'to remould ■■ society;" , He must have wandered hopelessly far-away from realities who.- cannot be recalled 'to his senses •'•'by £his "acute statement of the fact which the social reformer. really; has to deal 'with. It may,/ perhaps; strike some people as a mere; truism./ ■ Every /valuable 'but-' neglected truth seems 'like ;a: truism, when you.are.thihking of elseli The. i^Avi™ /"Be-diligent". ';alwaya Cl . p'endously.platitudinous to the jchild.-But .Me. iCox''does,Hotitop ,with /his/negative ; !pre^se^.The'most/we./caii J tends, ■worst evils, > to;curb> this vice,; to| remove/ thdji .impediment,tO|"progMss.'' -"This is trußJsocial; 'And what/is/'the principle to.bo acted upon in order that ;that, jr'eform' : /may// be/,brought' /about )' : Simply, .the of personal: 'effort;'the fostering of, a Ration of 'men: and;, women, "strivingto make .''their coun/ try better >because they believe it is their' duty to do so;'' 'V',;'.;';';, '..■■■■'';:■".;'..

; If that.; force fails, all • will fail/ 'for no mere alteration in 'tho form of government can advance...the_nation if..the individuals composing it continue" to Bet personal pleasure before national duty. And therefore no so-called social: reform is worth a single penny of ; the nation's money unless it contributes, to strengthening -; ; the individual sense of duty upon which' national progress depends. ;,.-'r-" v '.••;■■'' '■'■•': ■;■ .'■.■';'"

The tendency in modern democracies'is to take : quite the opposite' view-rto affirm that, it'is the State, 'and. not .the individual, that matters. But this is to overlook. ..the..obyious enough, fact '-that; the State,is.simply'tne.sum of the individual members of ;it. :i There is a passage in Shift's sermon on "Doing. Good,", which, although profoundly- true and valuable, ;will > probably- excite-the .derision, of the' ■modern State. Socialist.; Me. Cox might have quoted it to point his argument that unless!the individual;is;Bound,- the State: is. unhealthy:,'.:;:..'.•'■ :V-

. : ;'Solpmon,'.';'says Swift, 1 "tells usjofa poor wise man,.wiho saved a city ;by his. counsel: It- hath rbften.-happened ,that- a private soldier, -by some 'unexpected brave attempt, hath been instrumental in obtaining a great victory. /How many obscure men: have been authors, of 'very' useful inventions, whereof raw world now "reaps;tie benefit? The very example of .honesty iand industry in" a poor tradesman' mil sometimes, spread j through a neighbourhood, when others se© how successful he is; and -thus so. many., useful members are gained,'- for which the whole body of the public is the better .' Whoever :is blessed with a true public spirit, God will certainly-pui it, inte his "way "to'.make -use of, that blessing, for the ends' it was given" himi by some means or other. And therefore, it hath-.been .observed 'in- most ages that the greatest actions for, the benefit of. the commonwealth, have been performed by the wisdom or courage, the contrivance or industry,"of particular men, and not of .numbers:'; and that the .safety .of a , kingdom hath often,been owing- to those hands ■from' whence it" jriiß. least .expected!" "■•

But what is tbc practical'application of this;teaching? \..lt• is surely enough: that "social reformers" should mako;.'it' their, business to ban alMegislation that weakens individual.' character, instead of strengthening ■, it.:. Mki' Cox points out that tho general principle of .many:of:the 'British.Government's;-..pro''' posals for /'social reform" is to "substitute the. compulsory..' contributions of the : taxpayer ;f or the'voluntary'efforts of, the citizen;" .'.'Ever since the world began, men havd been induced to work, v and thus to crcato;wealth; 5 by the desire to" satisfy their.;,.wants..-;: If the most, imperative ofthose ■ wants are now to be satisfied by free doles' from the State, the- main mo--, tivc for industry will disappear, and national wealth will be diminished.' : . .

There can be no real check to the demands, upon, the taxpayer until the courir try. deliberately goes back' to the sound principle that each 'individual l citizen must himself provide for his own primary wants, .and that public .money is only to be .expended -upon - public .'•'' purposes; .. .;:,.; f the.line there is an everincrcasing tendency to look upon the .Statu;,m a milch-cow "providentially

created, for theibenefit of •■ those ■ who,, arc disinclined for the hard struggle which the competition of the world involves." We have not to go to Britain, however, for illustrations of this "ever-increasing tendency." Nowhere in the world, probably, is that tendonoy so evident as'i it is in New Zealand; Everybody has a request to make of the State; whenever any spe ; cial' effort is. called for, the utatc is turned to as a matter of course. "Social reform" has made'wonderful progress, measured by the enactments thai; the "social reformers" can count up; yet society is not reformed. It is not any happier; it is not any more efficient; it is much more deeply in debt. And who, can wonder at' it T In the fond- belief that the State is a distinct entity, separate from the men and women of the community, endowed with a special power and wisdom; and possessed somehow of an inexhaustible store of wealth over and above tho wealth of its members,- the public has been for years wasting its own substance and efficiency. The chief act of "social reform"—the Arbitration Act —has not only left society no better than before: it has even gone'in the direction of reducing the efficiency of industry. Its chief result has been, to inspire" Labour with the keenest anxiety, to' do as little as possible in return for the highest pay that it can obtain. -Our "social reformers" should begin to think : a little upon what they. aim at; achieving.. Their object may not be "to'•.wreck,.the world's efficiency in order- to redistribute''.'• tho. world's discontent," but that is nevertheless the tendency of their policies. l