NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1399, 27 March 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It is to be hoped that the Washington cable message in this issue is accurate, which reports that the Wight Hon. Jajies Bkycb intends to pay an early visit to New Zealand to study our country at first hand. His monumental work on The American Commonwealth,, written nearly twenty years ago—a new author's edition was published last year—has always been and still is the supreme text-book on American democracy, the text-book for Americans as* well as for foreigners. It can hardly be expected that Mk. Bryce will be able to spend in his New Zealand investigations more than a fraction of the time he spent in studying America, but even a short survey of our affairs will enable him to pass a sound and striking judgment. We know quite well, we think, what his judgment will be. He will hardly have to go beyond the newspapers for a week, for he will be struck in every column with evidences of what will to him be an amazing abandonment of sound social and political principles. He will see clearly, what is become almost invisible to New Zealand eyes through long usage, glaring evils and wild perversions of the old standards of social and political order. And of course when he deals, in his graphic and luminous way,' with such things as the public debt, the extinction of individualism, the tyranny of trades, unionism, and the readiness of a large section of the nation to rejoice politically over political dishonour, he will be violently attacked. What will perhaps strike, him most forcibly isthe working of Spoils politics. It will make him think he is back again in America.

"If we may judge from a statement made recently by Mr. John Payne, one of the newly-elected members of the New Zealand House of Representatives," said the Westminster Gazette the other day, "modesty must henceforth he considered a negligible virtue in New Zealand politics." It does not do, as the Gazette will probably learn very soon, to "judge from" any statement that Mr. Payne may make. Grey Lynn has learned that. Whether modesty is a negligible virtue in New Zealand politics we shall not say: there is certainly more than one immodest politician in our House. The Gazette's comment was inspired by the Grey Lynn member's declaration that Labour held the whip hand over the Government, and that he would allow one of his Labour colleagues to take the Premiership ''provided that the portfolios of Finance, Education, Public Works, Health, and Customs were allotted to Labour members." Mr. Payne stands now, however, as an illustration of the fact that in some quarters good faith and an honourable constancy are the negligible virtues. The Gazette's final comment is witty, and, what is more, of more pertinence than was intended. "It is sometimes," it blandly observes, "an advantage for the sh'ip of State to launch away with 'Youth on the prow,' but-with the addition of Payne 'at the helm,' the voyage should prove not less exciting than brief." The pertinence is in the fact that although he is not Prime Minister, Payne really is at the helm. The rest follows.

The National Insurance Act is still being discussed in principle and in detail all over England, just as if it -were a new proposal instead of a statute enacted with all the

forms of Parliament. The Liberal Party has created a special organisation to "popularise" it—an additional piece of evidence that the Ac(

lis not popular at present. The workers are not sure that, when all is reckoned up, they will be the gainers by the huge elaborate scheme. Many of them are doubtless coming to see it in some such light as a correspondent who wrote recently to the Spectator: Social reform means simply tliat the. Government is to t--pend the. people's money instead of tho people spending their own money. A broker has to do tins in the shape of the paid official, and the people are tho poorer by the amount of the brokerage and tho loss of self-re-liance and personal-responsibility. Everybody whoso wages are under ,£IOO "a year is going to have them reduced threepence or fourpejico a week by (lie insurance tax. The Government thinks it can spend that monev with the aid of paid officials better than tho Triendlv Societies with (for the most part) unpaid voluntary officials.

There is much sound sense in these remarks. The waiter omits to mention the contributions to be made by the employers and by the State, but these too will ultimately come to a large extent out of the pockets of the workers, so that ultimately tho main question is whether it is better for the Government to spend part of a man's money or to let him spend it himself. Every individual likes to have the spending, (or saving) of his own money, but some think the Government ought to spend the other fellow's.

There is hardly a Christian country in which "the religious problem" is not grave and difficult, and oppressive to serious minds; but the Christian countries can console themselves with the reflection that their difficulties are .is nothing to those of Japan. For some time the best Japanese have realised that their country is being drowned in a (lood of materialism and irreligion, and now we hoar that tho Government has decided to undertake the experiment of legislating the nation info spiritual life. The Vice-Minister for Home Affairs lias issued a circular respecting a proposed amalgamation of the two Jananese religions—Shinto and Buddhism—with Christianity with the. object of producing a durable religion that will assisUn "the progress of the State." In his circular the Minister stares that "it is itcccssarv to connect religion with the State." At. present, lie says, "mural doctrines ;ire inculcated bv education alone, but it is impossible to inculcate (irmly fair and upright ideas in the miiids of the nation unless (lie people are brought into touch with llie fundamental conception known as God, Buddha, or Henvpn, b 5 taught in tho i-aUgioos," His proposal,"thcro-

fore, is that Shinto and Buddhism shall "carry their .slops towards Western countries,"' and that Christianity should "step out of the narrow circle within which it is confined and endeavour to adapt itself to the national sentiments and customs." A meeting of the different sects is to he held on a date to he fixed by the Japanese Diet, It is difficult to know what one should do—admire the intentions of the Government and its statesmanlike concern fur Japan's fundamental need, or sigh over its strange belief in the efficacy of an amalgam of the three faiths.