ORGANISED OPTIMISM

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2144, 9 May 1914, Page 6

ORGANISED OPTIMISM

—— —— CLUB FORMED SOME POSSIBLE FUNCTIONS "To do the useful things, obvious but * undone, which aw at present a-io-body's business,''' was, roughiy spealsng, the ] sc-opo of activity laid down last -night ' Sw the Optimists' Club, which was form- < 1 ed at a meeting held in the Acoouutants' Chambers. Optimists' dubs in ; England are liow well established, and hopeful HiStitution'j, and recently, main- 1 ly through tho energies of Sir. P. lWoy> : a. proposal w-as mooted to form a similar organisation here, Tho first meeting ras : held last night, and Was attended by about forty mon, mostly business men, mostly young, and without exception : jhfiprful in appearance. An apology, for ' absence .was rewired from the Right . Hon'. W. y. Massey, W'ho wjsliod tlio club -success. Several other apologies ; were also received. . Mr. J. S, B.irton, who presided, - s'koteitod tho history of tho Opt-ifflisft-s moYcmont in England- Realising that the samo general objects would Vcarc-eiy ho suitable,'.for 'various reasons, for ait Optimists' Club here, he suggested sOrotal useful spheres of activity wlsi-eh lie thought- were open to a Zealand Club. Ho stated thai tliero Was swh a thing as organised -pessimism in exi-st-ciumv and it was right that this organised pessimism should ho mot hy organised optimism.. He mentioned an m-dd-ent that had ocevirred in the Supreme Court I'-Montiy, whero a convicted man, in delivering" ft speech to 'the - Court, made a re-fereiico to'\-"the red tragedy of history." Donbtless tho description was in a sense tnie. Prom another point-of view, the struggles of_ tl-ie human race, up till tho present might ho -regarded as a pyogrcs'sio-B from darkness-to light, from bomtago.t-o freedom. According to the- pessimistic view, .it would bo right to doscribo a month as- 30- darlc nights, mauy.cf them storaiy, ititev'spc-rsed with days on wliieh-they had to work hard. That was, true, but it wa.s c<i;ialiy truo to describe,- a- nioiith as bright- days, interspersed with nights in which they eoitld rest. It was- a. fact that.- certain people had a- whole schemo of reform based on extreme - pessimism, andjVanfortunately, there was no united attempt meet such pessimism. ■ There were certain sicknesses affecting tho economic body,; and there were eertaii) economic tiuaeks who cottld get 1 sympathy % tho accuracy with wi-iiel'i , tliey doscvihed symptoms; and then they put forward ailoged romodies which were puerile.: They made i'logical junijb, and it wa-s nobbdy's Ims-iueas to poiiiwnu. tho fallacies. Much of tho pfesoiit-day industrial trouble-was duo to mvsundersts.ndm.gj foiterod and fonient-ed deliberately; Thiis fomen'ted, iiiistm?Uvi-standing. led to distrust between the classes, -at'id thcro woro men whoso 'billets tter-b do-; .pond-ent on their being ahie this distrust, lint it was nobody's business to attempt to remove that misan-'derstandiii-g. Another task wbieii -the citi'b might set ilse'f was, to faster goodwill hetiyoe-n'ompioyei's ai-ul employ'Sfisi, aiid to this ond, on the pattern of sinu* Jar einbs in England, small branch ciubs might, bo formed in the bigger business bouses. The club might advocate and assist stieh constructive reforms as profit-sharing, or it jnight- play a part m schemes tor civic improvement-, Especially, hoWQve-i'i jje 'lirgcdj as tlio most promising field of activity, -tlw» edticatiSn ; of the people- so as to- make t-hein dis-. inclined to accept any economic ,<jua,cfc ! med-iei-iws pnt- iicfo.ro them. Uniess tho ■ present pessimistic trend of opinion, duo [ to tho work of eoo.noniiic .tjuacks, 'word t telieckc-d in some Way, .-grave dangor might tiireatMi the ieott-nMjfty, and .it was their fhity, as' optimists, to attempt to cheek that misch-ififotis.trend. Jl'r, Bafto-a was heartily applauded for his speech. He had also touched on ■ oth®r matters beyond those reported s in- ■ dieatiiig that a club might- havo a very wide field of usefulnosSj and might impose on itself tasks of iff(i,oit«- variety. Mis own enthusiasm seemod -to bo infectious, for several other speakers very heartily (indorsed tho -proposals aiiihput forward others. In the end Mr. A, W. Parton moved; "That this meeting affirm that it is desirable to form -ail Optimists', Club in W'.'liington, oit the- linEi of (lie existing English ami Scottish institutions. aiiß tlieit -a provisional 1 bo set up to formulate suggestions as to' von'stitntion 'and rules, and report to a future meeting." This motion -was carried unanimously. . ■ , Tho following Provisional CpmWilt«o was eet up:—Slessrs, ff, Knsoy, E. W. Hunt C. Oos, C, Em .Matthews, J, S. Barton, -A. W. Parton, J. AV. Carr, J. J4acmtosh, A- Mac-kepzio, B. M. ! Cailutn, 'and Cr. E. Baiter. Mr. Racoy ivas appointed secretary, A vote of thanks to the chairman and to Mr. Ra>ey concluded the business.