PROBLEMS OF RECONSTRUCTION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 303, 11 September 1918, Page 3

PROBLEMS OF RECONSTRUCTION

ADDHESS BV MB. B. E. MTJBPHT. ' On Friday night, at Victoria College, Mr. E. h. _ Murphy, M.A., LL.B., 8.C0m., Id dreoßcu a mcetiii S of students, under tho auspices of the V.U.O. Christian Unicm" jr e l l rob nms of Reconstruction? in,,, \ Murph y be t' a " by emphasising the importance of the ethical aspnots of social wconrtnioUon. Economic quTstions were ,°'„ f " ,, l ' lan , ,ent^: , « h« ethical problems were solved social forms would be a mat- ' ' lc,fc ;*i»"il of:the existing socinl order. Let them iinagino that thev were stu, cuts of two huud/ed yw*S, o?JL ~ l ' r « V, ' ils Bm,lß a " account of early twentieth century society. He would na\e a strange story, to. tell. Ho would recount, how, 111 the eighteenth century, man discovered, power and how he mado increasingly wonderful application of it iu industry. Production was wonderfully improved; but in 6Dite of .i.ealth, men physically, meu'.dlly, morally were not better on. He would show how those in authority either were not able or did.not desire to make them betterhow private profit was permitted, and the means of production were in the hands of a fow ;-„ uow a fearful race for wealth ensued. Ihe horrors of uinoteeiith century industrial life would bo shown. It would be pointed out that after enough had been taken to provide for subsistence a sui-i plus was provided; and that this surplus was exported. This brought conflict of national interests, and wars. The lecturer would not Apll them how all this was changed, foFthcy would 5 know. His hearers did not know what was ,to happen, but it would only happen because they dirt it. The future was in their hands. Mr. Murphy proceeded to criticise tho existing system.' Society was based on what the Socialist called capitalism. Men did not produce goods for the community, but for their own gain. It was the characteristic, of tho time that no studied effort was mado to provide for the community. Society did not make what it needed by considered calculations, but production was controlled by chance. Society handed over into the hands of a few the means ( of sbsistence.; Production was controlled by undiscipljned competition. Any society that allowed this to happen must bo in a bad..case. What was going to happen to any nation that allowed from 40 to 60 per cent, of its people to be without decent living conditions? The truth was that their aims had Been entirely material; civilisation was destroyng itself. His faith had not been shaken by the war; it would have been shaken if the war had not come. . The old civilisation had been tried and found wanting. The postulates of the old order were: (a) Capitalistic production for profit, (b) private ownership of the means of production, (c) hereditary transmission of wealth to the idle and worthless, (d) market and not moral value. On such a basis civilisation could not last. It was clear, then, that the competitive system involved suppositions that 'were not true'to life. Men did not act rationally, as was supposed; the 'fittest did not survive; wealth wns not in proportion to desert, and market and moral values did .not coincide. The old individualism was pernicious. The "survival of the fittest" meant only that-the survivors were those who survived. The old idea led to evory form of anti-social vice. The man who emerged from modern competition' was always a worse man than when he went in. Again, in tho existing system, wealth was in the' hands of clever men, but it was not controlled in tho interests of'society. ;\Fhat they needed was a new idjal. The needed wealth, wisdom was good; but more than either they wanted character. On a man's death the thing that touched them was not his wealth or his wisdom, but his character. Prom all. this they saw the ethical 'responsibility of (a) the consumer, and fb) the producer. , There was a pressing need to educate consumers. Things were made in the long run only because people-want-ed them. Indecent books and pictures and plays, stupid fashion, we produced to meet the demand. The producer would just as soon turn out good books and plays. The remedy was in tho hands of the consumers. Then there were the sweated. trades. The vagaries of fashion were a great evil. Further, there were tho3c people who bought "to help tho poor." Wealthy people who had Bix motorcqi'B thought they were going good; they v/ore employing'half a dozen chauffeurs. There were fow more grievous errors than this. I The truth was that such were taking away capital from .productive uses. It was because there was so much of this that there were so. many poor. Let them know that every time they bought a thing they did not want they were injuring the poor. There were forces that could do' much to improve social life. They' must try to educate public opinion; its powerß were tremondous. It was the deciding factor in strikes. In 1889, in the dock strike, and when the match-girls struck, public opinion gave them the victory. In 1914 public opinion was against the strikers in Wellington, arid they lost. Then there waß the Church. Consciously or unconsciously, it was under the inlluenco of money. Let them remember how the Prophets of- tho Old Testament thundered against the rich; they were familiar with the lifo of Christ. They could not explain away the- truth that it was hard for the rich to get into the Kingdom of God. In conclusion the speaker pointed out that through a series of accidents society had given up any worthy ideal. The system had collapsed under its own weight. They did not know what was to come of it all. One thing was sure: whatever came would come from their efforts. To do anything they needed a moral basis. The Church had not dono what it. might have done—what ho believed it would yet do. It was no uso praying "Thy kingdom come" if they did not help it on. They must place wealth above gold, servico abovo profit, and follow tho example of their Master. They must encourage everything that tended to welfare in the higher and spiritual sense..