PROBLEMS OF THE WHITE RACES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 253, 20 July 1920, Page 6

PROBLEMS OF THE WHITE RACES

. On Friday afternoon, at the request of •' the principal Professor J. S. Tennant, Professor B. E. Murphy delivered an ad- . drcsa on "The School and tho Modern .' State" to the students of the Wellington ', Teachers' • Training College. In his : opening remarks Professor Murphy drew ' attention to the fact that we had como »to.a stage when society was unablo to solve its own problems, and was break- . ing down, -lapsing into either mob rule or autocracy. Change could be brought about only by two means—by tho old blundering method of trial and error, or by tho enlightenment of public opinion. Public opinion was an irresistible force in every State, and it, in its turn, depended upon heredity and environment. It was in determining the nature' of this environment that tho school could take 'Buoh an important part. The rising generation should learn and study such things as the structure and working of sooiety and government, the duties of citizen, of the producer, and of the consumer, rather than waste time studying . such subjects as dead languages. Tho white races were faced with three great problems: a peaceful method of solving •international disputes, a reconstruction of society, and the evolution of a democracy in tho txuo senso of the ivord. In Tegard to the first matter, Professor . Murphy declared that man's mechanical : development had outrun his mental de'.Teloprnent, and he would soon be unablo to control his weapons of destruction, v At the present rate of development man ■might almost destroy himself., by the uso 'of these terrible weapons of "destruction ■in war. From this it would seem clear that the civilised world must find some way of overcoming international disputes. :If the present tendency towards class . war were allowed to run its course, tho , whole world would be put back a stage. ■This problem had, owing to tho increas- ,, ed complexity of society, become increaa- . ingly difficult, and now the interdependence of industries mado it possible for one branch, for instance, tho railways, to hold np all the rest. This was n very serious problem that would have to bo faced. Again, our system of government was simply our approving or disapproving of tho work of a small body of men at the head of the dominant party. It was government by tho few with the consent of the many, and not government by the pcoplo at all.

It was only by enlightening the rising generations, by getting them to realise and think over thoso problems Hint the difficult road of tho future could bo traversed successfully.