OVERSEAS OPINIONS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 92, 12 January 1935, Page 20

OVERSEAS OPINIONS

Kussia and Japan. “The Japanese believe that they have a very much better knowledge of the ultimate aims of Russia’s foreign policy than any other Power; and the Russians feel the same about the foreign policy of Japan. Be that as it may, it is at least true that both parties look very much further into the future in estimating each other’s position than most nations do in relation to either of them. Behind every step which Moscow takes, although it may be apparently in the opposite direction, Japan sees the direct, or at any rate the indirect, preparation of a new phase of the world revolution; for it is not only the Japanese military party which holds the view that the Bolshevist regime is unable to give up this ultimate objective.”—“The Spectator,” London. The Minority Party. “The first duty of a minority party is to formulate honestly and sincerely its own political and economic philosophy. Its next duty is to provoke debate of all measures which it believes are unsound or undesirable, and to suggest constructive alternatives. A majority, being burdened with responsibilities, will often compromise, but a minority is under no sueh compulsion. It can well afford to say what it thinks and to hold out for what it sincerely believes. Indeed, it cannot afford to do anything else. Opposition based merely on opportunism stirs neither fear nor admiration. Opposition based on principles honestly held and clearly stated wins respect always, and wins unexpected support often.” —“Chicago News.” Britain Plus America v. Japan. “Japanese ambitions are based not on national, prestige or on considerations of security, but on. a determination to dominate the Far East. “Parity” for Japan means predominance for Japan in the Western Pacific. Even the 5:5:3 ratio, which Tokio wijl no longer accept, has given a greater measure of “security” to Japanese than to British or American interests in the Far East —were it not so the Manchurian adventure would have'been checked and the British Admiralty would have pressed for reprisals after the Japanese bombardment of Shanghai. Both Great Britain and the United States have naval interests elsewhere which make iit quite impossible for them to concentrate enough ships in the Western Pacific to turn their theoretical tonnage superiority over Japan into a fact.” —Mr. Vernon Bartlett, in “World" (London). On Stopping Work.' “It is always a bad habit if the worker cannot stop. See how he shuts himself away from all the delights of home and friends because like any other dram-taker he cannot refuse to have another job, and then another job, and so on till he has no time to spare. His children do not know him ; his wife pines in silence; his friends say with sad voices, ‘What has happened to him?’—and all the time he is working! Is it money he needs? Not in the least. He simply cannot stop, and that perhaps because he does not want to think. So long as you are going at it hammer’ and tongs you cannot do much thinking; and. perhaps you do not want to think. You may be doing somethfng which, if you thought it out, you would see was not worth doing. Besides, it is mighty uncomfortable to think!”—“Quintus Quiz,” in the “Christian Century.”

Strong, Silent Men. “The nagging wife is only a shade less dreadful than the strong, silent man 1” said Dr. Helen Boyle in a recent lecture. “Never suffer unnecessarily. Useless' unselfishness is merely silly—and sometimes a mere form of laziness. “Suffering in silence” is a deplorable mistake. There is more mischief done by it than by many far more terrible things. We all know families where everyone is trying so hard for the crown of unselfishness that no one gets what they want, and everybody is thoroughly unhappy. The fiiost valuable thing in family life is butter. Butter is a great thing on the family table, but as well as that, it is extraordinary how many of us think delightful things about each other which we never say. Sometimes I think it would be a very good, thing if we oould have an anniversary day each year, when we could go about saying all the nice things we would like to say.”

Imperial Air Lines. “Obviously, in any scheme for the development of our Imperial air communications, we have to act in the closest co-operation with the Dominions and colonies, and the time is not yet ripe for me to make any detailed statement of the plans which are naturally in our minds. I will therefore confine myself to saying that they were drawn up long before the Melbourne race, and that they allow for a seven-day schedule between this country and Australia, That is nearly halving the schedule with which the service is_to open. I need hardly say that we are aiming at similar accelerations to the other great Dominions such as South Africa and to the colonies. We aim at faster aircraft; we aim at greater frequency; we aim at greater comfgit, the importance of which we fully'recognise. Hast, but by no means least, we aim, with the assistance of the Post Office, at a further development of air mail traffic.” —The Marquess of Londonderry. Secretary of State for Air. Indian Critic of India Report. “There is very little in the recom-i mendations of the report which is likely to appeal to the present creed of the Indian National Congress, but there is much which moderate political thinkers in India can find acceptable, with certain modifications. I am not entirely opposed to the idea of indirect election to the two Central Legislatures, but there is bound tx> be opposition to this from many Indian Liberals or moderates, specially with regard to the Lower House, and I think it would be a pity, if a stiff fight were to be put up by Indians of all shades and classes, if some provision were not made in the Act to bring in direct election after some years’ experience. The safeguards with regard to British trade, although quite fair, will, I am afraid, not be acceptable to many people in India unless they can be assured that the freedom and privileges agreed upon at the Ottawa Conference will continue to apply to India, and not in any way be reduced or minimised.” —The Maharajah of Burdwan, the senior noble-

Trade and Goodwill in India. “The most disappointing recommendations are those regarding commercial safeguards and official autonomy which are apparently meant to satisfy Lancashire,” writes Sir Tej Safru in the “News-Chronicle.” “These safeguards are- strongly resented as serious limitations to the power of the Legislature. The only safeguard to British trade and commerce worth having is India’s goodwill, and this cannot be secured by imposing unfair and irritating limitations. India must .be allowed to develop freely her industries and fiscal policy, leaving it to the two countries to come to mutual agreemeats which are not impossible and which may be facilitated by the assurance of India’s political future.”

Stronghold of the Novel. “The fireside armchair is the stronghold of the novel, and it is being attacked by the various methods of projecting the human image and voice. When we have only to turn a knob and lift our eyes above the mantelpiece we shall take the novel and its many inferiors in a talkie version. Then rhe novelist who wishes to stick to his last will have to provide something that can never possibly be exceeded in its own line by Hollywood and Elstree. He will have to write something in which words are used to convey the subtleties which nothing but words can convey. They will describe like poets and reflect like philosophers. The popular novel of to-day is comparable with the Academy picture of the ’eighties It contains the most lifelike representations ever made —but they are not living.”—Mr. John Collier. The Birthplace of Democracy. “Nowhere was the village community so real and enduring a thing as it was in England for at least 12 centuries of its history. In every parish mep met almost daily in humble but very real self-government to be judged by then' fellows, or fined by them, or punished as bad characters, to settle the ploughing times and haiwest times, the harrowing and the grazing rules. For the whole period of those 12 centuries that disteipline went with the peculiar English capacity for self-government, The development of the voluntary system in our many institutions, our aptitude for colonisation, our politics, our commercial enterprise, our Colonial Empire, are all due to the spirit of cooperation, the spirit of fair play and give and take, the habit of working for a common purpose, which tempered the hard and grim individuality of the national character. —The Master Balliol, Mr. A. L. Smith.

Tire Attack on Freedom. - “In a number of countries there is developing a direct attack on freedom to write and publish. Ewm in this country a vague threat to ransack our books and papers, and invade our, homes, hangs over us,” said Mr. H. G. Wells at a recent function. “It is quite possible that this country may remain practically immune from attempts to check distribution of writings and to intimidate authors, but it. is by no means a certain thing. It is imperative that there should be the utmost freedom of criticism, suggestion and imagination in the years ahead. There is no perfect wisdom, and if the voice of criticism is stifled inconceivable disaster may happen. Wthout liberty literature is a prostitute and you will write only to pattern. The mind that is not free is not a mind, but a mechanism. The country where there is no freedom of thought is not a living country, but death in movement.”

And Now, the Kitchen. “Art and design in industry are much talked of to-day, and are exercising.the attention of Royal Academicians. But the woman in the back kitchen is going, in the next decade, to do as much to quicken this thoroughly wholesome movement as are all the men of learning and taste in this country,” said Sir Davjd Milne Watson in a recent speech. ' “It is not so long ago that the attitude of manufacturers was ‘Take it or leave it.’ They produced while the man —and the woman —in the street bought or went without. Now all that has changed. The working girl to-day demands colour and taste in her clothes. The housewife resents being offered a kitchen that is not a cheerful, efficient workshop. I am sorry to have to say that many, and, indeed, most kitchens are not in fact to-day cheerful and efficient workshops. Far from it —but every kitchen that falls short of that ideal is, believe me, presided over by a. discontented woman.

Motor Casualties and Doctors’ Fees. "The voluntary hospitals were founded and are maintained for the relief and succour of the sick poor, and at the present time voluntary donations and payments trom the working classes constitute the major part of every hospital’s income. These contributors naturally resent that to a great and ever-increasing degree beds in many hospitals are occupied by road accidents, brought about for the most part by motorists who as a class are relatively rich. The tin recovered cost of this usurpation of beds intended and provided for quite other purposes has been authoritatively estimated at some £lBO.OOO in a single year The position is all the more absurd as the case of the person injured in a motor accident who requires other than emergency treatment represents the. more serious class of accident, necessitating, it may be, many weeks of attention in hospital.” —Sir E. Graham Little. M.P., M.D., in the “Daily Telegraph.” I

Vanity, Hate and War. "In times of peace, vanity is more often and more loudly expressed than hatred. But hatred is always the actual or potential complement of vanity. You cannot have delusions of greatness without at the same time suffering from persecution maria. And you cannot have persecution mania without hating your persecutors. The pleasures of hatred are certainly not greater than the pleasures of love; but for mod people. I am afraid, they are greater than the plea - ures of abstract ami impersonal benevolence. People can get more pleasure out of hating foreigners they have never seen than out of vaguely wishing them well and trying, through their official representatives, to co-operate with them. The number of men and women who feel wildly, enthusiastic about the League of Nations is very small. The number of I ho-e who whole-heartedly loathe the foreigner, or the Jew, or the capitalist, or the communist, is enormous. —Mr. Aldous Huxley.