"NOTHING TO LEARN"

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1929, Page 10

"NOTHING TO LEARN"

THE SUPERIOR NEW ZEALANDER (To the Editor.) Sir,—Don't your very competent journalists ever get tired of writing that hackneyed line '"While thoroughly enjoying his/her trip abroad, and much impressed by what he/she saw, Mr. /Mrs. said that New Zealand had nothing to learn m (whatever field of effort is under discussion)? 1 do. And I am sure many of the more intelligent of your readers must. I notice it again this evening in a published interview. While it may be literally true—in which event I am very sorry for the individuals who have spent so much time and money to "learu nothing"—l am more inclined to think it is merely the foolish expression of an objectionable smug conceit that is becoming very marked amongst New Zealanders. This is now a matter of notoriety in Australia, and does not contribute to our popularity. While New Zealand does possess many advantages and has produced a moderately decent type of citizen, there are faults in the character of the people and their general attitude to life which it serves no good purpose to gloss over and deny. I am not a JX'ew Zealander, although I have spent most of my life here, and it is nearly twenty years since I wandered abroad. But I did not come back and 6ay I had learnt ; nothing.. I learnt a lot, particularly in Britain, regarding social conduct and open-mindedness, and have endeavoured to retain the absorbent mind since by avid Press and book reading. 1 hope i am still learning. The expression of which I complain may be due to patriotic padding on the part of your journalists or to putf boosting on the part of the interviewed and his or her desire to impress the untravelled citizen with his/her immaculate superiority to overseas expansion.

May I trail my coat by uominating a few points on which I think New Zealanders for their own good have something ito learn by travel and contact abroad ? .First, hospitality. A strong note in the remarks of all returned travellers is the marked hospitality accorded them overseas, and in most cases this seems to be accepted as the just tribute of the world to the superior Mew Zealander. It is nothing of the kind, it is merely the individual expression of cultured hospitality on the part of the host or hostess i'or the time being. But while New Zeafanders benefit by this abroad, do they accord any symptom of the same spirit in return to either the traveller or stranger within their gates? In general they do not. The New Zealander is not hospitable—unless he sees a very substantial quid pro quo in social prestige or business projecting in return. Amongst women in particular is this so. 1 have a close association with a number o£ English and Scottish people who have come to this country of recent years and established themselves—in most cases quite succesfully. When one gets down to the truth of their experiences—revealed only in confidence after a period—the experience is uniform that they encounter a cold reception amounting in women to catty jealousy, and that their stay within our shores is far from pleasant.

However we may flute about patriotism and hospitality, my experience is that there is indubitably a cold resentment on the part of New Zealanders towards the British newcomer, which is the more marked in accordance with the newcomers' superiority. So that one thing I think New Zealanders could learn from abroad is the spirit o£ Christian hospitality and regard for the individuality and feelings of newcomers. In writing this I have in mind the tragic suicide of the English lad Duder in Christchurch. As this inquiry is not yet finalised, full comment would not be advisable, but I will say that this case is a challenge to our 6elf-righteous-ness, and merits investigation. The second point we can learn from abroad is openmindedness. We are not the wonderful people we think we are. We do not lead the world. In many ways we are markedly j backward—civil aviation, for instance. While other parts of the world are leaping to flying as a natural expansion, we timidly dabble our toes in the ripples of the incoming tide. Progressive? No; timidly conservative. And as a third point —a little genuine local pride. This particularly applies to Wellington. Although I am not a New Zealander, I am proud of the country, and particularly of Wellington, which is more than can be said of most of the inhabitants. Where is Wellington's local pride? I can't find it. It is notorious for its absence. Some of our "learned" travellers who can't be taught anything might perhaps note for a change in some of the cities they visit just how enthusiastically their citiens back up the civic programme; hew strong is their civic pride; how leading citizens express then? pride in tangible form, and are ready to "learn" from every visitor who can teach them something. Candidly, Sir, I think it time we dropped this attitude that we have nothing to learn by travel abroad, or at least stay-at-home citizens unable to travel abroad should censure those who, having done so, come back and confess themselves entrenched in their insular ignorance. And can your journalists help, Sir, by tabooing that phrase, "we have nothing to learn." We have, and a lot.—l am, etc., HOME-AUSTRALIAN.