The Scheme of Things

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 134, 3 December 1938, Page 19

The Scheme of Things

By M.H.C.

Although written some little time ago some thoughts put forth by the late Lord Riddell are very interesting. They are on the subject of "good will towards men," and he develops a number of *ideas in which he found that mankind is less cruel as time sroes on and the history of the world is unfolded. Of course, he died before the present persecutions of the Jewish race had reached such a point of intensity, though the cruelty to the Armenians must have been known to him. He helped in a number of great causes such as the settling of Russian refugees and others, and was always ready to use his influential position and money to assist in these directions. He states that the cruelties of war are no test of the feeling of the world, for abnormalities breed abnormalities, and these occur in every war, and have been in all time. He takes as a hopeful sign for the world the' development of the Red Cross and all the relieving of suffering that that great work involves. Those who have no time for Christianity or belief in it would not be in sympathy with Lord RiddelPs declaration that the worse cruelties of the world have always been when the teachings of Christ have been obscured or perverted. Religious persecutions, which were altogether against the teachings of the Master, were among the worst tragedies of the seventeenth century. Then, for ordinary offences, brandings and mutilations were frequent, and men and women were done to death in all sorts of barbarous ways. Principles of punishment there were none, savage sentences being inflicted for vindictive purposes and often for trifling crimes. Britain was in advance of other countries, but even her criminal law was harsh and unjust. The laws of evidence and the bias of judges frequently led to grave injustices, while the scale of punishments and the conditions of prisons were appalling.

With the eighteenth century came a marked change. New ideas of humanity, liberty, and toleration emerged, France leading the van in this new movement. Some remarkable books were written at the time on the subject of milder humanity, and wera accepted with a good deal of favour. It was urged as long ago as 1796 by one writer that punishment should not be revenge but should lead to prevention arid reform, that it should be made to fit the crime, be the same for all classes, and that all secret accusations and trials were pernicious. The chief aim of all legislation, he submitted,, should be to prevent crimes rather than to punish them. The surest way to improve things was to have a higher standard of education, human justice should be based on public utility, and the object of legislation should be to ensux*e happiness and safety to the greatest number and to reduce misery in all directions. Here was a thinker 150 years before his time, for these ideas were extremely

slow in being taken up, and.arij only now leading to any sort of se aisible fruition.

Lord Riddell advanced the ide; iV that the world should build for the jgood of the coming generations. He recognised that, so far, the oncoming citizens have all had to contend with

troubles and distressing things that are a legacy from the past, and, in reviewing a great many of the laws, he showed that they either need displacing altogether or remodelling to suit a better-educated age. But. of course. Lord Riddell was a Christian, and built up his theories on the New Testament, and from that looked forward to a greater and finer kindness in the world. He was, however, no "spoon-feeder." His writings are those of $n industrious and virile man. He read a great deal. Among other authors whom he studied were Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Webb, and he deals very interestingly with their ideas of socialising the world. He quotes an interesting statement made in one of their books referring to the two Par-

liaments they suggest (a political one and a social one), that if miners or other workers refuse to do their jobs when the Social Parliament has declared against them, and thinks the workers are unreasonable, "they will refuse to supply them with spirits, beer, picture palaces, and tobacco." This sounds well. These people are to be allowed to purchase the necessities of life, but not the pleasures and luxuries.

The co-operative movement is discussed, and he realised that even in this it is difficult to secure efficiency without autocracy. There should be, he urged, three separate forms of industrialism, nationalised industries, cooperative and municipalised industries, and those carried on for individual profit. No property would be confiscated., everyone would be compensated, and the accumulation of private hoards would be discouraged. He gives many details, but all point to the idea of making n better and easier world for the coming generations and a safer world because it will be both a busy world, and one in which all will have a chance of attaining a high standard of living,- with added health and happiness. What is needed, concludes Lord Riddell, is '"not a greater knowledge of things, but a greater knowledge of human nature." This sounds a truism, but is really a thought that needs investigating, for the effort of education so far has certainly laid in the direction of a great knowledge of things—taking the word in the wide sense, and realising that so many things are taught that are of little or no use to the younger people, while knowledge of human nature is one of ;the most useful things in the world, and [is consistently neglected. The person 'who has an understanding heart and an

Vopen mind towards other people is. one iof the most useful of citizens, and can Hcco^mplish infinitely more than the cold scholar who is immensely learned in this or that direction, and yet fails - b influence or interest any of his fel]pw human beings. Lord Riddell was c *ie who could write, for two of his t fooks, ''Things that Matter" and "Some R fore Things that Matter." are full of w iisdom. and if followed carefully w tmld certainly carry out an object he i lived for—making things better for th f world while he was in it, and, as fa r as iay in his power, for those that ca pie after.