The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1883. Esprit de Corps

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 69, 13 November 1883, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1883. Esprit de Corps

4T A NonxHKnn* contemporary, in writin"- of tue apparent want ol cohesion in small sections of Colonial communities, says that " esprit de corpe," which is a general characteristic of a healthy society, is too often conspicuous by its rareness among them. While one and all are ready to acknowledge the desirabl- ness, and enumerate the advantages, of its presence, we do not try to establish it. 'We are too much given to working for ourselves, individu-.ily, without doing anything lor tho general welfare of the community at large. The lact is, we do not trouble ourselves to foster *' esprit de corps." We neither try to exclude it, nor guard against the evils oi its absence. The consequence is that indifference is engendered, which must end in disaster. In considering the cause oi this condition of things, we find that it arises in no small degree from personal (selfishness, which will tot yield one iota for the convenience of, or out of consideration for, another. 'This serves to assume the position that an individual is a world in himself alone, without regard to others ; instead of a simple unit in the crowd, who has his duty to do by others, as much as by himself. Selfishness is often manifested by hyper-sensitiveness, an imagination of grievances, a want ol forbearance towards and allowance for the tailings or weakness of others, and a suspicious readiness to impute "motives." Were there less of this kind of thing, less individual and party feeling, and more iiberaiity, we should not hear so much about " wire puling " and " wheels within wheels " as we do. In the 18th century, it was the absence of " esprit ac corps " that nearly drove Knglish society and religion to the wall. Society was disorganised and religion a laughing stock, and it was only the presence ol this grand feelinp, iuduced by the pressure from without, that made England the great country that she now is. Smaller communities should not be behiud hand in following so great and powerful an example. h.auh member of society should endeavor to promote the best interests of bis fellows, even if at first a strong feeling of repulsion has to be overcome aud banished from his mind. The first step is the hardest. After this bat been taken the rest is easy. Applying these remarks to ourselves, we need hardly remind our readers ofthe cases which have occurredsii.ee the founding of this settlement, where, when a certain unanimity of feeling existed, combined with a moderate determination to obtain a certain object, howsoon all obstacles disappeared, and the oesired end was attained, sometimes to the surprise of ttte instigators of the movement. On the other hand, whon these feelings have been absent, and in their place private jealousy or any other contemptible passions ha?e been allowed to exist, failure has resulted to schemes that had only for their object the benefit of the whole settlement. Let us hope that the few ♦ail tires we have made may serve as be-icons to guide us in the future, and that past defeats in -ty entourage us to inuke renewnd attempts ro gain tbe victory over what bus been in all cases only passive opposition — the result of lethargy, rather than active selfishness; on the port of those who are not properly ahve to their 4»wn best interests.