PUBLIC OPINION

Hokitika Guardian, 24 July 1929, Page 8

PUBLIC OPINION

TO LORD ROSEBERY. “Lord Rosebery’s chief pleasure was liis books. He had a noble library scattered throughout his many dwellings—the great Scots collection at Oalmany and Barnbougle, the French memoirs and illustrated books at Wlentmore; and his marvellous little library at the Durbans, so full of rarities that the casual visitor could scarcely believe them genuine. He was always a bibliophile and collec-tor,-but he was far more a reader, and there can have been lew men of our iine who ranged over such wide domains of literature. Everything was rrist to his mill, except metaphysics, military history, and certain kinds of poetry—for his taste in poetry was strictly circumscribed.”—Mr John kichnn.

UNEMPLOYMENT. Is unemployment on the scale With which, we have now been familiar with t for eight years, inevitable?. Is it a sign of decay, a necessary consequence >f changes in the world’s industrial organisation and. technique, or is it a transitory condition which public guidance and private effort can overcome? \Vitiiin what limits can government action be helpful,, at what point does it 'lecnme dangerous? ... It Avould, in our view, be difficult to exaggerate the significance of any action which helps to break down the old notion of two opposing camps in industry, of masters and men, each with their own problems •nd their selfish and conflicting interests. Without the free and loyal cooperation of management and labour, the essential remoulding of our industrial organisation would be impracticable.—“ The Round Table.”

. MR MACDONALD AND THE OPPOSITION. “If 1 can # prevent it, there shall be no disturbance of the country by an election within two years. Dam so much concerned for the quiet development, of industry, the peaceful mind, •,ind , ( confidence • botln, at. home, and ibroad, that I will use every ounce of influence I have to prevent an election luring that period. I think /this Parliament ought ,to last even longer. Hint statement must not be taken by either of the other two parties to mean that we are going to submit to any unfairness. I wish to make it quite clear that I am going to stand no 1 monkeying.’ It will rest, with the f>ther two- parties, and not with us, whether . there, is to be an election fiooner than, in, .two years.; That is the only thing, qne can say, just now. I have, seqn ..tlje troubles and, upsets to •ndustry, .finance, and internal developments of unnecessary elections. 1 Whatever Government is going to make ■tself responsible for the conduct of national both at home and abroad at this time ought to have a banco to develop its policy.”—Mr Ramsay MacDonald.

THE REAL AMERICA. . “Most generalisations about the United States may be set down as false. The country is too vast, its life too many-sided, and the elements of it too heterogeneous, to. be covered by any single formula. For example,, it ,'s not true that the people are bound ' ody and soul to the , worship of the : almighty dollar.’ Vast numbers of them are, but the forces which resist materialism are also in evidence, and are active everywhere. The intellectual life of America is marked by an intense eagerness to learn. One might almost say that the,. American mind welcomes disturbance ,by new ideas. The hunger for knowledge is widespread, like the diffusion of wealth. It is true that knowledge is mostly valed :>s a means o'f earning money, but that is by no means the end of the story. The interest in education is widespread, and though the quality of American education lias many glaring defects, these defects are well known to the leaders of American thought, and immense efforts are being made to remove them.”—Principal Jacks.

WHICH BO YOU PREFER? “In America, the ether is- racked and torn with competing broadcasting stations filling the air with advertising matter, the sorting out of which involves very expensive and selective re-ceiving-sets ; in England, it 'is sufficiently peaceful for its alternative programmes to be employed by the humblest listener with the cheapest receiv-ing-set. In America, even the wireless reception of. a Beethoven Symphony cannot be free from association with someone’s chewing-gum or pills. In England, the tired worker who has been all day shouted at and advertised to in his newspaper, on the hoardings, in train or omnibus, may settle down to his evening’s wireless entertainment with the feeling that at last he is free i"rom the necessity to listen to someone who has something to sell. Which condition do our readers prefer?”—“Radio Times.”

THE BISHOP EXPLAINS. “In a modern democracy the temptation to servility is insistent, manysided, and powerfully urged. The laity are sinning against their own highest interest when they allow themselves to think and speak meanly if the ministry. I know, indeed, that there is much now to explain, perhaps wen to excuse, a belittling of the lergy,” writes Dr. Hensley Henson, Tishop of Durham in the “ Bisliop•ic.” “They are very poor, and pov-u-t.v is rarely respected. They are ften inadequately educated, aim ometimes they carry themselves with httle wisdom and less dignity. The •ause of religion, for which they stand* 's not popular in a secularist age. The circumstances ill which they work do lot disclose the best aspects of their uipistry, hut may emphasise even grossly their failures and faults. Yet, is I look back-on my career, garnering ts lessons, and look round on my contemporaries, appraising their influence, I think l ain not mistaken when r say, that the normal parish parson’s life is less charged with self-regarding employments, and more habitually devoted to unrecognised and unselfish service than that of any other description of men.”

WHAT IS LEARNING? “ I told my son that he was not givng enough attention to the classics,” remarked the conscientious parent. “ 1 reproached him for not knowing the difference between the Iliad and the Odyssey!” “Was he properly apologetic?” “Not at all. He said nobody could know everything, and asked me if L knew the difference between crystal receptivity and a neutrodyne.” —“Washington Star.” ■ 1 I A PROTEST OVERDUE. “ During' last sumuiercthe Press was swept by a violent explosion of indigluVtioii '' l iigainsti " the 'ever-increasing Hoisifieis'of model'll (fond traffic. The violence : bf , 'the explosion;..was natural c'nougl'i l ; 'the I only matter , for surprise was tlia't it hadl not joccurred sooner. It let loose'the longdpdnt-.yp feelings ■>f countlcksi' thousands .;of tortured !:umaii l, beings.••‘‘lt voiced the opinions of doctors and scientific men who have observed the physical mischief of this particular form of torture. Incidental'y it‘revealed a.;consciousness of the evil and a desire for its abatement even among some'of those who help to create it.”—“ Truth.”

THE ELECTORAL'SYSTEM. ' •' ' "b :; - . -a.'” | i*i. : , ■ ; •’, : ' HK-J, «.;!*• •:e:l*i. met! Ohr electorali system anomaDus' a's i: Our Constitutiqn and as illogial as iHiii" national But somehow it works. ■" I |: am. .pretty sure 1 hat If' we' had r a perfect, system and elected a'perfect. Parliament composed • f perfectly qualified ) and equipped member.sAVe should come- to grief,” wfitesi' Mr Arthur * Ponsonby in the ‘‘Mahbhestdi’ Guardian;jl, ; “Changes are needed and changes will come in the course of time. But anything which tends to prevent the representation of our national imperfections as well as our national qualities will be no improvement. Our readiness to submit to the rule of those with whom we disagree, knowing that a demonstration of their incompetence is the i-est means of persuading the electorate to make a change is the great lesson we are able to give many other Parliaments in the world.”