TOO RESPECTABLE

Hokitika Guardian, 31 October 1930, Page 7

TOO RESPECTABLE

STANDARDISED THOUGHT.

VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS. Concerned at the sight of many New Zealanders settling down into a static and unconstructive way of living, and preaching a vigorous doctrine of action, faith and boldness, Dr. G. S. Arundale. M.A., LL.B, Cantab., gave an excellent address entitled “Lands of the Larger Hope—Australia and New' Zealand,” at the Town Hall Concert Chamber, Wellington, on Tuesday. “We must believe in New Zealand,” said Dr. Arundale. “We must love her passionately, dream of her, live for J tr. Your love for the Mother Land mu 1 begin here, and it must be expressed in constant activity and service.” Dr. Arundale apologised at the out : set for speaking of New r Zealand on such short acquaintance. He was an onlooker, he said, and as the proverb had it, an onlooker saw' most of the game. Whether he had seen most of the game would be evident as his lecture continued. They might wonder how he had said that Australia w’as a land of larger hope. But both Australia and New Zealand were lands of w'onderful promise, and although somewhat dulled by a futile system of education, their future lay in their youth. The hope of Australia and New Zealand did not lie in the older people, hut in the youth which might make their countries renowned all over the world. While they had all the traditions from the Mother Country which had made the Empire great, they had something infinitely more. They had that which the older countries of the Empire did not seem to him to have It was the power of making traditions of their own. They were, in fact, lands where the future was-being'born in the midst of the present. TURBULENCE AND SOBRIETY.

Ne\v Zealanders, however, seemed to him to be settling down when really they were in the heyday of their youth. It was possible to contrast the two countries, Australia and New Zealand. Australia had the great advantage over New Zealand in her turbulence, and New Zealand had a great advantage over Australia in her sobriety. “If Australia could'pass on to New Zealand —and she certainly would not feel it—a Tittle of her turbulence, and New Zealand could pass on to Australia a little of her sobriety I think the results would be useful,” sai-J Dr. Arundale. “Australia is hewing wood in the forest and New Zealand is building a house in the plains. But I would venture very respectfully to suggest that your plans for that house might be enlarged. A little agitation in the religions and political fields, and? a little disturbance in other ways, and you will find eventually that you dan live more comfortably. There is a tendency here, I think, although I may bo wrong, towards thought standardisation, and there is too much respecability. There is a tendency in education to turn out a standardised product—almost mass production. It seems to be on Henry Ford’s principle, not to turn out individual young men and women but to turn out interchangeable ones. The report of the Education Committee is dealing far too much with forms and not with life.” INTELLIGENT MEDIOCRITY.

New Zealand, according to Dr. Arundale, had a widespread intelligent mediocrity. It was widespread, it was comparatively intelligent, it was mediocre. That was one of the country’s drawbacks. Australia, too, had something similar, except that the widespread mediocrity was not perhaps so intelligent. New Zealand seemed in addition to have too much slavery. Slavery to fashion copied from other, parts of the world, and to customs which the majority of people did because they were the “respectable” things to do. He did not know how far the American invasion had gone.

Many, he supposed, went to the pictures, where there were stories of crooks, and sex, and the lord knows what. He would go to the pictures if he were going to come out a better man than he went in. Dr. Arnndale closed by speaking of the future of *New Zealand, which he said was obviously one of peace and plenty. This future, however, depended on the courage and boldness and originality of those of the present generation, particularly of youth. He appealed for recognition of the possibilities of a land like New Zealand, with all the best traditions and experience of the Old World, and a clear field upon which to work. If New Zealanders tackled their problems fearlessly generations to come might look back with admiration at the vision of those living in the twentieth century.