Grumblers and Growlers

Maoriland Worker, Volume I, Issue 8, 20 April 1911, Page 6

Grumblers and Growlers

» - Their Value in the Community (By John Dowgeat, Granity, Treasurer N.Z.F.0.L.)

Many good people with the best intentions in the world can understand human attributes only from the standpoint of their own particular stage of development. They pervirtues and vices either through a microscope o±" self-righteousness or through the telescope of self-indulgence. Their judgment of motives and actions usually is A'itiated by narrowness of outlook and intellectual vanity. Their oaa-ii particular good qualities have a certain tendency to induce a moral myopia in regard to their own deficiencies, and to beget a censorious harshness in judging the peccadilloes of others. Nowhere is this attitude of mind more conspicuous than in the average man's idea of grumblers or discontented members of society. The grumbiers, the man Avho is always complaining is not greatly liked, but if we examine into tacts AA-e will find that Aye could not Avell do Avithout him—he is, in short, a real necessity— and were he eliminated we AA'ouid not be so Avell off as we are at the present moment. The satisfied man adapts himself to the Avorld; the grumbler persists in trying to adapt the A\ r orld to himself. Therefore all progress depends upon the grumblers. The discontents of society are much misunderstood. Their motives are impugned. They are subject to vilification and vituperation on the part of those Aveilding authority. We have Avorking among us now, men, brave, earnest- men, who endure calumny, repudiation and social ostracism, that they may vigorousliy protest against economic injustice and political despotism. But in our easy complacency Aye fail to give due recognition to the importance of these men and to their functions in the social system. "Why should the poor and unfortunate be discontented? Are they not satisfied with what the rich and powerful are willing to let them have? We are a big, prosperous nation; don't do anything that would possibly interfere with this glorious condition." Hoav often do we hear this kind of talk? Hoav very stale and insipid it all is? Its authors seem to think the people are going to be always as blind and foolish and futile as they have been in the past. That they will never cease to bow down before the golden idol. After all, what is the man who is called a "grumbler" ? Simply one who ignores the machinery and the artificial arrangements that intervene between the people and the Government —the intriguers, the cliques, the bosses, the organisations, the "in- j terests!" —who makes his appeal im- ] mediately to the masses, submitting his cause directly to their judgment and approbation. The" democratic theory has for its foundation the belief that the individual citizen, however humble, is capable of exercising a just and rational determination in questions of public policy, and that the will of these citizens, taken in the aggregate, is law. Yet, because a man disregards the cliques, opens the eyes of the people to existing wrongs and injustices, and. bespeaks openly and in the light -of day their co-operation in putting a stop to wrongs, and in bringing about reforms, he is forsooth a grumbler and •a, "dangerous man." It is useless to deny the grumblers faults. His sense of ultimate value is *>ften deficient, his generalisations may be audacious, he may be wanting in logical discrimination and catholicity of sympathy. We cannot but deprecate the indiscriminate denunciation to which he occasionally inclines. But, we must take into consideration, in this world, if you do not say a thing in a irritating Avay you may just as well not say it at all, because people will not trouble themselves about anything that does not trouble them. In the Trades Union movement the grumbler olays a very important part. He is a constant attender at all meetings. Woe to the official who does not keep up to the standard; he comes in for a very hot time. As a rule the official takes it in good part; he recognises that "hot-water" is the public man's element. You clean men as you clean milk-pails, by "scalding them." But like all other rules, it has its exceptions, and there are Trades Union officials who object to a scalding—es-

pecially when they deserve it. A case of this kind occurred on the West Coast a, 6hort time ago. The official in question so, far forgot himself as to prostitute his position by using his power with the employers to get the grumblers deprived of tne means to earn their living. But it is pleasant to knoAV that Trades Union officials of this stamp are few and far betAveen. All our great reforms and improvements are inaugurated by grumblers. Take the Post Utfice. We Avould be under the heel of that remarkable institution but for the benign grumbler. Mc observes that in a certain Avay the public are oppressed; he takes up his pen and wields it for common good. Other grumblers observe his letter in the press and hasten to back up the original grumbler's case, the man in the street steps in and adds his growl, and in the end a feAV pointed questions are asked in Parliament, the Postmaster General promises to look into the matter, and there the matter ends —for the time being. Perhaps the next thing Aye knoAV is That the oppression has been removed and a much better system substituted. All as a result of the grumbler's growl. No, Aye could not afford to lose the chronic grumbler. He looks into things and if they do not satisfy him, lo and behold, he gets a move on, hustles around, and makes things uncommonly hot for the offending officials or institutions. And, of course, the public benefit, although at the same time the man in the street lifts up his hands and says that it is indeed pitiful that some persons should complain so. If sanitation, is bad in a town the grumbler is to the fore ; if the local Town Council do not perform their duty, the grumbler is after them with vengeance. He keeps down prices by his grumbling, the rates may not be increased unless the local authorities can show a most excellent reason for doing so. And for it ail he is a man whom the majority dislikes. Landlords hate him, corporations Avould cheerfully watch him drowning, and Government Departments shiver at the very thought of him, well knowing that they dare not do Avhat they choose so long as he is to the fore. Oh, yes, it may be the grumbler is "an old nuisance." None of us care to meet him officially, so to speak, but, so far as the ordinary person is concerned, the grumbler is a perfect blessing. He nags and bothers until reforms come along, he worries and annoys until vast improvements are made. All the time he keeps working away for the man in the street, but the man in the street often enough has not the sense to realise Avhat a benefactor the grumbler is. Without doubt we would be in Averse plight to-day than we are, had the country known no chronic grumblers. Long may they live to grumble, and so should say all of us. My parting advice to my friends the grumblers is to continue speaking out. What they must do is not to shrink From speaking out the things they think. And blaming where 'tis right to blame, Despite tradition and a name. Yet don't expand a trifling blot, Or ban a man for Avhat's he's not. Moreover —this is very old— Be courteous —even when you scold.

Christianity covers a multitude of ouo. bank deficits.