SYMPATHY UNRESTRAINED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 167, 8 March 1932, Page 4

SYMPATHY UNRESTRAINED

i I It is not easy to imagine a more dastardly crime than the kidnapping of a baby for the purpose of wringing money from its distracted parents. When, as in the case of the Lindbergh baby, the victim is the child of a national hero, even the most matter-of-fact and unemotional public is certain to be deeply stirred by sympathy and interest. It is, therefore, perhaps, not surprising that in the present case the Americans, who, if they may be judged by their Press, are the most extravagant heroworshippers of this or any other age, should have surrendered to these emotions with their usual lack of discrimination. This time, however, they seem, judged by the cabled "story" to have surpassed themselves. The dictum that a people gets the government it deserves may possibly be refuted. The parallel one that geperally speaking, it gets the Press it wants is, especially in America's case, indisputable. It therefore is neither unreasonable nor unfair to judge them by their Press and the kidnapping of a baby provides an excellent opportunity. The circumstances, so far as they can be pieced toj|ether from the cabled messages are that Colonel Lindbergh, whose magnificent pioneer solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean from America to France definitely put him in the first flight of the world's airmen— in, but not in front of, this little band pf heroes — has been living quietly with his wife and baby in a somewhat r.emote spot in an effort to escape the vulgar attentions of the great American public. The theft of his baby son for the purpose of extracting a large sum of money from him naturally and properly arouses intense national sympathy for him and his wife and indignation against the perpetrators ,of the dastardly crime. In this respect the Americans are not alone; every parent; every right-thinking person of whatever race, colour or creed, will share these feelings. But this is not enough for the people of Colonel Lindbergh's own nation, whose sympathy it might be expected, would be most discriminating because 'most genuine. No. Just as they have carried their adulation of his achievements in the air to a point of absurdity, so must they now exceed all cannons of good taste and good sense in their interest in his or his wife's distress, until^ their expressions of sympathy, undoubtedly genuine enough at° first, have hecome little more than the most vnlgar curiosity. No privacy of family life, apparentiy, is too saered to be invaded by, or on behalf of, the public ; and though an official guard has been posted in an effort to protect the victims, this has not been Qpmpletely effective. In its efforts to serve— pander to would be the truer word — this public "interest," the American Press has gone to heights of absurdity surely possible in no other country. One of New York's greatest and niost responsible dailies is not above "telling the world" (to borrow a phrase from the land of the free— in more sense than one) that the Lindbergh's home was brilliantly lighted^ all night,' and that members of the family were constantly engaged'in conference with officials — this latter informqtion being deduced from what had been "seen through the windpws." As it is alsp stated in the same message that other '"observer.s" were unable to approach within a mile and a half of the house, the inference regarding much of the so-called information published is' obvious, though the apparent purpose of tlie aournal'in question was that a quite different one* should be df awn, namely, that its own vefsion, obtained at close range by peeplng through windows, was much the most reliable. To such depths can the Press descend when it forgets its responsibilities and its dignity in the frenzied scramble to serve a s'ensationioving public blind to all the decencies. The great American nation has many excellent qualities, but it is evident that the reticence and restraint' which are attribu'tes of true sympathy are not among them.