The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31, 1919. THE DYING YEAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3374, 31 December 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31, 1919. THE DYING YEAR.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post. and Waimarino *4’ Newn.”

At the close of anor.l:e.r year the ‘prospects of a world peace are’ far {from what any humane person might ‘Wish them to sbe. At the commence,ment of this year the hopes of all {mankind were that peace, everywhere, ‘would soon reign; a peace treaty was I to be signed and ratified, and a League of Nations was to have been establish- ‘ ed and put into operation that_would Jgo far towards ending war, but overreaching greed, aggressive territory grabbing, lust for power "with all those concomitant qualities of the most detestable and war-creating character still obsess the minds of all civilised peoples. ‘The simultaneousness with which the life, conduct, and humours {of all nations develop is remarkable; there is an instinctive“ unanimity of feeling and temper pervading the life of all peoples that is truly wonderful. No idea, be it good or bad, is confined to one nation, hence the lworld is wallowing in a tun-.ultous lstrugglc to gain whatever advantage there is to be gained from the flotsam and jetsam of the war ‘that no League of Nations has yet cleared away. It may not «be unnatural for nation to be striving against nation in an effort to secure a just .and lastling settlement of social and industrial ~disorganisations wrought by the war, Eand it may be quite reasonable for nations, "and peoples who have been {held in subjugation for long periods [of time to struggle to attain that degfiee of freedom and territory which were theirs before senii-slavery was enforced upon them. Such people have fought for their freedom and country and it would be out of the order of things to expect them to accept anygthing less. The most depressing fact is that a world peace seems no nearer on the eve of 1920 than it did on the eve of 1919; the lowest and most.brutal traits in .human Chall'2t(.'.l.Gl' have been let loose, and the World presents a seething, starving, struggling, but ’yet virile and determiiied mass of 1112- ; ‘mankind. The classes have abused privileges they were never entitled to, ‘and have forfeited the last shred of lendurancc and toleration there was [left in the rnasses. Opinions and ideals,develop no less simultaneously lthroughout the world amongst the’ ‘masses than they do amongst govern}ments, and hence there is now a Warl ‘current of the masses against privi,lege that only fools will fail to (‘iscern. Well may it be asked, what pro{gress towards the lbetterment of the status of humankind has been nade during the year that is fast ebbing away? There is talk about the commencement of a new age, but is it not apparent that -privilege is determined to spend all its hoardad wealth in com- I batillg whatever attempts any ad-[ vanced civilisation may, demand in placing every individual in such conditions that he can, on his own initiative, strive best and most effectively for collective advancement? The influence of the thoughts of great men is belittled and destroyed by the trust a.nd combine evil that is every--Where extant. Unprecedented greed is an almost impregnable, impassable wall barring the way to a higher elvilisation; to a cleaner and. better society; to improvement of the mind of the people. It blll‘kS every cffx‘-rt‘to

achieve any moral advancement; i-‘T!

‘cunningly sets up pulluted, insincere ‘moral codes and religions, and it yours out its ill-gotten moiley to keep I such moral codes and religions in a {militant state against ever_vtl-ling that {is for.‘ the lifting of humanity gcner: lally to, a. higher understanding of !nature, or God, whiehever want of ‘knowledge may dictate. Grrec-1 is keep'ing the whole human race grove.‘zling ‘in the mire that people in the dark ‘ages were almost lost in, but there is ‘the all—:}owerful weapon of education_ ‘in the possession of almost every ingdividual to-day, and that fact uugurs ‘for war,_a continuance‘of war until‘ ‘the masses have. Worked out fiwir ‘salvation and emancipation f]'U]ll the

I thraldom of greed. Conditirms of war during the past five years have tanded to sharpen the wits of the people’ in invention of engines. of human delstruction; the old strength 01.‘ nations has been upset, and all are \':sllJly istriving to gain that degree of power Efrem the scra,pheap tlnt will permit :practice. of some degree of iom'ul:;tio’n ‘in future affairs of the World, and it is [most distressing to lla.ve to admit [that there are yet no worthy signs of

‘the approach of the League of I\'a—§ itions, with its pmvers to liinit, if not_ eliminate international greed which }l'€SponSible for internatior.-nl wars.‘ While greed and pzrivilege have no just ‘status amongst peoples, and are in-I capable of defen-':e under any lntra‘. law, there is much vrong that must be I put right in the ynethods of those who I profess and think they are doing; z=ll' that man is capable vf in W‘_3'.‘:K.l'.ll[.3,’ for the establishment of an ideal democracy. Harking back into the dim [past We come to that time when everv child was born to labour; when the world's people were neither id‘ler;< nor savages, and yet the oldest history is _ the records of ancient inventions, discoveries and labours E-very mama worked in some honourable way to iilllpl‘oVe the physical, mental and ‘moral status of all; in other words they strove for a pure democracy, and would have achieved what was aimed at but for the cunning and imnlorallyl acquired strength of greed. Coming nearer to the present day, history lleaves no doubt about the truth that ‘the apostles of greed had come to be ashamed to let it be known that they ,ate and lived by their own labours. It ‘was degrading to live other than on the labour of others, and it is the prevalent widespread deter-min.ltion of a ' class of human parasites today to so ‘continue to live and uphold the dc- V gradation of labour idea. As the year‘ 1920 is entered upon the greatest visible curse is greed, for greed is thelroot, hole and branch of all wars and

of every sort of oppression. Are the leaders of modern deinorcracy taking from "their owll eyes the beam of selfishness? -Are their utterances free from the sinS_t-hey so strongly contemn in others? Have they purged themselves of all desire for revenge and -vengeance‘! Are they not rather grati‘fying their brute instinct for fighting, -than striving by all icommendable [moral ways to uplift’ the whole hu%man fabric on to a. higher plane ‘of. ‘life. Are they preaching and incul[cating a religion’ of industry, or are they stupidly, perhaps unwittingly; lessening that without which mankind cannot progress, either socially, phylsically, morally or religiously? The “progress of this country, as well as of all others, cannot be governed, or aetEsured by any policy of proniiscuous-5 ness, of entire regard for the present] landutter disregard for the future. It is when an old measure of time is dying !out and another is being entered upon

that men are more prone to endeavour B to pierce the future, to get the whole world into focus of their mental vision to acquire some understanding ')f what that future is most pregnant with Experienced men have told the World that a crisis is imminent in hitne:-to~ great nations, that in others conditions are trending farther from .so}ution of vital questions, and are already in the critical zone. The smallest nation‘ becoming a political, social and industrial scrapheap is an injury to all other nations, and the example Set cannot possibly be over'rated from 3' disaster-bringing point of view. What has taken place in the trade and D4l‘-i----tics of any country, this Dominion mt 9‘XCeDted,'are mean matters com-

pared with ' those happening else-fl Where which are of stupendous WONG‘ Wide significance. There is a visible tendency in any isolated col-Intr.V I'ol‘ thought to be narrowed down to What immediately concerns the individual, but if the new era is to be in accordance with popular desire, every infliividual must fulfil his and her mission in shaping it. There is still much’ room for hoping that best and most‘! humane counsels will prevail in the! distracted deliberations of great nations, and that the new crai W.”-ll bcl characterised as an era of peace, bringing into being a denlocra.c.V founded upon charity, freedom and justice, and it is with such a hope that we can once more heartily wish that our readers, and the world generally, may cxperience A VERY HAPPY" NEW YEAR.