“LOOKING BACKWARD.”

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 474, 24 May 1890, Page 4

“LOOKING BACKWARD.”

REV. E. H. GULLIVER’S LECTURE,

Auckland, May 20. An interesting address was delivered in the City Hall last evening by the Rev. E. H. Gulliver, M.A., upon “Looking Backward, or Social Reconsi ruction in tho Future. Although the weather was unpropitious, there was a fair attendance.

Mr A. Kelly occupied the chair, and briefly introduced the lecturer by referring to the many valuable lectures delivered by Mr Gulliver during his sojourn in this city. He said it was high time that they thought less of themselves and more of the welfare of society in general. Mr Gulliver was received with applause. 110 s «id that when he was asked to deliver a farewell address before leaving Auckland he was troubled to find a subject. A friend suggested “ Looking Backward,” and he decided to accept it, as he wanted a com prehensivo title. He supposed that even to the most casual observer they must have been struck with the limited outlook backward in new countries. In the o’.d countries there was no limit backward. Take, for instance, the past of Greece, Rome and their own Fatlurland. How majestic, how noble, how grand was the panorama spread before their mind. Take Greece, its past lost in antiquity. They saw before them one grand line of historic action and historic men. They saw the pass of Thermopylae, where a handful of Greeks rolled back the hosts of Persia. Let them stand on the Acropolis of Athens, and in imagination see one after another of the mighty orators of Greece rise before them. Thero were tho men whoso writing still existed with them, Socrates, Sophocles, Erypides. There Socrates had lived his blameless life, and to the shame .of his fellows, be it said, there too his life was sacrificed. There Plato lived also. Passover to Rome, and come down through scene after scene of majestic splendour until the time of the mighty C;e*ar. In their own country almost every village had its old historic characters of the past men who had lived, loved, and died there. Go to Canterbury Cathedral. There they saw where Thomas A’Becket fell. Pass on to Runnymede, where their ancestors wrested from their king those rights that were given but too grudgingly. But here in these new lands they saw but a limited vision. They had only just celebrated their Jubilee. Fifty years ago, instead of the telegraph lines and streets were the supplejacks and bush lawyers, with nothing behind but traditions of some dusky warrior. There was, however, another way of looking backward, whether in the old land or the new. That was, looking as units of the brotherhood of man, and gathering the lessons taught by the past. W ithin the last few months Mr Edward Bellamy had written a book called “Looking Backward,” which had attracted great attention. Others had written similarly in the past, amongst them Plato, * Sir Thomas Moore’s “ Utopia,” Bacon’s “ Now Atlantia, Campanella’s “City of the Sun,” each full of beautiful and suggestive thoughts. Mr Gulliver then gave a resume of the ideas set forth in Bellamy’s “Looking Backward. He said that tho progress of that period might be summed up in one word, but thoy must wait a little longer. Let them go to Waterloo, where the greatest soldier of modern days was marshalling his troops. There were the wondrous masses of Napoleon’s Old Guard—men whose powers had been written in characters of blood upon many fields. He took Napoleon’s army because Wellington, though great and successful, had not the magnetic influence that Napoleon exerted over his soldiers. Still it was their discipline that enabled them to do what thoy had accomplished. (Applause.) They found exactly the same thing in Mr Bellamy’s book. It might be summed up in that word, but it was different to that of Napoleon’s men. Their discipline was for death, devastation, and destruction. In the other case it was to bring life and construction. Men worked in concert and unison to bring blessing to their fellow men, to fight out tho battle of humanity against disease, poverty and wrong (applause), competition with which thoy were so familiar, which placed 20 tradesmen where two w r ere sufficient, 20 lawyers were five would do (applause), 20 clergymen where a tenth of that number would be ample (prolonged applause), and so going on carrying out the diabolic beatitude of the modern Gospel or rather badspel of supply and demand, making honesty an ’exotic and pity for others as extinct as _ the Mon, the Dodo or the Megatherium. Under Mr Bellamy’s system every man was placed in position and directed from a general centro, just as in the Franco-Prus-sian War the vast armies of Germany were controlled by one man, Von Moltke. Then, too, the land was nationalised. (Applause.) Under tho present system they were familiarised with the idea that land belonged to individual owners. It was not so under the now commonwealth. Tho land was administered for the good of ail society. (Applause.). Capital and the instruments of production were also nationalised. This introduced a vast economy. Another important change was that the mighty power of gold was broken. They knew now how enormous was the influence of tho almighty dollar. Tho rich man often secured exemption from the consequences of their misdeeds. Every door was open to the rich man. But if the poor man transgressed, his whole life was blurred and blasted to the very end. In the now commonwealth money and gold had lost its power. Instead of gold being essential, it was labour. (Applause.) The only pariah was the man who would do nothing. Still, the labour was not excessive. War had also pissed away, which none would regret. (Applause.) War with all its horrid concomitants was gone. Might they hope that some day, perhaps in the remote future, still some day, their descendants might enjoy the blessing of being free from war ? (Applause.)

THE SHEARERS AND THE SHORN. Prince Tallyrand had said, “ All men are divided into two classes—the shearers and the shorn.” (Applause.) He added, cynically, “Mind you always stay with the former party.” But they believed that mankind had sufficient generosity to remember at times the shorn. Look at the state of things at Home. The last census in England gave the popu’ation at 35,000,000 and the national income at £1,250,000,000. Out of that 35,000,000 there were 10,000,000 who belonged to the shearing party. That left 25,000,000 who wereshorn. Thelo,ooo,oootook£Boo,ooo,ooo of the national income. Allowing each male adult to have a family of five, that meant £324 per head per annum. Of the 25,000,000 the average income on the same basis was £7O. To the shearers the money came in without labour, but the shorn earned what they got by the sweat of their brow, and if they fell by tho way, their families were left destitute. _ (Applause.) Then compare the condition of the two classes. Take the mortality amongst children. In the upper classes it was 18 per cent., in the middle class 36 per

cent., and amongst the working class 55 der cent. So with the average age at death. In the upper class it was 55 years, and amongst the lower 549 (that was the artisan class at Lambeth). Simply because amongst the bottom class wages were so low that food and other requisites of health were obtained with too great difficulty.

PREMONITIONS. Let them think for a few moments upon these facts. Study the revelations of the dock strike, or the stern story of the Sweating Commission—the life which was no life at all. They were brought face to faco with a state of things in the great cities of the world so dark and hideous that they m : ght well stand appalled. Lytton, in the 11 Last Days of Pompeii,” presents the witcli who showed through a crack in a cavern in Vesuvius the Beething fires below. They looked in idle curiosity, bub still those fires overwhelmed tho city ultimately, They too might realise such dangers, which unless prudently treated might bring destruction on that of which they boasted. Of course, nearly all this applied to tho crowded cities of other lands. Here they did nob yet suffer to the same terrible extent ; nevertheless, the fact of there being men and women in such conditions should cause thorn nob only to think, but to act. Well might the poet say, •‘ls it well that while we range with science glorving in our time City children soak and blister soul and sense in city slime ? Thcro nmid the crowded alleys Progress halts on palsied feet, Crime and hunger cast our maidens by the thousand on the streets ; Thcro the master scrimps his haggard seamstress of her daily bread. There a single sordid at-ic holds the living and the dead. There the mouldering fire of fever creeps across the rotted tloor. And tiie crowded couch of incest, in tho warrens of the poor." (Applause.)

A MERE FANCIFUL DREAM. It might be said that Bellamy’s “ Looking Backward ” was all a mere fanciful dream. Bub the same was said when the Atlantic cable was first proposed, bub now it was an accomplished fact. He would ask where was the impossibility of the idea being carried out. Already discipline was being carried out in their large capitalistic concerns, like the Bank of New Zealand. Take the case of the Trades Unions and labour arrangements. This discipline if carried a single step further became national discipline. (Applause.) Consider the disuse of money. Already the profits of capital were becoming decreased, and in the future they might see the timo when money would cease to be used altogether. Then, too, might not their scientific developments increase until the dream of Bellamy might be fulfilled ? Professor Walker, a political economist, had tried to answer the book. Political economists had generally little hearts. Ho used banter in reply, and when a man resorted to banter he usually had little reason to support his position. Ho also said that the time is too short. Too short! Consider the world to day, and what it was 50 years ago. Nay, even ten years ago, tho telephono would have been laughed at as an idle dream. But still it was a fact to-day. How wonderfully things had changed within the last few years. He would, indeed, be a bold man who would venture to assert, with respect to Bellamy’s dream, that the time was too short, when they considered the fact that every change had a tendency faster and faster, that education was spreading. Ten years ago Socialism was a byword, bub now they were all, more or less, Socialists. (Hear,bear.) TbePrinceof Wales wa3 said to have made use of the expression, “ I, too, am a Socialist.” (Applause.) Then there was the press, which now spread knowledge far and wide. A few years ago a man made a discovery and it was locked up. Now it would be communicated to a magazine, and thousands, nay millions, would hear about it. Let them take Bellamy’s book as something to show before them what might be possible in the future, and not as a mere ideal. (Applause.)

VINDICATION. Ho was determined that hia last words in Auckland—at any rate on the present occasion—he should not like to think that they would be his last (applause)—should bear upon a subject very dear to himself. “Looking Backward” had to him a personalaspect. Everyman attimesfound himself looking backward, and he was thenlookingbackward over the term of nine years that he had resided amongst them in Auckland. They had been years of resolute thought, and,*6ome of them, years of stern fighting. He could not shut his eyes to the fact that with some his action had aroused disapprobation, and even opposition. The question to be considered was whether his action had been justiliable. He believed that it was. In times of progress a man might assume three positions. He might be reactionary, approving what was going on ; indifferent, trying to patch up a peace between the old and the new ; or he might welcome the new and try to direct it into right channels. Let them consider his position. Two roads lay before him. One, evasion, prevarication, and perhaps hypocrisy ; the other, intellectual honesty and simple truth. (Applause.) That was his position. He had to choose and he did not hesitate. One road meant the respect of many whom he loved and respected and professional advancement. The other road was a barren track, but he did nob hesitate. As a teacher ho could at least take up the position dictated by common honesty. Whether he was right or wrong was quite another matter, bub they must do him the justice that he was at any rate taking the fiisb step which a teacher ought to do. Whatever their opinions might be, they should all be agreed that when a man begins to feel that he must equivocate in order to teach, then there is something wrong. The first position of a teacher must be simple truth. He felt that truth and honesty of purpose necessitated his speaking out, and he did so, for intellectual honesty demanded from him that he should do so. He was showing that he valued truth, and was not afraid to make sacrifices for it. He was bound to review all the old traditions and the old ideas, bringing to bear upon the Biblo the light of science. Their old dogmas were not to bo their teachers in such matters. Truths were drawn from the researches of Darwin, Huxley and others. He was bound to look upon the Bible the same as any other book, without prejudice and without fear. That he did because common honesty demanded it. He felt that he was a better man. In the old days he seemed to be holding a small candle. Now he had a great light. He could see God’s hand in the glorious sunset or the smallest flower. Whatever was good about him was the result of the impact of God's hand. He was pimply standing in a higher position than he was before. He was only sorry that his taking up that position should have caused pain to many whom he had respected. What did they see in the past? Those who had the honesty to speak fearlessly must expect persecution. It had been so in the past, and 60 he had expected such persecution as was applicable in the nineteenth century. And although be passed away, they would be

compelled to give him credit for tho fact that he had been true in what ho had done and said. The time had come when every man must take his position on one side or the othei’. Would they work to removo the social abuses, or join the army that tried to crush them down ? and in religion they must remember that they had reached a time when they, must take a stand. They were everyone of them bound to remember that God had given them an intellect to examine on which side was truth, and to decide on which side they would be found. Although things looked gloomy, he believed that both socially and religiously they were on the eve of better things. Mr Gulliver concluded his remarks by reciting Morris’ beautiful poem about the future brotherhood of man. The Chairman said he wished to draw attention to an article in the Evening Star. Bellamy’s idea was successfully carried out by the Incas of Peru. He believed that what had been dono could be done. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings.