“PRETTY BAD”

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 426, 6 May 1937, Page 2

“PRETTY BAD”

WORLD AFFAIRS Dr. T. Z. Koo Comments “And what of the rest of Hie world?” “In perfect English, softly-spoken, Dr T. Z. Koo, noted Chinese speaker and Christian leader, replied without hesitation to this question put to him at Auckland (says the Star), and smiled a. little wryly as he said: “Pretty tad, pretty bad.” Dr. Koo, who arrived in Auckland to begin a programme of addresses, personal interviews and lectures, w liieh will con inue until Sunday, had spoken a few moments before of great changes in his own country, which now that she was beginning to “come out of the woods,” he said, hoped to become a tremendous influence in her stand for peace at all times. Abnormal Leadership. The rest of the world? “Pretty tad,” said Dr. Koo. “You see, the post-war situation, especially in Europe, has produced a very abnormal type of leadership in certain countries, and that type of leadership it crea ing conflict and feiar psychology, which generally precedes an, actual outbreak of war. The last European war, apart from its physical destruction of ths moment, destroyed many of those who would normally have been leaders to-day. Leadership hies passed into the hands of a group of people who under normal conditions could never have come to the forefront as they have done. That is one of the heavy penalties that must he paid for such a war.

“The flower of leadership wat 1 nipped in the bud by that wap. It killed off the men who would now have been leaders of government, industry, the Church, business—every walk of life—in Europe. I have never seen European his'ory facing more critical issues with at inadequate lead ership. I see it now. Such timet' as we find in Europe demand the best kind of leadership, which we simply do not see. This loss of leadership in every .country that really took part' in the war—■ is a serious factor in world affairs. You have there practically one generation missing. ~ “More and mefe 'the struggle is beginning to lie between the Fascist and the democratic type of life. My own people do not take kindly to the Fascist type; we feel much more affinity towards democracy.” China’s “New Life,” Dr. Koo said that 1936 had seen in China the consummation of an effort of 20 years to build up a unified cen tral Government. It bpd taken a long time. The year had therefore been a significant one from the point of view of political uni y; already the country felt a new accession of strength. "I have seen in 'the last four years,” he continued, “more development In he field of communications than 1 >aw in the previous 20 years in the •vay of radio, airways, railroads and, especially, highways. The development has been simply marvellous Through this progress China has acquired' also /a physical basis of unity in addition to a political unity. In the last two or three years another significant movement has arisen, one that expresses itself in two ways It is the revaluation of China's culture. One brpzich of this movement is being carried on by the scholars of China, who are studying our culture end finding out the good points and the bad points about it, so that we can further develop it. They are working especially towards a synthesis with Western culture. Then there is a counterpart to this of a more popular kind, known as the 'new life’ movement, which is an attempt on the part of certain Government leaders, especially General Chiang Kaishek, to take the four cardinal ethical virtues of China and reinterpret them with application to modern life. These are the ancient virtues of courtesy, just ,ce, thrift and honesty, which are being made the basis of the new lite we seek 'to develop. “In Sino-Japanese relations there are indications here and there that a better relationship i s perhaps about ■to come between the two countries,” said Dr. Koo.