The Daily News THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1907. A RETROGRESSIVE TENDENCY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 24 October 1907, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1907. A RETROGRESSIVE TENDENCY.

It is hardly to be e.vp'.cLca in Llieiie days, I when every department of lne scums I to be infected with the high-pressure craze, that lew, ii any, will pause on j the brink of hies whirling vortex to give thought to t tie complex forces and principles which go to mai;c up what we I Know as national lite. The sociologist | makes it his business to investigate the laws of those forces which regulate liu- ' man Society in all its grades, the laws of its development, and the progress of resultant civilisation. It is a fascinating study for those who delight in ethics and philosophic excrci-es. Unfortunately the outcome of this class of intellectuality is of little benefit to the masses. ! Nor is the reason far to seek. Must of 1 us accept our environments—humanity,' morals, customs, laws, and everything j else—as a matter of course. The main- ; spring of life is mainly regarded as a | provision for enabling man to go one better than his neighbor. Those who look round for tiie causes and reasons actuating the community in their evervarying aims and ceaseless activity for good or otherwise find much food for thought. One fact is indisputable: national life must of necessity be a reIlex of the social and moral life of the individuals who comprise the nation. llow the evolution is brought about is dillicult of explanation, yet it is no more a mystery than the ordinary workings of nature.

The annals of history disclose the exist-1 enee throughout all ages, and amongst j all nations—savage and civilised alike—of a dominating sentiment common to humanity, namely, that of ambition. It 1 appears in diverse phases, and is not in- ' frequently cloaked in a disguise hard to penetrate, but there it is, and to its intluence is traceable most of the upheavals lliat have settled the fate of nations. May we not reasonably assume tliat the spirit of restlessness which is such a marked feature of the present day is one of the results of this ruling sentiment? It is seen in individual life, in the family circle, and in the larger sphere of national life. One frequently hears the lament that we have fallen 011 an age in the world when life is especially difficult and anxious, and the straggle for existence keener than ever. At the same time, 110 one can fail to observe that not only is there ample leisure for recreation, but, what is of far greater import, there are ever-in-creasing symptoms of that craving for excitement and Iseir-niduVgence which may in time prove detrimental to the well-boiijg of the community. We cannot get away from the fact that tlie State is merely an aggregate of individuals, and that the chief duty of the unit is not to promote selfishness, hut rather to be useful to the community according to his ability and circuntI stances.

TheT keynote of successful national life is the preservation of human interest and human sympathy. Devoid of this it loses spiritual contact with tho masses, undermines mutual confidence, and leaves an opening for evil influences, which are unfortunately always to b»found ready to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. It is thus forcibly brought home to all observers that the fostering of this spirit of human interest must primarily be the eare of the citizens as units, and be part of the home life of a nation. It is there that it must be looked for, and its presence or absence will be a sure indication of the stability and weakness, as the case may be, of national life! Leaving the region of generalities and applying the test indicated above to the case of N'ew Zealand, or even to the more limited area of Taranaki, how does the matter present itself? Tt is somewhat significant that new arrivals from Home (at least those who are of on observant nature), arc quick to notice the difference that exists between the home life in the old and the new country—the comparison being by 110 means favorable to the Dominion. Apparently there is little, if any, real social life in the family circle." The only reasonable concftision to be drawn as the result of the lirst impressions is that there is almost an absence of that spirit of human interest and sympathy that is the essence of true national life.

If the question is viewed from the standpoint of those whose experience is entirely colonial, one of the chief points to impress itself on the observer is the existence of manifest nomadic tendencies on the part of the people. The curious part of this phenomena in Turauaki is that those who are generally designated "settlers" are thus developing the spirit of unrest to a remarkable degree. Of Jaic years there has been n craze for "chopping and changing' homes in much the same way as owners would dispose of horses and' cattle, with the important exception that mostly there is little money passing. The effect of this migratory habit is" seen in the increasing disregard of the many benefits derived from home life. Homo becomes merely a temporary shelter, and those who are the victims of these constant changes become imbued with a spirit of restlessness which gradually eliminates the best characteristics of citizenship.

\\ hen we come to consider that colonisation is the immediate outcome of roving dispositions, the wonder is that so many colonists make such good permanent settlers. This of itself is convincing testimony to the fact that in few respects has mankind made a greater advance than ill the relation of men and women. In the earlv days our pioneers had to make the ' best they could of any materials that would servo to furnish their homes. The days of makeshifts, except in the roadless backblocks, maybe regarded as having passed away, it is just possible that some of the dogged spirit that made the colony what it is may have also disappeared. We cannot afford to live 011 traditions] nor is it advisable to encourage the craze for excitement that seems to have replaced the infinite beauties of home life. Endless variety can be obtained without leaving our own firesides. If the future of the nation is to be worthy of the people, then it is they themselves that must make it so.

Education is doing its best for our children while they are undergoing preparation for life's battle. It is the duty of parents to see that the home life shall act as a co-operator in the good work, and not as a means for fosteriii" the love of excitement and shams. The°need of the age is Imuran sympathy and interest, and a more real comprehension or the duties of individuals to one ait. other and to the State. It was the philosopher Socrates who said he would rather have a good friend than horses, dogs, money, or honor. True as we all' know this sentiment to be, it is vet more honored with neglect than With favor. A good parent makes a sure friend, a good friend is a reliable citizen, and happy is the country where friendship stamps out selfishness and home life fits the risijig generations to adorn the highest offices of State.