CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 39, 26 May 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

KING GEORGE'S MESSAGE. Work iss the finest panacea for pain of mind. Loss of a dear one frequently leaves the loser apparently inconsolable, but the fact that the world has to be faced, the daily task accomplished, and the ordinary routine of duties performed, palliates the blow. King George must necessarily be a worker, if his Imperial promise to walk in the footsteps of his' father is to be carried out. That his promise means performance none will doubt. Because of modern facilities and the great-expansion of the Empire during the reigns of Queen Victoria and King Edward, added to the fact tliat King George was a naval officer, he has been able to get into close contact with British subjects the world over, tsmee the death of his' father he has been obliged to buckle on his harness, and to work untiringly. He has been deluged with messages from every part of the earth, and he, in turn, lias been forced to work unceasingly to acknowledge them. It was a rule of conduct of King Edward that he personally at-1 tended to all matters for which he could spare the time, and no doubt King George, guided by King Edward's conduct, does the same. In his mes'suge to the overseas dominions, King George appeals touchingly to the loyalty of the people, guided more in his expressions of hope for the future by the fact that the Monarchy of Edward was a success, than by any personal ambitions or assumption of pre-eminence. In fact, in his heartfelt message, he speaks to the people as if he knew them, relying on their instincts and traditions, their love of fair play and their predominance, to concede him what they gave his father. What effect the personal message may have on the public of New Zealand, one is unable to judge, but this is' certain: As King Edward knew and understood the power of the people, so does King George understand it. As the people of New Zealand and the overseas dominions understood the power of the Monarchy under King Edward, so will they earnestly hope that the new King will be benevolently powerful. The warm personal element that is introduced into the relations between King and Empire [is' one of the pleasantest auguries for the future cohesion of the Empire . As King George hopes for the "happiness of his people beyond the seas," so do his (people wish for the happiness of their King in the heart of the Empire.

PLENTY OF EXEMPTIONS. The chief value of Mr. James Allen. M.P. for Bruce, is as a critic, although'he is not always constructive. He has 'heen seen at a white heat in the House over a. matter of shillings, and has remained calm over a matter of tens of thousands. Among the many criticisms he repeated at Milton on Monday, he included a new remark about defence matters, and as he is a volunteer lieutenant-colonel and a really keen soldier, he is certainly entitled to have very definite opinions regarding the new scheme of defence. He ! thinks'it will be difficult to find 2tt,UU() good men out of the available 05,000 who are between the ages of 18 and 25, and who are therefore liable to compulsory He favors as a solution "exten'sive exemptions." The point for the nation is that it is inequitable that there should be any exemptions, except in the case of physical unfitness, and it is to be remembered that even if a man is not perfectly fit, he can loose a trigger. Hmv ipily enough, the young men of New Zealand Brave a greater proportion of .physically fit individuals than most countries. and the .proportion of men not able to serve will be found small. If it is the •policy of the Opposition to endeavor to make the exemption clause very elastic, the whole utility of the scheme is undermined, and the discipline necessary for a national army is set at nought.* Exemption by payment—which seems to be the only possible way for the physically fit coward—is a feature of other conscription armies, but in essence it uestroys the true national spirit of an army and causes odorous comparisons. Under such a- system the pariahs of society, who do no real work, but who make money by means too common in New Zealand, could easily claim exemption on the ground of ability to pay. The value of the proposed scheme for New Zealand lies as much in its disciplinary effect as in its strength for defensive purposes. If there are Oo.wDO men between the ages of 18 and 25 in New Zealand, who are liable under the Act to serve, the whole of them snouto be compelled to do so. Any other means of administering the Act will lie futile for the purposes for which it was made. The spirit to be infused into tfee national army is not who can keep out of it but who can iget into it. And as far as can be gathered from Mr. Allen's remarks, he, a soldier, would be quite satisfied if about one-quarter of the «railable men were used. I

ABOUT HOBBIES. A contemporary talks interestingly of "hobbies," showing that an individual may benefit a whole community by indulging in a "craze." As a matter of fact, many of the great inventions have been worried out by men who have ridden ''hobby-horses," and it is at least peculiar that the majority of important discoveries have been made by men whose spare time was devoted to some particular kind of research. A hobby in the first place is taken up for .personal amusement or relaxation, but so many hobbyists achieve great results that they become general benefactors. Our contemporary mentioned the hoiHiv of Dr. Kennedy, the rector of the Catholic College in Wellington, whose contributions to the many things that were said on Kalley's comet wore certainly the most illuminating that Xew Zealand has heard. But stars and comets are not Dr. Kennedy's speciality. He is a cleric and a schoolmaster by profession, and he finds relaxation from the eir - of his professional offices by a deep study of natune. Many men learn a subject by rote because they are obliged to, in order-to earn a living. The man who works for the love of his subject achieves the better results. For ' instance, this same Dr. Kennedy is not an apiarist, but just a while' ago, he deeply interested himself in the wonder of bees and carefully studied the minute .Animals. It is not conceivable that a I matter-of-fact person who made bees hi>| living would lip able to enthuse a city ariidionce hi the matter, but this sreiitl" cleric. w!ir>_ Vivos nature and humbly studios her'fdr ,persona-l satisfaction, w.i's able on a well-remembered occasion to send a law audience away feeling Hint the bee was one of nature'* most inscrutable marvels. The man who "understand-;" his subject is not nooes-arily j the man why can make his public understand it. The man who bo'ih "f:-e!s"| and understands is the true teacher. I Yon may call the hobbyist all (ho ''erai-iks" yap. like. but. the'trne hobbyist | is .always (lie .-uperior of the man who has learned his subject by rote.