The Daily News MONDAY, OCTOBER 3. MR. HOGG'S LOGIC.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 149, 3 October 1910, Page 4

The Daily News MONDAY, OCTOBER 3. MR. HOGG'S LOGIC.

One of the greatest authorities on our very complete language defines logic as "the science or art of reasoning correctly; the science of the necessary laws of thought." Mr.. A. W. Hogg,, M.P. and ex-Minister, has lately ibeen indulging in logical deductions on the question of compulsory military; training in New Zealand. He saidl he will have none of it. He said it was ridiculous to contend that compulsory military training was necessary to bring about the development of our young men. It might be held with equal truth that it is ridiculous to contend' that lonig Parliamentary training is useful to teach the art of logic. Mr. Hogg's illustrations are delightful. "Has Germany produced a Jack Johnson or a Jeffries?" Happily not. "Has Jack Johnson or Jeffries (helped' the race either j physically or intellectually?" one might ask, and the answer would be "No." "Has (Switzerland ever produced an Arnst or a Webb ?" again queries Mr. Hogg. No, it has not; but it has produced men who will probably climb mountains much more easily than either of the gentlemen ■ named. "Has any part of the Continent I produced a Sandow?" asks Mr. Hogg, i We have carefully studied the map and | find that Germany is in Europe. Maps | are available to members of Parliament j gratis. "If you wont a man of muscle, j vigor and courage," says the logical Mr. Hogg (who is a Scot), "youi will have jto go to old England to find it." Ob|viously, Mr. Hogg, admires these qualities in Messrs Jeffries, Johnson, Arnst, Webb or Sandow. The first man is not English, the second is a full-blooded negro, the 'third is a colonial, not of British parentage, and the fourth is a New Zealander, probably of English descent. Sandow is a German, and the Continent produced this "Englishman" of Hebrew descent. But all this has nothing to do with the advantages or disadvantages of compulsory military Every one of these men represent the sporadic methods of nature. One is asked to believe by the logic of the ex-Minister that because there has been flb compulsory military training in Engjand that Sandow, a Germanic Hebrew, is the type of man he is. Sandow in the meantime is not in the "utility" class—except to Sandow—and there are no young giant Sandows of whom he is the parent. Because Johnson is the type of battering ram he happens to be, it seems to be clearly proved that this Afro-American obtained his powers .by . the system of volunteering to which Britain has hitherto pinned her faith. Arnst and Webb cleanly prove by their physical prowess that had conscription (been the rule in England) they would have been weaklings. Jeffries, the has-been pugilist, used to have a hhump of about thirty hundredweight. One is earnestly requested to believe that if tihe youth, of England had! been, compulsorily trained his punch would have been only about an eighth of the size. Sporadic skill of any sort is nothing! to do with race, country or training, The showman Sandow did not know his strength until .he began lifting pulling-maehines, out of their sockets for sport. The curious point about these whole-souled opponents of military training is that they are all fighters. Mr. Hogg, for instance, would be certain to look up the family armory if the enemy were to walk into Masterton some day, and at that time he would be very glad to have the necessary knowledge to pull the trigger. Everyone will admit that it is not absolutely necessary to train men to arms in order to give them good physical development, but a mob of citizens without skill but with great biceps would put up a poor fight against trained men with half an inch less development and a yard or two more knowledge. If one pursued the logic of Mr. Hogg it could be easily proved that the best way for New Zealand to fight battles with Asiatics would' ibe to allow Johnson to beat Jeffries in America, and that Australia's only hope, when the invader came tapping at the back door, would be to cable to Sandow, the English German of Hebrew descent, to show his muscular development and l to throw three hundredweight into the air.