MILITARISM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 274, 10 April 1911, Page 8

MILITARISM.

To the Editor. Sir,—l have often admired the courage of the News, and sometimes its smartness, but I regret that admiration of its logicality or mental breadth has yet to come. As your leader of the sth inst., "Dispelling the Mists/' is apt to mislead those who have either not the time nor the inclination to think the matter out, 1 should like, with your permission, to show how untrue and illreasoned .are the statements which such leader contains. Let us take for example the first sentence, namely: "Here is a syllogism: Man lias always fought. You are a man, therefore you will always fight.'" That an editor (who, of course, is presumed to have some knowledge of correct reasoning) should deliberately put forward such a statement as a logical argument, is, to say the least of it, surprising. The falsity of it is so obvious that the following demonstration of such falsity seems almost superfluous. Suppose that we were living in prehistoric times, ere man had yet learned the use of fire. At such a time we could (in accordance with the reasoning of the News) state the following argument: "Man has always eaten his meat raw. You arc ,a man; therefore you will always eat your meat raw." I should welcome an invitation from you to dinner, Mr. Editor. I give this merely as an instance or the unsoundness of the News' opinions. The editorial referred to seems so honeycombed with other incorrect statements that to traverse and correct them seriatim would require, a small volume. For this reason, therefore, and for the additional reason that I am unable to spare the time necessary to enter into a long newspaper correspondence, I regret that I cannot see my way to dispel the mists with which the' News beclouds its readers' minds. Fortunately, however, only a mediocre mind is necessary to perform such a task, so I hope (at any rate as far as the thinking section of the New Plymouth public is concerned that such an operation has already been self-performed.—l am, etc., "BRITONS NEVER, NEVER, ETC." New Plymouth, April (i, 1911.

[We gladly print our alnislve correspondent's diatribe, because it carries its own condemnation. "Xever-Nevcr's" raw-meat argument is pathetic. The eating of raw meat was iiever an instinct, unless there was nothing else for the primitive man to eat. Instinct has never varied in man, beast or plant, and lighting is an instinct. Our correspondent has it in a paralysed form, and would threaten violence to anyone who could not return it. Hence we feel safe. Throughout this long letter there is not the faintest gleam of the "mental breadth" our hidden enemy professes to possess. We thank him for his promise not to enter into a long newspaper correspondence. gently pointing out £hat it would be impossible for him to do so as far as this paper is concerned. The menial breadth of our correspondent lends him to the conclusion that all opinions which are not his opinion are unsound. W'c beseech hint not to ruin us bv undertaking a campaign denouncing all logic but his own.—Ed.]