The Daily News. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY, 13, 1915. THE NEED FOR EFFICIENCY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 211, 13 February 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY, 13, 1915. THE NEED FOR EFFICIENCY.

There never was a time in tile history of the great and small nations of the earth when Hie need for clliciency was so imperative as it is now. The years roll on, change after change is noted, but We fail to realise that the old order lias parsed away ami the new era

dawned, yet such is tint ease, and the dominant principle of this new era is tin; insistent demand for efficiency, not merely mechanical expertness in the individual, but in tint nation, brought about by the education of the youth as the initial stage in each individual of mental processes in large variety, and the establishment; of good mental habits with incidental acquisition of information. There must be the (raining of the bodiiy senses and instruction in the care of the body, for bodily excellences and virtues count much toward rilicieiicy. In this connection the (iovcnimont of tile Dominion deserves much credit for instituting a scheme ot physical culture that recognises the iiigii importance of bodily eiiiciency as an aid to mental culture, if coupled with these essentials there be cultivated the habit of quick and concentrated attention—the

most valur.bh: of all mental faculties—and the possession of a linn will, we may ha practically assured that the individual will attain within a measurable, distance of human perfection. As with tlie individual, so with the masse?. It may he asked: What i; efficiency? It has been aptly described as the power of doing one's best, in tile shortest time and easiest way. to th ; . satisfaction of a!i concerned. An efi;< u;:!. r:an, like an ellicicnt house, lias four sides. His body i- the foundation, his mind the outer walls, bis heart the inner hangings, treasures and pictures, his soul the gable windows, the tower am! the roof. A writer in the \'iy Y»r!; Independent ■ays: "NV have none of us learned effi-

ciency. ;We feed our cattle properly—and dig our own graves with our teeth. We curry our horses beautifully—-and Hewlett to take baths enough to keep us v.ell. We exorcise our pet poodle daily —and pant for nreath if we run a block. We oil our engines wisely and ull ow rust to gather on our brain:;. We de-

maud a perfect telegraph system—and let our nerves run wild. Man is the only machine we have never learned to use." The indictment is one to which, if we are honest, We must plead guilty. It almost follows as a matter of course Oat the ellicicnt man docs not put money first. The pulse of the battle, with Fate and surroundings and him-

self: the call of the unconquerod world to gigantic effort; the inspiration or heroic deeds by other, men; the might of self-rul c and the joy of self-expres-sion; the loves of the. heart a4id the longings of the soul; the far, lone gleam of destiny—these things nerve and impel the cJlicient man to do always more, and be always greater. It should be remembered that the world's work is not done by the geniuses, and that other people's efficiency does not satisfy our own needs or do our own tasks, hence we must speed up our own machines. The way to keep clean is to use soap

and hot water. Tlio. way to bo efficient B to practice efficiency twenty-four hours a day until it becomes second nature. T'Viv people realise what, an important bearing efficiency lias on national life, especially in countries like Xew Zealand. According to -Mr. L. D. Jliaudois, special counsel (~ the United States Inter-State Commerce f'ommission, -cMicieiu'V is the hope of democracy. K means greater production, with

less elfort and at less cost, through the elimination of unnecessary waste, human and material. The 'right to life' guaranteed by our Constitution is now being interpreted according to the demands of social justice and of democracy as the right to live, ami not merely to exist. In order to live, men must have tlie opportunity of developing their faculties, and they must live under eondilious in which their faciiHhs may develop naturally and healthily," We in New Zealand have long .-inw adopted the principle of the "rigin io live," and to all Ims been given eoiiality of opportunity for rising to the topi.iost rung on tlie ladder of life. Tn.ii ojinparativcly few

Lave'profited thereby emphasises the need for efficiency. What were once' the proud possessions of the favored few have heen made available for all, and if these boons had been appreciated (in th e true meaning of the word) as they would have been, the whole of our so•ial organisation would to-day be far liticrcnt to what it is, for we have not :nade friendship, comradeship, social life, romance, the common lot of all, even though it is aa necessary as are food, shelter and clothing. An efficient naion is a nation made up, by aggregation, of individuals possessing effective power for work and service during a healthy and active life, and the training of the will to tTie wise use of liberty is the best means of developing individual strength of character and national greatness. There are latent resources in the least and lowest specimen of humanity which make it brother, and might make it peer and equal, of the brightest spirit that ever breathed mortal breath. Who can doubt that the far future will he a Golden Age, a period of universal purity and happiness in store for humanity, and that the race is destined to reach a glorious future? But it can only be attained by striving after the supremely ,eflieient. To form some conception of wliat human society may one day become, it is necessary to think of a world in which the common life of all shall rise to the level of what the noblest and bess.of the sons of men at their highest moments of intellect and' moral exaltation have ever reached. The steps loading up to that ideal period are those which rest on the solid foundation of supremo efficiency.