TOPICS OF THE DAY

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20510, 28 May 1938, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY

The Painful Realities “It is, indeed, becoming increasingly difficult,” says the Western Mail (England), “to be optimistic without appearing foolish and blind to the painful realities of our time. Nations famous for their culture before the War now deride their former contributions to civilisation. Humanitarianism and the virtues of which it is compounded are derided as weak sentimentalism. Liberty is denounced as a bourgeois prejudice and democracy as a political system which is incompatible with efficient government. The people exist only to be drilled and ruled and directed in the interests of power politics as expounded by the dictators. Even religion is treated as a hostile force which cannot therefore be allowed reasonable liberty. It depends on ourselves, on the amount of goodwill, persistent effort in the right direction, and, above all, dauntless courage in pursuing it. Progress moves not in a steady advance but by ebb and flow, and today we are in the trough of the ebb tide. The turn of the tide may be long delayed this time. Faith may nearly die and unfaith blossom.”

For a Neiv League “Within the scope of the existing League of Nations,” states Mr J. M. Keynes in the New Statesman, “we must set out to construct a new European pact open to all the European members of the League, who would give definite undertakings to one another and the power to act by the voice of the majority; since we know by experience that a League with no definite sanctions and a liberum veto for each member is useless. The constitution of such a European League could be extremely simple. For example, the three major League Powers, Great Britain, France and Russia, would have ten votes each; Poland and Czechoslovakia four votes each; Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, the Scandinavian and the Balkan countries two votes each; the Baltic States and Spanish Provinces one vote each. All the members, subject to the safeguards which follow, would bind themselves to abide by a majority vote as to the fact or imminence of aggression involving two European Powers, the appropriate action to avert or meet it, and all other matters, following in general the procedure and principles of the existing League, without, however, any specific guarantee of the status quo.”