LOOKING BEYOND THE BATTLE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 8, Issue 198, 9 April 1943, Page 4

LOOKING BEYOND THE BATTLE

WHEN France fell, and it seemed that the battle of liberty might be lost, people turned for consolation to religion, to books, to music and the arts, but very little to games or physical excitements. Now liberty seems safe again, and it is in any case not possible to remain mentally agitated for three years. Reports from London indicate that while battles in progress are still the chief topic of conversation, the question most frequently discussed is the postwar world. People are looking forward rather than immediately about them, and have ceased searching for emotional and intellectual ways of escape. To find out what, if anything, is happening in New Zealand, we have made some inquiries into the reading habits of the public, checked up on obvious social changes, and tried to find out if ordinary men and women are still thinking of a new world, or returning already to their old interests and mental attitudes. Here are the answers to some of the questions we have asked.

PRAYER AND COMPLACENCY HESE questions that we asked were particularly difficult ones for a clergyman to answer, but when we put them to a minister who is closely connected with the Campaign for Christian Order, he answered them frankly, and agreed that it was right that the issues should be raised. At one period of the war, he said, people were ready to flock to special services of prayer and intercession, but he did not think they were so ready now. There was less religious emotion springing from fear. "As a matter of fact," he said, "the leaders of the Churches were never very enthusiastic about such special efforts of prayer, even in the darkest days, and they would be even less enthusiastic now. I don’t wish to suggest that Church leaders are sceptical about the value of prayer in times of crisis, but they realise that there is a danger in these special services of encouraging a. superficial view of prayer-the idea that if you are in a tight corner a heavy onslaught on the Almighty will.turn the scale. The danger of that attitude is that it leaves out of account the great moral issues involved. It is preferable that prayer should flow evenly and consistently out of deep conviction rather than out of deep panic. If a National Day of Prayer springs from a general feeling of repentance and of offering one’s life and services to God, it is to be encouraged, but if people think they can have salvation without repentance, they are deceived." "Do you think there is much of the it-can’t-happen-here mentality in New Zealand?" we asked. "Yes, and it is to be deplored. There is a very different temper among the soldiers who are fighting. In a way, it is morally perilous that we have had no bombs here. Thank God we haven’t, and let’s hope .we never shall have any. And yet in this country there is no real feeling-certainly not a strong enough feeling — that the fresh chance now offered to us, the moral and spiritual chance, must not again be squandered. And this complacency, I admit, is to be found inside the Churches as well as outside them. At the same time, it is only fair to point out that a good deal of hard thinking is now being done within the Churches." — "A FATAL TENDENCY" "T HERE is no doubt that during the time of peril there was an increase of-shall we say, religion?" said a Catholic priest whom we interviewed, "and there has been a growing tendency to demand social justice for the future and the erasure of injustices of the past, but I think that there has been some relaxation of the public sense of respon‘sibility. I think we are witnessing that fatal tendency to slip back after the most anxious moment has passed. One index of any steadiness would surely be a rigid maintenance of God’s laws of

morality, but as it is, we have only seen an aggravation of juvenile delinquency instead of a diminution." "FORWARD-LOOKERS AND MUGWUMPS" "" DON’T think you can draw any single conclusions about the state of mind of the people as a whole," said an Anglican clergyman, "because there are two rough divisions of the people: those who are only longing for the chance to return to the status quo, and those who see the present day as a great opportunity for rebuilding a saner world, The Churches are roughly divided in that way, too; you have the forward-lookers and the mugwumps-the one kind, glad of such an opportunity, the other regarding the situation as a damned nuisance, but afraid to say so.

"There always is a latger body of people ready to worship and pray at a time of anxiety, but I think that has become less marked recently; people seem to be more honest with themselves, though there are still those who expect miracles from prayers.’ WHAT YOUTH THINKS CHURCH leader who works especially among young people, and who travels all over the Dominion, said that his experience of youth in camps and conferences indicated that there was a strong desire among young people for more knowledge. There was so much confusion in the world, they were always pointing out; where did Christians stand to-day? For example, after the Campaign for Christian Order was started, they began asking questions about world

order. Their imaginations were touched by the conception of the Christian Church as a_ world-wide organisation moulding the destinies and to some extent the policies of all races. So far as special problems were concerned, he would not like to be dogmatic, It was difficult to generalise when speaking of young men who came not only from industries and commerce in ‘the city but from the country also. He could, however, say that they were quite ready to consider new points of viewin fact that many of them would accept pretty radical solutions of the world’s troubles. In ethe meantime, they were distinctly critical of vaguely pious resolutions. They wanted to know what these meant in terms of conduct-what religious leaders proposed to.do, and what they themselves were expected to do. In all these matters, he emphasised, the tendency was more marked than it was three years ago. Youth had been stirred by what was going on, and was both more critical and more hopeful. THE BOOKS WE READ [_IBRARIAN (Country Library Service): "As far as I can tell from the requests for books that come in there is no slackening in the demand for political or semi-political books, These include political books such as those by Quentin Reynolds, John Gunther; Douglas Reed, and so on, but there is also a demand for books about the country that is being fought over-Libya, New Guinea and so on-and accounts of the war. But I could ask more questions than I can answer. Why, for instance, is there such a big and sudden demand for Tolstoy’s War and Peace? Is this a recoil from war?" NOTHER Librarian (General Assembly Library), agreed that there was still a demand for books about the war and about countries and people concerned in the war. "There is a slackening of demand for books on specific topics, such as air-raid shelters, or bombing, or E.P.S. and A.R.P.-topics of that sort were rushed last year, but there is still the demand for post-war _Teconstruction books: in fact I would say that people’s attitude to that is becoming more realistic and consequently more hopeful." MORE QUESTIONS "YES, but if things have changed, has it been a genuine social change caused by the war news?-how much for instance, is due to mere comings and goings of interests that might have come and gone, anyway?" asked one of two experienced librarians whom we found working together in one room, "Quite so, We must not make the error of thinking post hoc propter hoc," said the other. "If at some particular moment more people seem to be reading (Continued on next page)

(Continued from previous page) better books, it may be simply because the stock has just been improved, or because library organisation has been improved." "All the same, it’s interesting to recall what are sOme of the interests that have given place to the avid reading of the morning paper," said the first. "Douglas Credit, for instance? Theosophy? Occultish things, fantastic things that flourish in peace time, don’t seem to have survived the times of worry. On the other hand, of course, Compost is on the up and up. Maybe we haven’t changed at all really." TWO REACTIONS N one large library The Listener interviewed a group consisting of the chief librarian and three heads of departments, and outlined a few general questions. "Well, you’ve got two reactions: among the young a disappearing sense of responsibility; among the adults a growing sense of responsibility," said the second-in-charge. "That’s probably so," said the Fiction ‘Department, "We have people who say they just can’t read fiction any more, that it’s not worth reading; that they must have reading that fits in with a more serious frame of mind. But I haven’t noticed that people have relaxed their sense of responsibility with the relaxation of anxiety. I think those who have had a sense of _ responsibility awakened have had the good sense to keep it awake." "In my department, fluctuations in interest are mainly mneed-of-the-moment reactions,’ said Non-fiction and Reference. "Technical works are in demand as the need for them arises, "One interesting thing is that inquiries about the history of the last war have died /out almost completely. On the whole, though, there hasn’t been sufficient change in the general state of mind, as we see it reflected in the inquiries at the library counter, to justify linking it up with the change in the war situation, "Maybe Theosophy and Douglas Credit have died down a bit," she said, "but look at the interest in Compost, to say nothing of Planting by the Stars and the Moon. I wouldn’t dare to say that people have dropped such things entirely." A PUBLIC GRAMOPHONE T a library which has in addition to its stock of music and musical literature an electric gramophone with a large collection of records, we inquired as to the use made of it, what kind of people came, and so on. The collection contains no "tripe" at all, and is entirely made up of what the radio listeners would call "Classical Music"-many symphonies, some opera, instrumental music of all periods, and the Columbia History of Music by Ear and. Eye. It is in use almost continuously, and at least half of the users are servicemen, and many of these are U.S. Marines. "Evidently it is the hardest thing possible for a man in the forces to hear -or at least to be allowed to listen todecent music on the radios that are provided im camp huts, clubs and messes," said one of the librarians. The gramophone is also used by business people

who drop in after their working hours for a little good music, and, of course, by students. WHAT SOLDIERS THINK SOLDIER back from the Middle East told us that men in the forces talk about everything but war. Some of them wonder about the future, and a few ask questions about it, but not many, and when they do talk about it, it is usually in material terms. Will their job still be waiting for them? Will they be able to get a house? Will they find the Commissioner of Taxes waiting for them? Will the farm be over-run with gorse or rabbits? "Is there no sign that they feel they are fighting for a new world?" "I don’t remember any. They feel that they are fighting for their free existence, of course, for the things they have always had, but they are cynical about braye new worlds and homes for heroes." THE WORLD OF SPORT "\/ELL, of course, if you include racing in sport, then you'll find you’ve had the biggest totes for years,

but. then that’s a spending reaction, not a sporting reaction," said a_ sporting expert who is in constant touch with the followers of many games. "Actually, I’d say that the tension has definitely eased off since things improved in the war news, and you can see that people are returning to their old interests-or trying to. And I’ve heard of people taking up _cricket,' or going to watch it, who never would have thought of it before. In the Army itself there are men who had retired from sport before the war and who got back into training in the Army, and started playing again, but there, that’s another question altogether; because among the soldiers the scare that the news gave some people didn’t matter that much!" WOMEN AND THE WAR "YES, I would agree that there is a change in our attitude in these last months," said one woman. "In the first place, I think we all feel more settled. A year or so ago we were all ringing each other up to say that we had seen such and such a garment for children in such and such a shop, and that it would be a good idea to buy some as things would be short. But now the prices have been fixed and clothes are rationed, so there is no longer that feeling that we must buy now. Again, a year ago, we were all frantically building up iron rations and_ stores of all sorts. Now more than one household has attacked its iron rations, -and more than one mother is annoyed thet she bought so much dried milk, which may go bad. I don’t think we are more easy-going; but we have adjusted ourselves better to shortages, and we have got used to expecting the worst, and are a little relaxed now that the worst has not happened." ENTERTAINMENT DON’T think we have as many parties as we did, but a good many of us are pretty busy entertaining servicemen, especially if we have grown-up daughters," said another woman. "I should go as far as to say that there is an unusual rush to places of entertainment. It may be true of some of us older women that we have not much heart for entertainment. A lot of us are busier, than ever before with knitting, parcel packing, Red Cross work, and so on." POST-WAR RECONSTRUCTION Te LISTENER also inquired how far the Post-War Reconstruction Groups which started a year or two ago with some enthusiasm were | progressing. "A good many of them have died a death," we were told. "Two years ago, when many people felt perhaps rather despairing of the war and also a little uncertain as to what it was all about, the organisation of such groups was supported fairly widely by those who needed some concrete expression for their hopes. The falling-off in interest is, I think due to two thingspartly a realisation that the best that these groups could do was vague; partly that now people seem to be thinking in more practical terms. What can we do here in New Zealand?. How can we meet the housing shortage and the return to ordinary production? What are we going to do to bring returned soldiers back to normal conditions of life? Are girls to keep their jobs? 1 think it is a healthy sign, and indicates a greater optimism than the other." ;