THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1937.
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IF your children ask difficult questions, don't bite their heads off. IF your views are democratic, don't become a
DICTATOR
MAN of forty was com-. plaining to me the other day because fils children did not show him sum- clent respect. They disagreed with his opinions, pointed out fallacies in his arguments, and often decided not to take his advice.
They were inclined to be casual, even Alppant, in ad- dressing their elders, and were
Hongkong Hotel outrageously outspoken.
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I happen to know his children well. They are thoroughly healthy specimens of modern boys and girls, keenly intelli- gent, disconcertingly honest.
I am afraid I had to be rather rude to the father. He admitted that the children had ability; Indeed, he was proud of it. But he expected servility as well, and the two cannot exist in the same person,
"If you wish children to be submissive, obedient, reverent," I said, "you must crush their intelligence before they see through you. Any autocrat knows that...."
Life is terribly dull in a country where all men and women think alike, where they think exactly as they are told. It would be as monotonous as a garden which produces only one sort of flower the whole year round.
D
EMOCRATS bellove in human equality, but equality does not in- "ply"uniformity:-The most de— lightful feature of a democratle of the variety country is thought and feeling that grows spontaneously within it..
The extremists may be a source of danger, but they can- cel each other out, and common sanity prevalls in the end.
But democracy is impossible without freedom of thought and intelligence. If citizens are not educated they will forfeit their birthright. This does not mean that we must all become book- worms, highbrows, -university graduates, or
academically
minded. It does mean that we must be able to think for our- selves, to weigh evidence, and to laugh at nonsense when we hear it.
The two outstanding qualities Found together in the natural man" are his credulity about Ideas for which there is not a scrap of evidenco and his in-
in
the
HOME
says
J. W. Marriott
credulity about
others for which there is plenty.
It may bo true that you cannot fool ali
the people all the time, but. as every dema- gogue knows, it is only neces- sary to fool the majority.
So that fathers who allow free speech in the
home, and teachers who help the children to free their thoughts from fallacies and illusions, are deeply necessary to a democratic nation.
M
R. BERTRAND RUSBELL told his audience in a recent lecture that he had charge of an infant school he would provide two kinds of sweels for the children, tho nicer ones being modestly praised. the inferior ones loudly "boosted." By this means he would teach young children to distrust the things which are extravagantly praised, and to rely upon their own judgment.
He would also arrange a couple of excursions to the seaside. The better place would not be ideallsed at all; the children would be in- formed of its position, hours of sunshine, inches of rainfall, popu- lation
and so on.
But the worse place would be ad- vertised with glorified plctures- miles of mustard yellow sands. зeas and skies of Mediterranean blueness. luxurious hotels, crowds of beautiful people in enchanting beach clothes.
Children
would receive
pleasant surprise in the former place, a painful disillusion in the latter.
(Good advertisers would agree with this method of education, for they know the evil effects of un- scrupulous over-statement.)
Later on, when children reach. the senior school, they would listen to debates--the B.B.C. could be helpful here and at the end they, would be asked to write down brief summaries of the arguments for and against.
They would soon discover that the man who speaks quietly and reasonably often has a good case, but that the man who shouts loudly and makes violent appeale to sentiment often has little real argument to support him.
Still later, the older pupils would conduct debates of their own. They would speak only for the cause in which they sincerely belleved and they would learn that there may be much to be said against it.
They would discover the neces sity for thinking again, and (quite frequently) for ridding their minds of early prejudices. This kind, of education is of inestimable import- ance for citizens in a self-govern- ing community.
We all need to be immunised
The Heavy Father of the Victorian Age should be of historical interest only.
(Ploiure from the fim "Darretts of Wimpole Street.")
front the effects of rhetoric, and the only way to becoino immunu is" to hear unlimited quantities of it. Any one who takes the trouble to read the eloquent speeches in defence of slavery or witch-burn- ing will be surprised by tho. ele- quence and zeal of the orators in advocacy of a wrong causo, ·
ing.
R
USKIN'S
denunciation
of the railway is impressive plece of writ- Stevenson's attack street-lighting is still rather con- vincing. Every student of history "can ̄nnd examples-of-the-vallant-
and well-meaning defence Institutions, and people ∙now admitted to be indefensible,
of
great Duke of Wellington belleved in the perfection of our Electoral system in the days of the Frotten boroughs," Great preachers were convinced that the iso of chloroform in surgical operations was opposed to the will of God.
Britain has never been lack- fing in men of genius in both the scientific and, commercial fields, but in the past there has been a tendency for cach to keep to his own particular line of inves- tigation or business. Now in- dustry hus begun to absorb them all. Some years go the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research was formed to investigate the problems with which industry is concerned in. utilising scientific invention and achievement, and the scientist and the technician now work together with the business-man in the interests of industry.
last year shows that more big industrial undertakings____have_ get up research departments, and excellent results have been recorded in many industries. "A process for producing unshrink- able wool has been discovered, and also a method of reducing milk waste by three million gallons a year. As a result of experiments, the life of linings of gas retorts has been, in- creased by twenty-five per cent. as compared with ten years ago. Another branch of the department's work has produced a dental amalgam for fillings, which, according to the report,
Great should place
Britain nhead of the rest of the world in this particular aspect of in- of the Administration. Now a selen- dustry Many Research sociations aided by. the common currency among hundreds
of thousands of foreigners' more. Department are now in a very
English verbs. So the Basic "put in"
"And he took a little child and put English Basic English-is becom-docs for "Install" (put things in a strong position. Cotton, which
ing the first world language:
house), "Interject" (put a word in), him in the middle of them, and tak- "insert" (put a page in) and so on. ing him in his arms, he sold to them. was the most backward of the
after These 850 words, chosen from
"Whoever will take one of such great industries,
Basic (n Com-Ifttle children in my name takes me; years of research into the mysteries THE man behind few of language, do all the research point of view, a
work of
bridge professor who dislikes and whoever takes me takes not me, is exactly years ago, is now the most id-20,000. To read, Basic
like ordinary English, but simpler, Publicity) complained to me of the but him who sent me.
way people deliberately misunder- "John and to him, Master, we saw vanced. Already great changes clearer, often more precise.. stand Basic. If has been formed one driving out evil spirits in your have been made in the industry
object is "to communicate mainly for scientifle and commercial
because he is not one of us. As a result of fesearch activi- idlematically most of the require reasons, and does not challenge ord-ame: and we said that he might not,
nary spoken and written English on correspon- of international
cultural grounds. It
"But Jesus said, say not so. There ties, resulting in adaptation to dence, selence, and commerce."
Such an attitude. It is above all the language of is no man who will do a great work new conditions and helping in can be taught to a Chinese who does
not know a word of English in six sense, and only of feeling and tone in my name, and be able quickly to great measure to offset the lose weeks, and an English person can in a minor way. Also, it must be say evil of me." (St. Mark, ix, 30). of markets in certain lines con- master it in under a week. These understood that to translate a passage of English into Basic, you cannot de sequent on keen foreign com-figures are not exaggerations.
it word for word. petition, especially from the Far
The methibe is to taite the words in East. The Importance which SIX HUNDRED of the 850 words their context, clearly understand the are nouns, 150 are "qualities" meaning, and then express this mean- the Government attaches to (adjectives), and 100 are words for ing in Basic. For that little long which mean nothing this work is apparent from the operating" these (verbs, pronouns, can express it-and more simply too. Take the language of business cor- fact that for 1936-37 it provided adverbs, and confunctions). When a
foreigner has learnt the 850 words respondence, for a sum of no less than £621,000 and their first uses it is easy for immediately plerces through tho Basic English which Kegan Paul's for the Department of Scientific him to extend his vocabulary by futility of saying "favours" for letters have published should convince any
and "specialisation"
"expansion. "and"remlitaneca" for payments, one of its great practical uses, and
slowly being established.
BASIC ENGLISH
VER 500,000,000 people used the English language, either as their ordinary specchi or as the language
tifically-chosen selection of 850 Eng- AS-ish words (called Basle English) is
1
Its
ments
*
-
By.
Alastair Scott
·
*
*
A
BASIC Bible is appearing bit by bit. More than 80 per cent. of the 8,000 words have been taken out. When you read these few verses of the Basic St. Mark, remember that the Basic Bible is for the world— Russions and Chinese,, Africans' and Danes, Maoris and Slavs.
*
*
*
THE great virtue of Basic is that THE
to use it you have to think what
tolerate confusion of thought, Irre- You are saying. Basic does not levancies, ellches, or circumlocutions
It is the bones of the language, and Instance. Basic the large number of books in and on
and Industrial Research, which Specialisation!' is, for instance, us-Here are some business terms and the methodical way in which it Is
Business
Furnish particulars. You may rest assured that.
I shall cateom it a great favour."
If you will send
is an increase of over £20,000 on ing the word "account" for a bill-in their Basle equivalents: the previous year. But the addition to its ordinary meaning, p great point to be kept in mind "Expansion" would use the word is that industries are not rely-grain for corn, and so on, ing solely on Government aid; The verb system in English is just increasing numbers have been one of the things that Basle makes as easy as washing your hands. There encouraged to carry out their are 10 operators (verbs)-come, own investigations, with bene-make, put, etera auxiliaries, and 20 fits which are now widely the combination of Unera 38 "directives" down, from, through
recognised
words gives most of the common
Give detalls, ORAN You may be certain that; re Will you indly send. See the Ident
The future of Basic will depend greatly on the radio and the progress of cheap, flexible record for gramo phones. The Bonic headquarters. In England are still a research centre.
I learn that wide commercial and other publicity will not be sought un- ill next year. At present they are putting their house in order against the:bury years ahead...
Always, it seems, the crator who can and no sound reasons for his case proceeds to make excitable appeals to emotionalism, attempt- ing to conceal his weakness by dis- plays of rhetorical fraworks de- signed to impress the multitudes..
Obviously, if the rank and Die of nation is to be saved from fol- lowing the wrong leaders, it must 1carn
think dispassionately. This kind of education must begin In the earliest years.
the
to
Dr. Cyril Burt has recommended that simple fallacica In logle should be taught in the junior school. A weekly discussion about current affairs is surely necessary. if senior pupils are to grasp the duties and responsibilities of citi- zenship.
T
HE scientist is.unwilling to lose his head, to be swept off his feet, to
13
be carried away by primitive emotions: his duty is to observe things as they are, to test by ex- periment, to make logical deduc- tions.
invalu- ablo when we study the seeth- ing world of politics both at home' and abroad. Everybody, needs to. amass a certain amount of know- ledge during the formative years. spent in school and university, but more important than the acquisi tion of facts (which can always be looked up in an encyclopedia) is the discovery of a sane attitudo towards the increasingly compli cated issues of modern life.
And two things can help a child to achieve such an attitude for himself: a father who will discuss any subject reasonably and with- out anger, and a teacher who cares more for training his pupils to think than for cramming their kends with unrelated factă,
-To-day's Thought SE every man after, his
desert, and toho cape whipping?
should