10
W
THE HONGKONG: TELEGRAPH. #TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1938.
Taken for granted..
I-DEMOCRACY
HAT does democracy mean? It is not easy to say, So many people have defined it, praised it, and attacked it, that the word is like a hat that has lost its shape because everybody wears it,
Why? It is said that the "To-day so many attack it." people are stupid, Ignorant and uninterested in politics; that they do not want to think about public affairs, still less to décide them: that all they ask of the State is that it should tell them what to think and what to do, and provide them with enough money to go to football matches, the movies and the dogs. Leadership, in fact, in public life and easy amusement in privatel
I do not belleve a word of.it. Democracy rests upon two principles. The first, that only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches; the second, that the wearer should, therefore, choose his shoe.
That he may on occasion choose badly is not to the point. The point is that he cannot allow others to choose for him. For one thing the teaching of history has made plain, it is that human beings are not angelic enough to be entrusted with power over the lives and liberties of other human beings, particularly over those who offend them by criticism or opposition.
For, gaining power with the best intentions, men are, it seems, corrupted by its exercise and proceed to use it in the Interests not of the community, but of themselves, treating their subjects not as ends, but as means to the gratification of their own ambitions.
Twentieth century human nature is a loose, untidy, ample sort of growth, full of unacknowledged needs and unsuspected oddities. And just as a foot which has corns, cannot, without unhappiness to its owner, be thrust into a perfectly shaped shoe, so a community of Imperfect human beings cannot, without unhappiness, be thrust into the strait-jacket of perfectly con- ceived laws.
We must, then, cut our legislative coat according to the cloth of human nature, which means that we must cut it for ourselves. For centuries our ancestors fought for this right against power, against privilege and against the passive obstruction of vested interests. Eventually they triumphed and won for all men the right to have a voice in determining the sort of community in which they should live, and framing the laws by which they should be governed.
It is our duty to see to it that we do not through short-sighted- ness-for the benefits of democracy are long-term benefits-or Impatience for the workings of democracy are slow-or Indir- ference for democracy makes no spectacular appeal to the imagination-throw away the heritage which our ancestors bequeathed to us.
"Y
II-LIBERTY
a French OU SEE." said Macaulay, when pamphlet in praise of liberty was shown to him, in England we take all that for granted." Macaulay was speaking over a hundred years ago, but his words are as true to-day as when he spoke them; per- haps even truer, for we have enjoyed another hundred years of liberty.
Liberty is a good thing, but its enjoyment is negative, rather than positive.
When we have it, we do not realise that we have it: we realise it, and realise that it is a good thing, only when we are deprived of it. In this sense liberty is like health or alr. We normally value health only when we have lost it, or, having lost it, have just regained it, when the memory of Hiness is still vividly with us.
52
Similarly with air; we value it only if it is taken from us, when we value it so. much that we proceed to die, unless it is restored to us. So men normally value liberty only when it is denied to them; but its denial is n denial of all that makes le worth living, so that the spirit of the prisoner cries out for liberty, and again for liberty, as the lungs of the man who is choking cry out for air; for liberty is the air of the spirit. If men and women are not free to think as they please, they lose their title to humanity; for it is by our power of thinking that we are chlefly distinguished from the beasts.
The man who may at any moment be arrested without war- rant, imprisoned without, trial and left to languish in prison at the pleasure of the Government, lives under the shadow of a fear which takes all the sweetness from his life. For men live in society that they may have security, and there is no security where liberty depends upon the flat of unchecked authority. Nor is it an answer to say that the welfare of the State demands
CANADIAN PACIFIC
STEAMSHIPS
By
C. E. M. JOAD
Who hare discusses the menace to. the three things in our daily lives that we treasure most.
the suppression of certain individual freedoms; the freedom, for example, to criticise the Government. For the welfare of the State is nothing apart from the good of the citizens who compose it.
It is no doubt true that a State whose citizens are compelled to go right is mora emclent than one whose citizens are free to go wrong. But what then? To sacrifice freedom in the interests of efficiency, is to sacrifice what conters upon human beings their humanity.
It is no doubt easy to govern a flock of sheep: but there is no credit in the governing, and, if the sheep were born as men, no virtue in the sheep.
W
III-INDIVIDUALITY
HAT is a man for, or what, as the Greeks would have put it, is the true end of man? We do not, the fact must be admitted, know. But there is one thing upon which that part of mankind which still accepts Christ's teaching is agreed; it is that man's end" includes at least the maximum development of his personality.
44
We expect It, in other words, of a man that he should develop his faculties to their utmost capacity, utilise his powers to the full, and reallse all that he has it in him to be; that he should, in short, become as completely as possible himself.
And since he cannot do these things alone, it is the business of the community to help him to do them. It is, then, the business of the community to make the good life possible for all its citizens: not any sort of life, but the sort of life that seems to men individually to be good.
Now the principle of individualism insists that each citizen must be able to form his ideals, to choose his way of life for him- self. Stubbornly the citizen of a democracy will resist the right of any to impose upon him his way of life from above.
"The purpose of our training 1s to enable us to fight, for fighting is the duty and chlef glory of man. He who does not want to fight is not fit to live." This, announcement made and repeated dally by hundreds at one of the new Nazi educational establishments, admirably illustrates the conception of the Imposition of the "good life" from above. The good life, in fact, consists of fighting, whether the individual likes it or not.
Now, it is the essence of individualism that no man should be in a position to dictate to another how he should live, or what. Ideals he should set before himself.
And if no man, then also no form.of government. The State, then, is not entitled to impose, its conception of the good life upon its citizens. All that it may do is to establish the con- ditions in which the living of the good life by its citizens is possible.
One government insists that a citizen is a drop of blood in an ocean of racial purity; another that he is a cog in a proletarian machine; another that he is an ant in a heap of ants. Individu- alism asserts, on the contrary, that he is a soul, possibly immortal, existing primarily in and for himself, and not for the sake of anything other than himself.
I do not know how to prove this; but to deny it is to blaspheme against the dignity of man and degrade him to the level of a slave.
HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION.
Authorised Capital
$50,000,000 Issued and Fully Paid-Up... $20,000,000 Reserve Funds--
Sterting
Hongkong Currency Reserve $10,000,000 Reserve Llabilliy of Proprietors $20,000,000 HEAD OFFICE:-HONGKONG, BOARD OF DIRECTORS;am T. E. Pearce. Esq., Chairman. Hon. Mr. J: J. Paterson, Deputy Chairman,
J. H. Masson, Esq. J.H. Boualleld. Esq. A. 1. Compton, Esq. G. Miskin, Esq. Hon, Mr. S. 11. Dodwell' K... Morrison, Esq. flon. Mr. M. T. Johnson A., Shields, Esq.
Ble Vandeleur M. Grayburn, CHIEF MANAGER
HOTELS-
- RAILWAYS - EXPRESS
AMOY
TO MANILA
EMPRESS OF JAPAN
.Fri., Mar. 25.
TO CANADA, UNITED STATES and EUROPE
vis
Guanghai, Hobe & Yokohama
EMPRESS OF RUSSIA EMPRESS OF JAPAN via Honolulu EMPRESS OF ASIA
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BANGKOK HATAVIA BOMBAY CALCUTTA CANTON CHIWITOO COLOMBO DAIREN TOOCHOW HAIPHONG HAMBURG HANKOW HARBI HONOKEW ILOILO КРОН
JOHORE
..7.00... Fri., Mar. 18. ......Noon, Fri, Apr. 1
KODE
‚7.00 a.m. Fri., Apr. 15.
KOWLOON
Air-conditioned equipment on C.P.R., Trans-Continental Trains. Frequent Canadian Pacifio Atlanilo sailings to European Poris.
MAKE BOOKINGS FOR 1938 EARLY—to ensure desirable accommodation.
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Incorporated by Royal Charter 1843 HEAD OFTICE-LONDON, 38 Bishopsgato, E.CZ.
£3,000,000 Paid-up Capital Reserve Liablity of Proprietors $3,000,000 Reserve Fund £3.000,00€ MANCHESTER BRANCH: 71 Mosley St, Manchester.
AGENCIES AND BRANCHED: 'Alor Star Ipoh
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Jangoon Foreign Exchange and General Bank. ing business transacted,
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The Bank's Head Office in London underlakes Executor & Trustee busines and claims recovery of British Income Tax overpaid, on terms which may be ascertained at any of its Agencies & Branches
THE YOKOHAMA SPECIE BANK LIMITED,
rency and Fixed Deposit received for Capital (fully paid-up)...... one year or shorter periods in Local Reserve Fund and other currencies on terme which will
be quoted on application.
ALBO up to date SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES in Various sizes TO LET.
Hongkong, 28th February, 1938.
HONGKONG SAVINGS BANK.
ก
V.100,000,000 1.133,000,000
Branches and Agencies uz Alexandria Rongkong Напроса,
Hatriking Rio de Janetro San Francisca
HEAD ODEONAMA.
Bangkok
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Moll (Dalny). 'Nothaari
Cantonandia
The · Business, of 'The älsova ·Bank, te conducted by the Hongkong, sed mauptway isati Barikina Corporation, Rúise "may “ bejufde sblained on application War CENT FOR THE HONGKUNG AND-SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATIONVISAGE
Se Chief Manager/
Hongkong, 10th February-1898, 1/2
Destila
Bhangha Ber
Bou
New York
NATIONAL ANTHEM:
NEW RULE
SOUTHERN COMMAND orders recently issued give special instructions to Army bands about playing the National Anthem when civilians are singing it. The orders say:
"With reference to King's Regulations, 1935, it has frequently occurred that when Army bands are used to accompany the public during the singing of the National Anthem, a differ- ence is apparent in the notation of the last line of the Anthem.
"It is the usual civilian praç- tice to sing only two notes in the melody on the first word of the last line, both of them as (junvers, wherens the Army
Military Band Style
band version is three notes, one quaver and two semi-quavers.
"When these two versions are combined the result is unmusical and unpleasant, and to obtain unl-
All Together Now
formity it has been decided that in future when Army banda ere playing.
Anthem the National
in circum-
general stances when either the public or civilian choirs, etc., may be expected to join in the singing, bands will conform to the civilian practice and play only two quavers on the first word of the last line."
CANTONAGENTS
for
#130
Hongkong Gelegraph.
WM. FARMER & Co.
Victoria Hotel Building: Shameen, Canton. Tel. 13501.
BURNS PHILP LINE
Passenger & Freight Service. To
AUSTRALIA
M.V.
"NEPTUNA"
sailing 15th MARCH
at Midnight
For
SAIGON, MADANG,
SALAMAUA,
RABAUL, SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE.
Excellent passenger accommodation with a large number of single cabins, at. no supplement. Built-in Swimming Bath and Spacious Sports Dock.
First Class to Sydney:-
Single-£47.10.0d. Roturn--£76.0.0d.
Passenger & Freight Agents:———
GIBB, LIVINGSTON & CO., LTD.
Tel. 28031
P. & O. Bldg.
ENYK
LINE
TELEPHONE 30291.
(† Cargo only).
San Francisco via Japan Ports & Honolulu.
Tateuta Maru (From Kome) Tues., 22nd March Titibu Maru
.Sat., 9th Apr.
seattle & Vancouver (Starte from Koba).
New York via Panama.
+Kolyo Maru
...Bat., 9th Apr. South America (West Coast) via Japan, Honolulu,
Hilo, Los Angeles, Mexico & Panama.
London, Marseilles, Antwerp & Rotterdam,
Terukuni Maru ............. ..... Fri., 25th March Liverpool via Port Said, Beyrouth, Istanbul, Piraeus. -----and Marseilles.
Sydney & Melbourne via Manila & Ports.
*Neptuna (Via Saigon & Ports) Wed., 16th March
Atsuta Maru ... .....Sat., 26th March
Bombay via Singapore, Penang & Colombo. Calcutta via Singapore, Penang & Rangoon.
Kobe & Yokohama. (Omitting Shanghai)
'Kitano Maru
Fri., 18th March
General Passongor Agents in the Orient for the CUNARD WHITE STAR LINE.
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THE TAIKOO DOCKYARD & ENGINEERING COMPANY
OF HONGKONG, LIMITED.
BUILDERS OF ALL CLASSES OF SHIPS.
BUILDERS OF RECIPROCATING STEAM ENGINES. BUILDERS OF MARINE AND LAND BOILERS. BUILDERS OF TURBINE MACHINERY.
·
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