1939-02-03 — Page 18

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1980,

always

fresh

TIGER BEER

MADE FROM THE FINEST V

The

NEW

VAUXHALL

TWELVE-FOUR

THIS 1939 SUPER TWELVE- FOUR CAR INVITES YOUR INSPECTION.

We shall be glad to demonstrató.

HONGKONG HOTEL GARAGE

Stubbs Road...Phone: 27778-9.

DEATH

ROBERTSON.-At the Kowloon Hos- pital, un 3rd February, 1930, Captain Thomas Balfour Robert- son, aged 55 years, late of S.S. "Kalapol." Funeral will pass Stubbs Road Gate at 5.30 p.m. this afternoon.

The

Hongkong Telegraph.

Wyndham St., Hongkong 'Phone 26615 February 3, 1939

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Distributed by A. S. WATSON & CO., LTD.

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RECORDINGS OF FAMOUS COMPOSERS

Symphony No. 1 in C Major

BRAHMS

With Toscanini" and the B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra (Album-No. 315)

Symphony No. 4 tu E Minor ....... With "Bruno Walter" and the B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra (Album~No. 2181

With Talich" and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (Album-No. 248)

DVORAK

Symphony No. 4 in G Major

HAYDN

Symphony "Mary" No. 100 in G Major

SCHUBERT

TCHAIKOWSKY

GRIEG

Symphony No. 6 in 1 Minor.......

Axis

THE MOMENTOUS news that

President Roosevelt has pledged American support to democracy in the case of a war with the Totalitarian countries should

have sobering in- fluence upon those who favour the use of force in international affairs.

It is quite understandable that America should announce her policy, for as a great de- mocracy, she naturally feels it her duty to do all in her power to assist other democratic coun- tries which may be threatened. |

The freedom of the subject is the very corner-stone of de- mocratic principles, and any movement which threatens to challenge that freedom must be Vigorously opposed.

Wave

The

of nationalism. ........... With "Bruno which has swept through Ger- Walter and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra many and Italy has created a Symphony "The Great" in C Major.... With "Bruno Walter" and the danger which cannot be uver- Vienna Pallharmonic Orchestra (Album--No. 318)|| looked. Nationalism in itself is an admirable quality, but when With "Koussevitsky" and the it becomes so revolutionary in Boston Symphony Orchestra (Album-No. 114) nature as to constitute a men-

ace to others, Sonata in C Minor-For Violin and Plano .............. With

the others may "Rachmaninoff & Kreisler No's-DE-1250-1260-1201 rightly be expected to take CESAR FRANCK

every possible safeguard in the interest of self-preservation.

If Germany considers that she has been singled out as the CHATER ROAD) main threat to democracy, she AAAAAAAAAN | has only herself to blame. The

Sonata in A Major-For Violin and Plano

1

With

"Rubinstein and Helfez No's-DE-3200-3207-3208

Messrs. S. MOUTRIE & Co., Ltd.

YORK BUILDING

TEL. 20527

Swan Culbertson

Frith

Investment Bankers and Brokera

Members of New York Cotton Exchange

Chicago Board of Trado

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Commodity Exchango, Inc., Now York Canadian Commodity Exchange, Inc., Montreal New York Coffee and Sugar Exchange

Manila Stock Exchange

Hongkong Sharebrokers Association Shanghai Stock Exchange.

SHANGHAI, HONGKONG, MANILA AND SINGAPORE Cable Address: Swanstock

COUNT THE TELEGRAPHS EVERYWHERE

blic utterances made by her masters have had anything but a soothing effect on the rest of the world, and it naturally follows that when danger is supposed to exist, it is only logical and sensible that those likely to be affected should or- ganise united action for resis- tance.

The United States will do everything possible to keep out of war, and rightly so. Ameri- can Statesmen have followed events in Europe with, some apprehension, and there can be no doubt that from the Presi- dent downwards, they are fully aware of the policies which are nt the root of the trouble in Europe to-day.

At the moment, the American support must have tremendous moral effect, for by aligning the United States with Great Britain and France, the rest of the world is told in no uncertain manner that the greatest combination of power over known is to bo marshalled as the force to guide the hot-headed to the path of universal Peace.

MAN- or Men?

BY WILL SCOTT

N all the muddle of to-day few people seem to be quite clear as to where mankind is supposed to be heading, although plenty will tell you that mankind is heading, and pretty rapidly. It would be a bit easier if we knew what man- kind is for. Then we might know if it's heading right or wrong.

It's easy with sheep and such. A sheep is meant to be a slicep mutton and overcoats. When a sheep has become a good fat sheep It's not as far as it can go. It never tries to be anything more than a good fat sheep.

A racehorse is meant to be a racehorse and nothing but. When it has won the Derby it's done all you can expect of it. But with men you never know. They go off in all directions,

One will suddenly get up one morning and design St. Paul's Cathedral. Another will discover the South Pole. A third will add up another man's figures and get bread and butter for doing it. A fourth will dive into the Serpen- tine every day, summer and win- ter.

Some, even, sit in barrels and let people peep at them for a penny. It's a pity more don't. I won't mention any names. In the old days the idea was to be differ- ent. You doveloped yourself. or tried to. If your neighbour did one thing you did another. That was the root of the whole

Old School Ties..

VERY six months or so I have the same night- mare. I dream I am back ut school.

I wake up in the morning in a cold sweat to and comparative paradise in a world that demands no more of me than that I should pay my income-tax.

| I was by no means miserable at school. I was a damn nuisance to everybody, but I had a lot of fun. One thing is certain, however: I lave never pretended to anyone that my school days were The Happlest Days of My Life.

What bad psychology that tag that they will never be happier is, anyway, suggesting to children

than when they are struggling with cube roots and irregular verbs.

*

* *

Last week I was invited by the Old Boys' Society of my school as guest ai their annual dinner, I accepted will. ingly. With the exception of my com- panion-who drove down to Cambridge with me--I had seen few of tny Brook fellow during the past eleven years.

It might have been a grim and dreary experience. It turned out to be

enjoyable, amusing and slightly bizarre. To begin with, I suddenly found myself back among people who, in spite of the "Daily Herald" and the radio, stu thought of me as "Patrick" in stead of "spike."

by Spike Hughes

answers

question brought strange with it.

Jolun, for instance. He is a stock. broker; he went into the job before lo realised how deadly it could be. Now ho can't get out. But in his spare time he runa a hostel in Bloomsbury for young down and outa ------

Alfred is a Don. Ito lenda o secluded fo with this wine and at Greek epigrams Francis works at television, which he reached by way of Hollywood, repertory company in Banta Barbara, Cal, and building a Freneli chateau for a millionaire in Reno.

I liked less some of the answers 1 got to the inevitable. "What'u, hap- pened to .7"

One child I remembered had been killed nehting with the International Brigade in Spain; another had been killed in a car smash in Aden; yet wother had shot tumself in Gibraltar he was a handsome, charming boy too, who surely needn't have worried over n love affair.

There were other tragedies na well, some noble, some oddly sordid.

As the evening went on there was a strange melancholy about most of 15. No sighing for Good Old Days. but the stark realisation that the school, which was founded in 1815, hud someliow served its purpose.

*

* *

We began to realise that if they had not been The Happiest Days of our Life, nt Inst our schooldays und been than more intelligently supervised

The very mention of radio gave me a shock, anyway. When I had last seen these young men who were at dinner,

mos). had meant nothing the Wireless

more than the Morse code.

Yet here they were. Afteen years after, talking glibly about "Monday at Seven" and asking me if I'd met Mr. Ogilvie.

The oddest moments of all were the frat moments of reunion. Faces seemed vaguely familiar; a natne would be mentioned and after that it was easy.

* *

younger than I and even thinner on There was young Reggie, He Is top; he was smoking a cigarette, spenk- ing in a deep baas voice. It was diff- cult to remember him as my right centro when I had played on the wing and we had knocked hell out of a boy who later got a cap for Wales.

A hearty, military-looking fellow came up to me. He line a fair mous tache now and is in the Territorials. He reminded me of his name. But all I could remember on hearing it was the

picture of a very-small child indeed winning cups for diving against, all

Comtrs.

It went on like this for a long time. A naine, a face and they produced the strongest associations: the angle of a school can, the shape of a bicycle, a. through my drum ou Held Day. younger brother who'd put his rifle,

composite

I. could ace nobody na character, but only as a provider of ingidents which for same reason. had stayed in my niquiory..

What are you doing now?” The

the

Our headminster,

languages master, the English master lind brought to education not only what la called the Direct Method of teaching classics and innguages, but something immensely personal which had made our school unique.

Oh yes, we produced our Blues and our Rigger internationals, but above All we produced boys who were good democrats, who loved the English fan- gunge, in whom the plays of Shakes peare. Euripiden and Molière were liv- ing experiences, to whom being edu cated was (the English have the only word for It) Fun.

We were melancholy because, from all accounts, none of this tradition has have retired: "the Old Man" to his remained. Three great educationists

farm, the languages master to his bowls at Grantchester, the English master to his memories of our enjoying Shakes- peare in theatre instead of reciting hum in a classroom.

*

system. You "didn't want to be like old Brown."

Nowadays, if your neighbour does one thing, so do you. You don't like to be different. You don't like to be thought different. "It isn't done."

I'm prepared to be proved wronk.

but I believe that it the human raco had always been as shy as it is to-day of the things that " aren't done" the first pages of all the history books would still be blank paper. Better for that? Maybe you're right.

HOWEVER. Away In the dim past Individ- ualism used to be en- couraged. If a man stood on his head in a

pond nobody tried to steal

his thunder. They gave him the credit. They told their children and their children's chlidren, generation after genera- tion, about the Man Who Stood his Head in the Pond. He became a legend.

од

To-day if a man stood on a head in a pond you'd have half the Western Hemisphere at it by to-morrow morning. "Coming in, oid man? But you must. Every- body's doing it."

Crowds of them. All standing on their heads in ponds. Not a bad idea elther, perhaps, if you give it careful thought.

Discovering America was a job for one man four hundred years ago. Discovering places like Frin ton is a job for half Mayfair now. A one-man discovery would be a, wash-out. A one-man anything.

Everybody's doing it..." That's the modern idea.

The old system turned out people like Shakespeare and Henry the Eighth and Whistler and Guy Fawkes and Hall Caine and Abra- ham Lincoln and Napoleon and Queen Elizabeth and Charles Peace and Dr. Johnson. Good, bad and the other sort, but definitely them- solves.

Ι

The now system, as I see it, is out to put a stop to all that. don't know if it knows it, but that is all the present system is for.

Behind the clashing ideas und the clashing nations of this age. behind all the strife and the dozens of-isms, I firmly believe there is that one fundamental thing

the carrying all

other troubles on its back: the question, is the human race to become in the end Mon, different, Individuals, like.men on a chess-board, or Man, a mass, uniform, one like the rest. iike men on 4 draught-board? I do firmly believe that that is down underneath most of the up- W↓↓14↓↓↓↓..................................................................

Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Cromwell, Lloyd George den stely themselves.

heaval of our time. Aro we to be- come, In the end, a herd, like the sheep? Or not?

Already we are well on the way. Millions wearing the same coloured shirts, raising our right arms. shouting the same shouts.

to do so, wearing the same sort of. Or, even when we're not forced

hats, because the man next door does. "Everybody's doing It **

Man or Men? Perhaps the world. ts making up .ita mind. But, as I. sald in the first place, I can't make up mino. I know which side I'm on. I may be on the wrong side. I can't tell. Time will.

I'm quite aware of some of the drawbacks of Individualism. I know that it means the best man wins, and when you have a man who wins, you've got to have a man. who loses, and losing isn't so nice. I'm quite aware of some of the ad- vantages of the herd.

Perhaps when we're all alike, with no differences at all, we'll And we've got nothing to quarrel about. Just turning us all into sheep may bring peace to earth at last. Sheep have a pretty peaceful time. I notice. Men don't. Well, they haven't had so far.

And perhaps that's what men are meant to be in the end: all alike. It won't be in my time or yours, but it may be in somebody's.

FOR centuries and cen- turios wo've been im- pelled by Individual- 1am. Little

groups, littlo sects, families, pairs, persons, separate ideas, lonely adven- tures, individual achievements. It may have been all wrong. For the life of mo I cannot honestly say. Perhaps the ultimate herd is what. mankind is for.

All Smiths.. Or Browns. Or Robinsons.

There's one thing that strikes me. Even in the countries where the herd idea is strongest there are Just one or two who refuse to join. the hord. They have a high old time running the herd. They are the individuals who have killed In- dividualism. Except their own. A crafty notion.

A world full of sheep in meadow called the world. It's an Idea. But I wonder if it's interest- ing being sheep.:

Tako A representative hair- dozen men from the age that was. Alfred the Great, Thomas à Bucket, William Shakespeare, Oliver Crom- well, Charles the Second. Lloyd' George. Take a

representative half-dozen men from the age that may be. Smith. Smith, Smith, Smith. Smith.

I wonder.

GRIN AND BEAR IT

Smith.

By Lichty

Dago, 1924 By United Yollars #pulata, tan,

"I suppose you'd rather I'd let that truck-driver intimidate me!" SHOT EMBARRASSES

I was asked to make a speecla, but I refused. Whet: I was there we had Serbians, Frenchron, Belgians, In- dians, Burmese, Chinese, ""Japanese, Americana, Jews from Byrin and Spain, two boys from Vindivostock and one A hunter shot at a rabbit he saw

from Blam

HUNTER

NILES, O.

SHARKS ATTACK

WHALE

DURBAN, South Afrien. While playing on the beach near

If I had spoken, I would have said pearing over the edge of a pile of hero school children saw a batila be- that in that schoot of ours, though we boxes and rushed to pick up his game, tween a huge whale and several were only childred, we were bound by He found only a rabbit's head-sharks only 100 yards from the shore, three great old school ties: tolerance, which jokester friends had placed on Attacked from all sides, the whale equality and justice.

the boxes.

was torn to pieces.