THE MACHINE [To the Editor of THE SrEer.4.Toa.]
Sin,—Lord Dunsany's analysis of the world today is witty, but superficial. "The machine" (he says) "is master " : and "the fault lies in our civilisation which has been growing too artificial, and which, therefore, regards with more and more apprehension" (hence, the existence of the League) the test" (presumably, war) "to which civilisations are periodically put." -
Machines may, of course, be made, by men's minds, a blessing, or a curse. But the enemy is not the -machine bid the spiritual: and intellectual destitution of men's minds that lies behind it. Out (so-called) Education Bill is only one symptom. Many, like Matthew Arnold, have cried out for "sweetness and light" ; and so .do I. Without that there will be no progress, but revolution. Only a wide and liberal education, that will be deep enough to go on for life, will make civilisation unified, peaceful, harmonious, progressive.
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars" (nor cars, nor bars, nor, for that matter, razor-blades), "but in ourselves that we arz. underlings." Man can't advance, unless he has a planned, rational, economic basis to build on, with universal, liberal education for all, for life.
The new type of life will come, but, without these two things, only by violent revolution. As yet, man shirks the effort to meet the problem, or bungles it. Yet solve it he must, somehow, for "whatever smashes them" (the machines) " will surely deal harshly with us."
Should ;not our leaders, then, be up and doing, planning actively and broadly a better, juster, happier type of society instead of blaming the " dead " machine, or worse ?—Yours
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