A Better England

IN the place of a Christmas number proper we have decided to publish an expanded special number of the Spectator, the articles in which are intended to fill in the outlines of a Better World. We have asked our contributors to bear this thought in mind. The subject is a large one and there are so many sides to the problem of a better England alone that it is only possible here to deal with a few. In making our survey of conditions in Great Britain there is no need for undue despondency at the present time. There has been a marked improvement in the international outlook since twelve months ago. The Spectator never concealed its dissatisfaction with much of the foreign policy of the late Unionist Government and, while we in no way recede from our position of independence, we think that the foreign record of the Labour Government deserves commendation from all who are working for World Peace.

There is no need for us to retread well-worn ground and to describe in detail the steps which have been taken during the past few months towards the liquidating of some of the post-War problems, e.g., the British action at The Hague in August, the withdrawal of British troops from the Rhineland, the signing by Great Britain of the Optional Clause at Geneva, the re-establishment of contact with Russia, a policy which the Spectator has consistently advocated since the Arcos raid, and, finally, the opening of a new chapter in the history of the English-speaking peoples as a result of Mr. MacDonald's visit to the United States and Canada.

Of late we have heard much of the attempt to develop the resources of the British Commonwealth, a purpose with which the Spectator has always sympathized. In our view, much more might be done in this direction by the British Government and in many of the outlying portions of the British Empire old-world experience and financial resources in conjunction with new-world enterprise and initiative might and should work wonders. This is not to say that we think it will be possible to organize a Free Trade British Empire. Great Britain, despite its oversea connexions, is in Euope, in a key position between the old world and the new. However much it may be possible for Great Britain to draw closer the bonds that unite her to those virile self-governing and free communities across the seas, it must not be forgotten that she occupies a place in the European constellation which cannot be filled by any other nation. Europe's greatest needs at the present time are peace, reconciliation and co-operation. Exactly what form the future " association " or co-operation of the nations of Europe will take, it is impossible to say. But if Europe is to reach that degree of prosperity which should be hers, tariffs must be reduced, national antipathies and hates must be abolished and a new generation of Europeans possessed of a broader vision must arise in all countries.

In regard to home problems, the present Government has yet to justify itself in the eyes of the average citizen. Now that it has the power in its hands, will it be more successful than its predecessors in dealing with such difficult matters as unemployment, education, agriculture and slum clearance ? In the last analysis the record of the Government will be judged by its home policy.

Many observers who have studied the educational methods of the United States, of Northern EFurope and of the British Dominions are still of the opinion that this country has much leeway to make up. The fitimate aim of every educationist and of every voter should be to raise the school age of the primary schools to sixteen or seventeen so that the children of the poor in this country would receive the same educational advantages as the children of the well-to-do. Mental equipment for life's battles must not be a prerogative of the rich. The poor Man must be given an equal chance, and the basis of our universities must be broadened so that a university career shall be open to all suitable young men.

No problem has occupied so much space in the Press during the past few years as agriculture, and yet the plight of British farming causes grave apprehension. Expedients for its revival are numerous, but, alas ! there is no short cut to prosperity. As a nation we must work harder—employers and employed alike. The farming community must remember that farming is no longer a rule-of-thumb business, but an exact science ; some of the world's most successful farmers are engineers, scientists, business organizers and thinkers. It is no longer possible for agriculturists to work in water-tight compartments.

If the Government is to come forward with schemes of increased agricultural credit, the farmer, on his side, must get rid of his prejudices and co-operate with his neighbours. There is no more splendid life than that of farming, and some of the young generation who are thinking of taking up farming as a career could not do better than study dairy farming in Denmark, Sweden, Holland or Germany and, if they have opportunity, even further afield, in the British Dominions of Canada and New Zealand. If there is to be greater food production at home we shall have to copy the methods of our successful rivals, and in no respect is our mental equipment so inadequate as in agricultural education, a field in which Denmark, for example, excels.

Slum clearance has long been a subject to which the Spectator has devoted space. Granted the requisite enthusiasm and adequate financial support from the Government, it should be possible to abolish every sluin in these islands in the next twelve years. But the job will have to be approached in no half-hearted manner and men of vision will be required. According to the estimate of the National Housing and Town Planning Council, two million houses in Great Britain, or one-quarter of the whole, are overcrowded.

The New Health Society and other bodies have done much useful pioneer work in stirring up the national conscience, but a huge task remains to be undertaken. A nation- wide health campaign must be planned to teach our working-classes rudimentary ideas of health and hygiene and cooking, and a better knowledge of food values and their relation to health. The women of our towns and countryside have much to learn from their sisters in Europe in the art of preparing a sensible and healthy diet, especially in the cooking of vegetables.

In teaching us to appreciate the value of sunlight and for inciting us to work for the abolition of the smoke nuisance, such organizations as the. Smoke Abatement Society, the Sunlight League and others deserve our gratitude. But despite all the propaganda on this sub- ject since the War we have made comparatively little headway. Our rulers should set us an example in their immediate surroundings. So long as Government offices in -the neighbourhood of Whitehall and elsewhere belch forth their daily quota of smoke and dist through hundreds of chimneys, how can the ordinary citizen be expected ' to aim at a cleaner and better England ? Surely an enlightened .Government would set an example to the public at large. by taking steps to ensure that no Royal Palace or GoVernment - building added -to the smoke nuisance. We trust that the report that Mr. Lansbury_ is hoping to introduce smokeless fuel into.

Whitehall is correct : - _. There has undoubtedly been an improveinent in- recent years in our methods of -fighting the litter fiend. in our public parks, but much' remains' to be done -by an appeal to the good citizenship of the individual and by the provision of large baskets such as those used at Kew Gardens. On several occasions the Spectator has advocated the removal of iron railings, soot-covered evergreens and holly bushes from the outer edges of. many of our parks and squares. In some cases this suggestion is not practicable, but most of the squares and open spaces in Great Britain would be greatly improved if the iron railings were removed and a landscape gardener consulted as to how to make the best use of the space available. The Spectator has also for many years advocated the unlocking of the gates of the squares in our cities, at present reserved for the use of the favoured few. This was a subject which was dear to the heart of Mr. St. Loe Strachey.

As the writer of the series of articles on Central Europe recently pointed out in our columns Great Britain has much to learn from the Continent in the provision of public baths and open-air children's baths in our cities. The Government should send a deputation from the town councils of every large city in Great Britain on a tour of inspection through Continental Europe. They would return from their wanderings with much valuable information and with an increased sense of our short- comings in matters of public health and recreation. The subject of preserving the beauty of our countryside has been dealt with at length in this issue and there are indications that uncontrolled ribbon development and the building of " shack " towns in many beauty spots will soon be brought to an end.

Why is it that so many Englishmen have a horror of fresh air, compared with other nations ? Last week we were discussing this matter with one of the leading educationists in New Zealand ; we learn from him that the boys in one of the chief public schools in the South Island sleep out of doors every night of the year, to the great advantage of their health. Of how many schools in England could this be said ?

Owing to the dampness and mists in winter sleeping out of doors in Great Britain may not be possible, but there is no reason why it should not be practised for the -six .summer. months. Why; again, is it that we in Great Britain refuse to eat our meals out of doors during the summer, a. practice which is popular-in. most civil- ized countries; many of them with climates no better than our Own ? Those pioneers who play tennis in shorts and- walk about our streets with. Byronic collars may. seem -ridiCulous, but-probably-in another generation they will have the:laugh on their side. - Most of us are slaves' to convention, and our city-dwellers in the hot weather still go about. dressed in starched collars, heavy cloth coats and waistcoats. The weight of the clothes worn by the average man during the spring and summer in Great Britain must be several pounds heavier than are those -of the average woman.

Now that the Government has appointed a Royal Commission to go into the question of the drink trade, presumably reformers will have to exercise patience for another couple of years. The convictions of the Spectator on the necessity for the public ownership of the drink trade in this country only become deepened as time passes ; in this direction, again, Mr. St. Loe Strachey showed how far-sighted he was and how far in advance of many of his countrymen. As our readers know, for many years we have refused to accept liquor advertise- ments because we have felt that it would be inconsistent with our principles to accept revenue from a trade which we hope to see removed from private ownership before long. The influence of the privately-owned drink trade in our political life is intolerable. Sooner or later we must do for the country as a whole .what has been done in Carlisle. As we have pointed out on many occasions in these columns, Sweden shows the way to conduct the sale of drink in a sane and satisfactory manner without any of the drawbacks of Prohibition.

. For the . better treatment of animals we have long pleaded. There are many reforms much overdue. In a country whose people are supposed to be fond of animals it is a national disgrace that humane slaughter is not compulsory. Under existing conditions ninety per cent. of the animals killed in our slaughter-houses are made away with by old-fashioned and inhumane methods. We also advocate the abolition of stag and otter-hunting, rabbit-coursing and the exhibition for profit of performing animals in circuses and on the stage.

This brief and inadequate summary seeks to place before our readers some of our thoughts about a " Better England." If it succeeds in stimulating thought as to methods of hastening the victory of the armies of light it will not have been in vain.