THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 11, 1940.
CHINA MAIL
-WINDSOR HOUSE
OUR CHATTERBUGS
Views of sojourners in this Colony, particularly between the civilian and military elements, are still very sharply divided on the issue of the hour, the necessity for the large- scale evacuations accom- plished and contemplat- ed.
What there can be no dispute about is the grave effect the step has had, and is likely to have, upon Hong Kong's internal economy. At the stroke of some-orie's pen, in White- hall so far as can be judg- ed by official pronuncia- mentoes, the Colony has been rushed from near| boom conditions to serious depression in many spheres, with that dis- turbance of confidence which threatens its exten sion, unless more favour- able factors are swiftly introduced.
Events since the evac-
THE
DEAD OF
1914-18
TRIUMPHAL ENTRY
Educating The British Soldier
British
The education of the uation decision was sen-soldier is not neglected even in sationally announced by these grave, difficult days of war. wireless have done noth. On the contrary. It might be said that the whole of Britain's
from boredom
which demand. And many townsmen are spare likely to 'return to civil life with a
By:
Paul Bloomfield,
distinguished English. novelist and writer, the who describes fox face
steps which are being taken to enable the British soldier to receive education in
tary training. conjunction with mili-
ing to change radically academic forces had been mobi- saved
might attend their the views of those who lised to look after the young sol- time when they are engaged new knowledge of fields, and
dier's and the not-so-young sol- in certain kinds of duties: for in- flocks, and woods and wild life. foresaw the unpleasing dier's higher interests.
stance, there may be a handful of By dint of a good deal of give them living in isolation with a and-take between the various au- consequences. What they Navy, Army and Air Force gun or a search-light, not even thorities concerned, considerable have done is merely to education officers, the Board of near a village with its sociable progress has been made, lately.
In a if it is at home in England, and education, confirm, in large measure, Education, the Universities, the possibilities, its County Library, with the different kinds of army speech in the local authorities, and other bodies the friet:dly inn.
House of Commons Mr. Stanley, War Minister, prömised financial have come together and a great
As for the former problem, support-not a large sum, con- scheme for educating the soldier
professional bodies have come for pared with the cost of a battleship Ward and said they were willing, or two, but a sum that..could not in co-operation with publishing be better allocated: money spent. firms, to arrange correspondence on the seed which brings forth courses for soldiers. As for the lads what, for want of a better word, who search the skies for German we call culture, which is the sub- tic, voluntary, non-propagandist scheme or education will be ht aeroplanes, it looks as if some use- stance of civilisation. ful amateur astronomers may
full swing-to secure the future The difficulties? Well, we are at come out of the war, because it
the fears of the Chamber of Commerce.
For that reason, it is de- was beginning to work in quite a big way, even before all the ad- sirable once again to draw ministrative details. had been
settled. attention to the mischiev- ous possibilities of idle Here it must be confessed that the British idéa of educating the gossip and of the spread-citizen army or educating any has occurred to some of our sky war: there are military exigencies. of young men, on whom in turn ing of wild rumours. body—is not one that people ap- sentries to learn to search out the Then as for organisation, with the the character of Great Britain and stars as well another kind of star, setting up of a special Central Ad- the Empire will depend, and with prove all the world over. After all, Mr. Will Hay the music-hall visory Committee the awkward Things are bad enough
what is education? That remark comedian who is also an as- overlapping of the military and it the nature of British influence without making them un-able man Godwin, father-in-law tronomer, is among the lecturers civil spheres of influence has been on the world's peace and settled necessarily worse. Apart education as a panacea for human
of the poet Shelley, thought of who are supplying this particular remedied: and soon this democra- civilisation, from the sinister Fifth discontents, rather in the way that the eighteenth century philoso- Column, and of a vaguely ohers thought of Reason, or the mid-nineteenth century people
defined Sixth Column, thought of Machinery, there is a seventh column we no longer think of education which may well be called as a panacea, but as a method for helping men and women to make
the Gossip Column in a the best of themselves; and there-
fore when they have left school,
We believe their wants ought to be
A.R.P.
Work
WRT
until
that
Air Raid Precaution wardens in war, has already reached greater than 200,000 men and women, It new guise and with a new but have not stopped needing or Hong Kong, who have joined up proportions than anyone in 1914 covers the police and its Auxili-
aries nearly another 200,000.. It was only in: 1936 when the It covers a very large section meaning. It is associated wanting to cultivate their minds, with a desire to be of some use in could have dreamt of. with the garrulity of sup-satisfied, and satisfied (here is the case of emergency in the Colony, threat of German Nazism begail of that surprising organisation the er-pessimists and panic point) according to their own no- may be interested to know the to become apparent that a new Women's Voluntary Service with
Itions.
extent to which, this work as Defence Service was formed, in- more than 600,000 women which cluding the A.R.P. Department at seems to be able to turn its haud grown in Great Britain. mongers who add daily to
not
the the Home Office. The tremendous to anything. It covers, too, the was So, although the British soldier It
has the gloom they have to
that British jolt the country received follow A.RP of industry, which is not free to march or halt when last
actual ing the Munich affair resulted in trained. 700,000 people. dispense.
and as it: seems good to him, he people realised
There are also people behind the [is allowed to decide on his own hostilities could reach England, at the passing of the Civil Defence Peppery Blimps and the national needs, he is offered feast not in the way, the Contin. Act. Under the Act the country scenes who are working equally jittery old women of both education, not propaganda. Indeed, ental nations felt it. Even during was divided into twelve civil de- well in the common cause. Nearly sexes are bad enough but he is showing himself in war as the Napoleonic wars only a very fence regions. There were twelve 70 million, respirators of one he did in peace, anxious to hear small proportion of the men ever Commissioners; staffs were drós kind or another have been made; those who talk glibly as both sides of all the great con- saw war at all-none of the wo- vided and the industrial side of steel shelters constructed to pro- are men. The feet that won. Trafal- A.R.P. was made obligatory. Every tect eleven million people, there people in the know" troversial questions which
agitating the world-political, gar only numbered a few thousand factory had to make its prepara are those who have installed many hundreds of miles of telephone about a situation they un-economic, "ideological" So far he men and Wellington's army never tions.
The work of the organisation is cables, those who have worked on has not decided that there is a case excéëdëd 50,000. The rest of thế" derstand no better than has hit only being presented with datlon, was immune, They paid, actually a much bigger thing than the lighting problems and a many the next man are a great- one side of the case. So he is given they watched and they waited. Air Raid Precautions alone. The more detalls too numerous to men- what he wants, both sides, as be- During 1914-18, the loss to hu- service covere AR.F. with its tion, all of which come under the er danger.
fore.
man life was staggering..as it has wardens. Its Rescue Parties and heading of ARP work.
The Air Raid Precaution werk We have to make the
already been in this, while the Decontamination Squads and First The problem which is being phenomena that appeared in the Aid Parties. It covers the Am. and its Auxiliary. Branches may best of the present situa-red is of course, complicated: last, war 18. re-appearing to even bulances and the First Aid Posts not be spectacular, but it is very tion, as we find it. That Here are men of varying ages in a greater extent to-day. This in- all splendidly helped by St. important and Great Britain in uniform together, some of them cludes blockade, money questions, John and St. Andrews and the Red preparing for German attack is should keep us so busy as ansious for their professional intensified, agriculture, rationing, Cross and all those amount to depending to a large extent on the to give us no time for studies not to be absolutely munition-making, etc. But, the more than one and a half million efficiency with which A.R.P. work- suspended, others are asking menace from the gir though not people. It also covers the Fire Ser ers of all typen carry out their jobs chatterbugs.
nothing more than .to be unknown during the last world vice and s Auxiliaries-more to withstand that attack.
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