THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 26, 1941.
CHINA MAIL The Decisive
was
·WINDSOR HOUSE
WHEN HITLER THREATENS
er over a people whose voice is submerged, as it on Monday at the Beer Cellar by the chanical clamour of the Party clique. In all that time there is not a single precedent to prove he will either keep a mise or fulfill a threat. If, there is any guarantee in his record, in fact, it is that the one thing he will not do is the thing he says
a government with
instalment as Prime Minister of a
who
the was niember leader of no party and had scarec-
reverses,
disaster
Our
try irrespective of party feels it.
nanny.
spokes- win again for England the test monal which Napoleon gave bei and "the must consistent, the inust im- placable and the most generous of Ger-¦iny enemies.“
By- Gilbert Murray
armies returned from Dunkirk with the conviction that, man for
man,
while
We
made our preparations stronger
to
Page
Year
been
avoid
er of the world has long In trying to ecmpore the pre-, ger serious, our relations with our, closer and closer cooperation with
greater us both in material help and in
than it can use; if we sent situation with that in Sep- one great ally shaltered. Yet we
been con-political sympathy. The Canadian- could imagine it used according Is one tember, 1939,
struck by ourselves had never
Anglo-to some reasonably public-spirit- three large and obvious facts, no scious of defeat. No doubt we hud American Alliance, the
the fifty ed plan, without nationalistic muddle in Norway, and American naval bases, has produced the made one of which
maladjustments, it could in very might have the destruction of our allies had destroyers and the host of volun consequences which been expected. The overthrow of compelled us to retreat in Flan-teers, represent a diplomatic gain few years make the wealth of the greater than it a huge and ders, but we had always held our which more than outweighs the human race, far
own in the actual fighting. Our almost unrelieved Inside Germany or out-apparently unshakable majority
ill-success of has ever been, Nevertheless, the our diplomacy in Europe.
period of disorder and impoverish- ment which is sure to intervene Meantime the new Axis Pact side, no one in the world in the House of Commons and the
will bring great dangers. It may has done much to clarify the-
icad to ruinous revolutions, It -expects truth from Adolf private
meaning of the whole conflict. A predatory bargain between three may, even without that, produce ar equally deadly result, the des- Hitler. For eight years hely even a firm group belund him.
lawless aggressors
conquer instead of producing violent con-
truction
Middle of the cultured three continents and divide the
So much of the has wielded absolute pow-thets and convulsions, has led to universal satisfaction and national
spoil inevitably makes the rest of Class, on whom
moral and intellectual guidance of Not be- ty. A year of almost unmixed
the world their enemy.
a nation depends. It is the ruin of including one
then better they were
cause we are Capitalists, or Con-
that class in Germany which made აი - which the world in general con-
Jerry." The rescue of those 350,000 |servatives, or Democrats, or
the brutalities of the Nazis pos- Andered absolutely fatal to
men seemed to Europe admission cialists or Liberal idealists or even
sible. not because of any discouraging of defeat, a defeat which was just | Christians; instead of #ause. Great Britain, has lost the nation
Again, the prospect of economic saved from being absolu.ely fatul, particular erecd er prejudice or
absolutely on mere content and full of fight but our people felt it as a victory,
"idealogy," but simply because we recovery depends than ever. And so far as I can
The daring of the multitudes of are human beings. We do not want the wisdom of economic policy in by civilian to be conquered, robbed of our nations which have not been re- jutge, the increased sufferings of small boats manned
volunteers roused the enthusiasm possessions, privileges, liberties, ofmarkable for it of late, especial- the population under the brutab-
ly Great Britain, the Deminions, than all that we value most among the Des 1 totalitarian war," So far
61 thre average man more
the United States. Every many a purely military victory, slow achievements of civilisation, and om engendering any faltering of
wild excesses of No doubt, he felt, we had han Besides, resolve or any
the present
knows that, to #ggressors economist that passion, has merely left our to shocking misfortunes, but still we have not merely shown the ordi- ruin, they must learn both to plan populations, as the Prime Mini- | had never been beaten. Moreoverary and inevitable vices of aggres-and to cooperate, with some de- gree of unselfish public spirit. we still held the sea, more strong-sive powers. They have made t
thei aggressiveness. The war will drive the pro-er puts it, "grin, and gay."
lesson As for the change in the govern- | ly than at the opening of the wa. religion of ment, from the tume when Mr. We had to make sure that the They have ransacked history for home, but may at the same time inhumanities which exasperate passions which will Chinchill became leader of the French Fleet was not going to be crimes and nation he has shown new quah-handed (ver to the enemy, a pain they can quote as precedents. They paralyse all reason. The Economie Committee of the League of Na- ties l greatness which he had ful business, in which the unrea have developed to its logical ex-
treme the theory of totalitaan tions is, I believe, studying the perhaps had no opportunity of sonableness was certainly not on
war, Conquest is the supreme pur-problem of planning on a world showing belen e He is for mor ou side; but when once that was than a great lighter, and the coun-
pose. over, we could breathe again,
War the supreme method. scale in the interest of the whole. It seems to me little better than That is the only true way, if we There remained the threats of England delights in his dogge d
nin-triviality to say that we are fight have the wisdom to follow invasion, 'The Odinary
Of the mural salvage it is dif- ourage and feels his frank god structed Englishman knew of these ing for any of the conflicting-ismi he will do. For eight years | fellowship, it enjoys his majeste! thi cats and discounted them. They or for "New Order" or an Econ-cult to speak, partly because of We the diametrically opposite views he has been the sole and ratory, and is proud of his makiad been defeated before. Besides, mic Revolution or the like.
shall have no doubt to create a so publicly and confidently ex- He is just the man t
the enemy hesitated,
pressed by writers of different uncontradicted
New Order, but we did not go to war fon any such purpose, Weschools. Most thoughtful people than ever
really and were not
went to war to save ourselves and regard war as, in itself, a matt- man for Germany
afraid invasion,
the rest of the civilised world from strous crime, and as leading to all What we did fear was the Ger-
sorts of moral disorder. Yet the to-day the word of
man Air Force. Originally perhaps the triumph of organised crime.
fighting bow
mat in for average
his romantic three times as numerous as ours,
increased by the everything that man holds sacred. moods speaks of it as a school of many is worthless.
Was How it
But can we in any case save heroism, of brotherhood, of self- whole Haan force and by many machines from France. The odds "Une more war fa the west," said sacrifice for an ideal, Similarly the
"and recent Prime Minister, Worse
one set of critics emphasise the against us were terrific.
the the civilisation of ages will fall miseries caused by war: the other still. by h possession f
crush as that of points out the high spirits of the Channel pat: the enemy had only with as great a
men in khaki, and note how often Rome. Is that proving true? Or, nituen twenty
fly to I les to
as another Prime Minister is said some fierce and mertal combat in Dover, and only 120 to bomb 21-
do we find the clouds is described by the vic- aon, while we had to fly some 200 to have commented.
or two, for as "the happiest moment in to reach Cologne and am the 360 that "It tuld stand one before we could attack Berlin. And anyhow"? Let us try to face this my life."
We can all of us understand, here the miracle happened. The problem coldly. The loss of life,
us far as numbers go, is easily re-and even sympathise with, both sazing superiority of our own Air Force is a thing which no paired, Within quite a few years these sentiments. The truth is lag nan can understand; but which | after the last war, which was fol- that war is a reversion to the pri- seems pertainly to lie in the men lowed by a still inore destructive mitive. Its heroisin, its self-sacri- as its ferocities and the rhines. There! pestilence, the population of the fice, as well as much as
terrors, are all well within the are troubles still before us, but world was higher than in 1914
range of primitive man; one might mass daylight In quality the case is not so plain the Blitzkrieg of VIEN
whnost say within that of the in half an hour. It is important
le some extent war picks out in attack: which were meant to ann-
gregarious carnivora. A for us to realise this condition odhade our An Force and clear the each ecuntry the brave and the higher
This war is picking out tigress will die for her young!. am in Europe To win again way for successful invasion end-| strong.
Consequently it brings with it the most civilised races.
release, o escape and The ny sort at confidence in cur paw. ed in disastrous failure,
economic
financial that thrill of
from the thin weary plodding Hitler, we had to start absolutely
losses will be gigantic but, again. can be easily repaired. A war ways of reason inte the wide un- after all can only destroy the her-trammelled rush of simple emo- vest of one year. Flocks and herdation, which naturally belongs to replenish themselves. As for capi-the primitive. This is what makes tal goods, the manufacturing pow-it so intinitely dangerous,
When the period of intense strain is over one wonders how much will remain of the high spirit of daring and sacrifice; how widely it may be followed by ex- haustion, selfish weariness, and the callousness which is bred by familiarity with cruel and evil things. How far shall we find that the standard has permanently fallen, not only in things inteller- tual but in the presale virtues of self-control, moderation, honesty, diligence and care for truth which, form the base of a high civilisa- tion? Some such disturbances there is sure to be, and that at a time when the world will be in des- perate need of all the wisdom it can muster.
!
|
abandoned
51.5.1
a
and
As for the war itself, the effect of the Petain collapse everywhere but in England was catastrophie Thus when Hitler pro- The only anti-German army m Europe had surrendered. The land claims in a loud voice, it, or Liberte, Egalite, Fraterite had principles and is as if he had not spoken. adopted fascism, There was no oprositi to Hitler left. either When he warns that material or intellectual. For Eng- land to continue fighting seemed "every ship that comes, mere oily, and erminal folly t within range of our tor-that Of course Europe as a whols think m terins of land armies
never understood pedoes will be torpedoed," and has
Power, "The English Channel an his warning will have no obstacle sant an intelligent swiss
|observer; "Twenty miles of water influence on the decisions not ball the length of the Lake t
Genevat a motor boat can the American Congress is now debating. There is or startling nothing new
It does not follow that our on- in this threat: the danger
fidence is justified Many painful brom zura,
surprises may be in store for u that American ships
Bul Meantime on us ourselves the
the confidence exists; and would be sunk if used effect of these events had been | ninantime, in place of the great We have lost, the greatest either to deliver war ma- quite different. No doubt the shoally
was terile, the mediale dan- power in the world is moving to
SMITH YATES MAKES HIS OFFICIAL BOW
terials or to convoy ship- ments to Britain was pre- sent in the American mind long before the dis- cussion of the lend-lease ¡bill. Hitler completely misunderstands British psychology if he imagines that this kind of talk will frighten us.
Nobody expects con- sistency from Hitler. Otherwise even the select-| ed lot of cheer-leaders in the Beer Cellar might| wonder as they clapped wildly at the announce- ment that with the Spring Herr Hitler's fancy light- ly turns to thoughts of shove. Though they may! wonder why he trusts to providence and not to his own right arm. It is inter- esting too that he admit- ted it would be a trial of strength. As far as they have known until now, the Germans were fight- ing the obsolete democra- tic system, rotten to the :core. He can blame no one but himself if his warnings have as little meaning as his assur-
ances.
er to conquer, de
even lo JUSEL
AND NOW
MY CHICK
BE NICE To
HONGKONG BUT IF Y
EAT-
N
YOU MUST
WELL - T
CAN'T BE HELPED!
THUMQUR
SATIRE
CRITICISM
we are
NEWSPAPE "ENTERPRISE
TIBES POLITICS
WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE
I
The need will indeed be des- perate. One may well look for- ward with comparative confidence as far as the Armistice whioli must close this war, but tremble. at the prospect which will then open. We know in the main out- line what ought to be done. The nations of Europe must be set free but cannot be left in anarchy. No one power can be trusted to rule the rest; therefore there must be some international authority strong enough to maintain the law and prevent resort to violence, and representative enough to inspire confidence, If communities wigh to live in peace they must live as good neighbours and honest citi- zens. The "Principles of the Covenant" remain, as the British Government, stated in its last ad- dress to the League of Nations Assembly, the only basis on which civilisation can be bullt. The pro- blem is not whether they are true but simply how to make them ef- fective,
The eminent French historian, Elie Halevy, once said to me in a troubled period of our history thật he saw in front of the British Empire five great problems, any one of which might well boʻfatal to an ordinary nation; but Eng- land, die thought, would evercome theni.