1938-04-19 — Page 8

THE CHINA MAIL,, APRIL 19, 1938.

Britain Must Talk More About Herself

Anti-British propaganda of violent type abroad has focused attention on Britain's need for adequate and accurate representa-

of tion in foreign lands

her affairs and views.

Viscount Cranborne in Parlia- ment said the Government

giving the matter serious sideration.

Was

con-

have a strong feeling for Great Bri- ed and renamed the street separating tain I spent that day with their the two houses "the Rhine!” greatest leader, Senator Smoot, who was at that time chairman of the Finance Committee of the Senate and President Hoover's right-hand

m3.

USE FOR BRITISH BOOKS

that

be It must not

considered Britain is doing nothing. For the last three years the British Council, first to- ander Lord Eustace Percy and day under Lord. Lloyd, has been send- ing out lecturers-and books and en- I was amused to be told by elderly Japanese general that he ad- couraging the visits of foreign stud- One would have thought that it was mired Great Britain during the war have existed 10 years ago; besides, it But it should ents to this country. incumbent on Britons to see to it that for the immense amount of propa is doing so much good that it deserves his information about conditions in ganda she put forth-"even," as he to be 10 times as large. Its work is Great Britain was accurate. Yet from said, "if it was not all true." He HE word “propaganda" has as- his conversation that day I realised added that the Japanese do not re tries that is the best propaganda of

purely cultural, and for some sumed a sinister meaning in how wrongly he was informed about spect a country unwilling to boast

But other countries are actual conditions amongst the English about herself. They feel that coun interested in practical matters.

all,

only England within recent years owing to its use in a new form on the Con- working-classes and the unemployed. try has lost pride and interest. tinent. In actual fact, propaganda has been a recognised necessity for many centuries.

im

The British

coun-

in

Only a few weeks later I was

EMPLOYING THE BB.C. He said there were no books in the' Philadelphia when the National Gov- public libraries worth reading about ernment was returned in Great Bri- the British Empire, whereas Ameri Broadcast talks on conditions The College of Propaganda at the tain with its overwhelming 1931 ma- can organisations were always pre- this country should remain as they Vatican has been in existence for jority. Certain elements in the Re- senting volumes.

only are to-day, strictly statements of fact. frequently over 300 years; its duty has merely publican party of the United States, gave them to the university libraries, But they should be more meant spreading throughout the who were against any form of un- and the average Japanese would not heard, and, to my mind, should be languages, world what the Roman Catholic employment insurance or the deve- go near a university, for they con- translated into different

lopment of social services in the Unit- sidered that "evil thoughts emanated thus supplementing the News Talks Church regards as facts.

ed States, immediately spread the from that quarter."

which the B.B.C. are about to give Everybody concerned with interna- rumour that Great Britain, having

in Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. tional trade knows that nationalism realised her mistake, was now about When I was in the interior of

It might also be worth while to and tariffs are a hindrance to world to change policy and get rid of as China, there was no use talking about study each day what talks and what development, and that the ideal form many of the social services as pos- what Britain could do. The Chinese subjects foreign stations are

We could then give perfectly of living is in world co-operation. sible.

merchants were not interested,

buting.

OF. our view But other countries are going to in-

when they found that my friend and straightforward talks

institutions foreigners. gre dulge in propaganda, and if in that

I could defeat them at the

ancient of the propaganda they are going to give tan

game of fingers and see them under describing, showing what is also be

ing developed in this country. incorrect twist to information about the British Empire it becomes essen-

should tial that Great Britain

talk about herself and cooperate in this new world movement.

DEMOCRACY'S PRIVILEGE

4

Since there was no answer from this country, the position of those Ameri-

By WILLIAM TEELING

at 2 became,

least

TWO FACTIONS IN JAPAN

the table after drinking brandy, then they were willing to purchase their of from a British company.

:

People

If she does not do so, she leaves cans who were trying to model their Qur institutions large numbers of people, foreigners social services on in other parts of the world, in

temporarily, ex- false position. These are the people tremely difficult. who for a number of years have been

In all seriousness there is an im- accustomed to tell their fellow-country-

mense amount of vital

that men that the British Empire is 2 great institution, and that the Par- From 1984 to 1936 I happened to must be done for Great Britain, both liamentary system we have develop be lecturing in Australasia and to the abroad and in the Empire. ed, not to mention our social services, British communities in the Far East. will not trade with a country they are things to be studied and even to I was amazed to find all through Ans- think is about to fall to pieces. Other the people, believing that Great Britain be imitated. In the last century we tralia and New Zealand, where

in their were not slow to suggest to the world unemployment problem was then very is completely uninterested that she should adopt our forms of difficult and indeed almost acute, that countries, are unwilling to be inter- government Many countries did so, practically nothing was known of the ested in her. and if we do not let them know to- clubs and welfare centres for unem- day that our system continues to be ployed which had been instituted a success, we are letting them down

There are some countries in the world where the present system of government is new and entirely alien

Great Britain, and of the work of the National Council for Social Ser- vices.

Our

in Yet others who have known

country in the past, and who cannot afford to send their children to our shores, are in despair to see these children swallow what foreign turers tell them.

cover-

No Briton need feel squeamish about broadcasting the facts concern- ing our Empire. Hundreds of mil- lions of people do not understand us and would like to do so. If we can- not be bothered to tell them is it because we do not feel: our institu- tions are really worth while? If we really feel that it is time we altered them ourselves. Actually we do not feel like that, but we have been asleep too. long.

JAPAN

PREPARING WAR ON SOVIET?

Tokyo, April 12. Japanese Governmental leaders lec- as well as the public to-day dis- In Japan I found two elements at

played increasing anxiety over to democracy. It has in fact super- work. One, which included the Ja- seded democracy. In order to main panese Foreign Office, was doing all

the danger of war with Russia tain its power, quite naturally, it in its power to promote Anglo-Japan-

It has been persistently but un- must point out to its admirers how ese friendship and the other was urg- Scholarships are vitally needed for officially rumoured that prepara- the rival organisation, Democracy, is ing hatred of the British. The Ja- foreigners at our universities. Too tions are being made for such a -2s it thinks degenerating and fall panese Foreign Office, unable to obtain many Chinese and Japanese already conflict. ing to pieces: It is up to us to state lecturers from Great Britain to ex- go to America Many people from

MISUNDERSTOOD IN U.S..

THE WEAPON OF CULTURE

war

de-

attack

our own case, and many good Bri- plain the British attitude to world the Balkans and South America are It is understood that regular tons do not realise what damage has affairs, was forced to bring its own educated almost free in Germany. Japanese army units have been been done to British prestige and diplomats back from London and ask When they themselves reach key posi- moved from the Chinese trade abroad by lack of accurate in- them to speak in the main cities of tions they prefer to trade with the fronts to the Manchukuo and the formation about ourselves and our Japan, Mest the anti-British element countries where they were educated. doings.

Soviet Siberian borders. grew too strong through lack of be- ing answered.

We should therefore provide scholar- Many Japanese leaders are ships; there would be no evil propa- scribed as advocates of an I might add that the Germans have ganda in such work. There are num- on Russia before: the Soviets Six years ago, in 1931, we had a got a very beautiful building for bers of patriotic Englishwomen teach strike at the Empire of the Rising dangerous crisis; the Government fell German culture and propaganda in ing English in out-of-the-day places Sun. and we went off the Gold Standard Kyoto. The French have a building in Europe on a pittance. They are I happened at that time to be in Salt on the other side of the street. When depressed to see wealthy French, Ger- A foreign office spokesman to-day Lake City, Utah, in the land of the the German house rose to two storeys, man and Italian clubs around them, expressed a widespread feeling when Mormons. Over 60 per cent, of the the French decided to add a third floor The Russians are also to be found he said regarding the alleged mis- Mormons are British by descent, and to their building The Japanese smil sending money throughout the world treatment of Japanese in Russian

At the

Repulse Bay Hotel

Every Wednesday

For Reservation of Tables

Phone 27745

DINNER DANCES

9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

LIGHT CONCERTS

Every Sunday

DURING TIFFIN

1 p.m. to 2.30 p.m.

(MUSIC BY HONGKONG HOTEL CLASSICAL SEXTETTE)

Sakhalin "if Russia cares to aggravate the situation we will not hesitate to respond.”

BEST TROOPS IN NORTH (Japanese neutral military writ- ers" are agreed that Japan's best army divisions have not been sent to China but are in Northern Man- chukuo. It was reported that the Japanese high command refused to send reinforcements from the home land to China.).

EXODUS FROM SPAIN

Paris, To-day.

The mass exodus of civilians from Spain continued over the Easter holidays.

On Easter Monday, 1,500 fagi- THE HONGKONG & SHANGHAI HOTELS, LTD. tives arrived at Pont du Roi, on the

French side of the border.-Trans- Ocean.