1940-09-26 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 26, 1940.

CHINA MAIL "John Bull's Other

WINDSOR HOUSE

AUTHORITY AND FREEDOM

The word "English" is used much more than it should be. For, instance, I would say that among my English. friends there are many Scotsmen and Irishman. For English I ought to say British word English is often used to re- but generally' I don't. Even the present the British Isles, which

In such a time as this, men cannot too often be reminded that democracy is endangered fronts on the external Wales.

on.

an

Island"

still believe that maintaining strict neutrality will put Herr Hit- ler. off. Furthermore, they pro- claim that the first country send-." ing soldiers to Ireland will be re- garded as their bitter enemy and will be resisted with all their strength. Now this puts England

are composed, as you all know, attacking lecture to the cu-glish. In 1921 the Irish on two of England, Scotland, Ireland and derrettething let to behave and State was established but up to invade Ireland--and I am

By- S.I. HSIUNG

2

and

sure

This home to the theatre to give a land were siding with the En-in a very difficult position. It Free means that if Germany is going front where an avowed Bernard Shaw, whom I would call Thirty-six years ago George

that they ought to be ashamed of the present the six counties in Herr Hitler will not hesitate to do themselves!

Northern Ireland remain loyal to so the moment he thinks it suits enemy is attacking, and one of my English friends al-

the British Government,

his purpose-England must wait though he is an Irishman, wrote the ways

Now, when you know a little of internal

Though the area of Ireland is until the invasion has commen- front

a play about his own country and you can perhaps understand the square miles, in fact less than a

of these Irish people, under thirty-three thousand ced, just as in the cases of Holland where authority may ex-called

and Belgium. And again" the ini- it "John Bull's Other difficulty

of the Irish question. third of the Kwangtung Province, Island." Like all his political I'm not going to give you a

tiative will ceed its functions and plays, it was not intended

be in Germany's full and its population is but a little hands! to history of Ireland, but I turn tyrant. There have solve the Irish question.

want over four million, about a ninth The fact that there are many recently

merely to mention that for many of that in Kwangtung! the situa- pro-German elements in Ireland occurred

The two chief characters in the years the Irish question has been tion in this little island is at pre- must not be disguised. There have in!

play are an Englishman and an Great Britain certain in-Irishman, and to the disgust of

sent threatening the safety of the already been many outrages in his countrymen, the Englishman |

British Empire. The Irish Free England and Ireland perpetrated cidents which happily turns out to be the hero of the

State occupies four-fifths of the by the men of the Irish Repubii- were recognised in their piece, and in the end gets engaged

island, and has three-quarters o con Army, known, usually as the to the heroine, who was origin- true light and quickly ally the girl friend of the Irish-

its population. Since the begin- [L.R.A. Though Mr. De Valera, the ning of the present war she has President of the Irish Free State, dealt with, but which man!

declared a strict neutrality. Her was one of the former leaders of serve to show how neces-confession, the play was written According to Mr. Shaw's own

arny, navy and air force amoun the LR.A., the organisation has to nothing if Herr. Hitler chooses been declared illegal and has now sary it is to preserve a at the request of Mr.

to invade William giving the British Government

the island; The six become a kind of secret band of counties of Northern Ireland, gangsters which no longer obeys right balance between Butler Yeats as a patriotic con-headache, Before the last world misleadingly called Ulster, occupy his orders.

tribution to the repertory of the war troubles were brewing,

Besides which, Mr. liberty and authority.- Irish Literary Theatre, Mr. at last Home Rule for Ireland be- Even if the British force in thut number of political enemies who about six thousand square miles. De Valera himself has quite a When that balance is ago. was one of the founders

Yeats, who died not very long came

the policy of the British area have of Government.

the cooperation Mr. Churchill, the those of the Irish Free State, the are people in Ireland who would

of are working against him. preserved you have true the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, and present Prime Minister, was

at:

Island will still be a very vulner-work for the Nazis rather than for democracy, but

the hat time the First Lord of when many people regard him as

greatest poet of the present time.Admiralty. He was in favour of Jable spot in defence..

either the English or the Irish weighted-on the one side "Like most people who have ask-Home Rule and went to Belfast to the moment is that they are not

Now, the greatest difficulty at themselves. ed me to write plays", went on speak about it. Alas, he had to likely to patch up their old differ-factor which must

However, there is one other it becomes anarchy, on Mr. Shaw, "Mr. Yeats got rather speak in a football field, because ences and join hands in preparing looked.

not be over the other Fascism or Nazi-more than he bargained for. The the population in Northern Ire their defence. The Irish Free Ireland, would not have the ad

Germany, lu invading- ism. In their origin these play was at that time beyond the land did not want Home Hall, State, in which the people tre vantages she had in the invasion resources of the New Abbey Thea-and refused him the Ulster Hall. mostly Catholics, would only agree of Scandinavia and the Low Count two excesses are not al-itre." Though this sounded a lit-

tle conceited, it was but charac-Irish leaders decided

Even in 1916, when some of the to cooperation. with the North-tries. Those nations were next ways easily distinguish-teristic of Shaw on paper.

to declare erners, who are mostly Protestants, to her, while Ireland is a long Sir able. Arbitrary action on James Barrie once said jokingly to and seized the General Post Of-come in and join the Free State. that her navy and air force would an independent Irish Republic. if the Northerners would agree to way away. Germany would: And the part of those in ing up in the morning in his bed, ters, the people in Northern Ire-way, Holland and Belgium, they line

me: "I can imagine Shaw wak-fice in Dublin as their headquar-In spite of the example of Nor have a very long and vulnerable authority may be the stretching up his arms and shout-

of communication, which ing, "Hurrah, I am Bernard consequence of some out-Shaw!" Of

would be extremely difficult to protect and to maintain. While the burst of popular feeling only joking, for Shaw in private

English forces could reach Irish, life does not in the least resem-|

shores in a few hours, the Ger- or misplaced zeal.

ble: the impression of him which

mans would have a long and dan- When people in Great his writings appear to give to the

gerous voyage ahead of them. Heri" world.

Hitler will have to think twice before he acts.

course Barrie was

duced in London. Shaw said

Bull's Other Island."

Theatre

me whether it was

"It was

occa-

the

Truth & Falsehood In Air Reports

་

By Britannicus

Time Will Show

There

For Mastery Of The Skies

Britain saw the disasters The play was not accepted in suffered in Norway, the Dublin, but was successfully pro- Netherlands, and France there was another reason for through the action of changing the destination of "John

In the newspapers of neutral, to which some failed to return—| enemy aliens and fifth he said, "uncongenial to the whole countries, you may see side by an impossible point to prove with- columnists there

Ispirit of the Neo-Gaelic was a

move-side the British and the German out attaching a huge corps of neu- ment, which is bent on creating a communiques about the previous tral observers to the whole Brit general demand for the new Ireland after its own ideal, day's air battles. The British fig-lish air force. Even so, there would between the Royal Air Force, the Over England the great battle internment of all persons whereas my play is a very un-ures of losses will show, perhaps, be no watertight, independent best in the world, and the German compromising presentment of the 60 German 'planes definitely des-proof of the number of German'Air Force, the largest in the world, who might be a source of real old Ireland.".

troyed, while 20, of our-fighters['lanes-brought-down.----

has begun." danger. The military au- I knew Yeats, and had

were lost. The German claims Look for a moment at the way Although the character of the thorities pressed the case on my part they were rather mild

sions to quarrel with him, though will be the reverse of this - 76 the British communiques of ar Nazis' targets is obvious, the Eritish 'planes destroyed, 12 air battle off the coast are con- strategic purpose of the attacks is for preventive measures, quarrels, about Japan and China. Germans failed to return. The structed. As soon as a fighte. not yet clear, with the result that large quarrel Shaw and Yeats had over believe neither. He either rinses ort, and is keenly questioned by ply to damage Britain's sea-borne Therefore I can quite imagine the sceptical neutral is tempted to pilot lands he makes a verbal re- (1) They may be intended sim- numbers of German men this play and the Irish question! His mind of the whole business, an Intelligence Officer. Any trade and to create for her econo- who were exiles friendly 1935 in Dublin, when one of my I spent the last few days of

discrepancy in his story from those mic difficulties. of his companions would be easily to Great Britain were per-plays was being produced at the

(2) They may be in the nature discovered. The most boastfu of a reconnaissance in force to emptorily subjected to in-have a very pleasant memory of or adds up and divides by two, to inflate his claims. Found out reaching a decision whether inva-

there. Though I

pilot knows that it would not detest defences with a view to ternmer. Happily there my short stay there, I cannot eas- making the losses about equal. The would be disgraced, not only 'sion is or is not feasible. was an immediate reac-love of argument I noticed every- neither need nor expect their air intensely modest body of men to the air defences before making a

ily forget the offensive spirit and

This suits the Nazis well. They his fellow airmen

officially but also in the regard of (3) They may be attempts by a They are ar process of attrition to wear down tion of public opinion; where in the country. At Trinity communiques to be believed, pro-whom bragging would be a gross maximum air attack or attempt- Parliament and press took cambridge of Ireland I met a uniques to be disbelieved.

College which is the Oxford and aided they cause the British com-treach of tradition. Someone who ing invasion. the matter up, and Sir professor of physics who asked they know their reputation for ly-pilots give their reports recently tions, the results he has. achieved For had heard a squadron of fighter Whatever the enemy's inten- John Anderson, the Home nearly everybody in China coulding to be so well established that said it was a "competition, in un must be surely disappointing to

truc that! Secretary, agreed to re-write poetry. I took it as a com- And if the impression left on the

one more lie cannot enhance it.derstatement."

him. The R.A.F. has met the at- form the procedure.

pliment and answered in the af- outsider's mind is a 50-50 air con-

tacks magnificently. firmative. He then immediately test, the Nazis are well pleased,

Though always' challenging su- A similar case of undue added: "What a great amount of Equal losses must leave the final

perior, numbers, the fighter squa- rubbish you must have!" severity arose from obser- At that time Gate Theatre in starts with the larger number of the enemy's losses are added up small loss to themselves.

advantage with the Power which From these individual reports as on the enemy at relatively drons have inflicted heavy casual- vation of the harm that Dublin was run by the Earl of planes. Moreover, to

Longford und

the des-including only those for which had been done by defeat- The next time I saw Lord Long-added any damage done by the evidence. Many an actual score" varied from 3 to 1 to 6 to 1. In Hilter Edwards.truction of British planes must be there is clear and corroborated The ratio of certain losses has ist talk in France. Certain ford in London, he told me quite German bombers, and this tips the has been missed through elimin-aircraft have probably failed

addition many damaged overzealous Ministers in with Hilter Edwards and that he fence the Nazi practice is to re- The numbers of our own planes Encouraging features of the

that he had quarrelled scale of the battle on their side. ating the merely probables. Britain issued a regula-had formed his own company verse the British reports almost lost are obviously known. They combats have been:

Miss Ria Mooney, who was the exactly in their own claims. tion to prevent the leading lady at the Gate at that "spreading of glooni and time, told me that she used to be at the Abbey Theatre;; She said despondency," an un-that once she was in a play by

heard. Here. is another source of (2) that a fair number of the understatement of the German enemy's pilots show necessary measure which Sean O'Casey, and the public did not like her in the part. She re-

losses.

Uttle dis- merely led to foolish and ceived many threatening letters

position to fight; The result is the British Air (3) that our anti-aircraft bat- frivolous convictions. Mr. and there were several attempts

Ministry communique, Time, ifjteries are gaining inefficiency to kidnap her. On the first night, Winston Churchill, hum-stones and

How, then, can Britain prove to not daily proof, will gradually and are bringing down an in- other things

were those sceptical-neutrals that her affirm its truthfulness. No one creasing number of the enemy. ourously rebuked the the performance couldn't go on. est The battles take place high Nuzi propagandists have already R.A.F, but also to the whole coun- thrown at her on the stage, and own figures are true-indeed-mod- British warships sunk, because the an Inspiration not only to the now believes German claims of The results achieved have been authors of these well-They had to drag Mr. Yeats from in the air, usually over the sea, sunk more large ships than there try. meant endeavours, and

at unforeseeable places.. To instructed the Home Sec- they do serve to show how impossible.

eye-witness of the whole scene is yet the Navy still commands the effect on neutral countries and on were in the whole Royal Navy; They have produced a marked retary to review the sen- necessary it is that de- Nor could complete proof before long the German communi- They have induced the German

scas. So with the air claims. Be-friends everywhere.. tences.

assured if neutral representatives ques will have destroyed the Propaganda Ministry to make ri mocracy should be cease-were posted at the aerodromes whole Royal Air Force. Neither of these incid-lessly vigilant against the from which the defensive fighter that time the R.AF. will have es- which must react to their disad

But by diculous and easily refuted claims, ents proved, or was likely appearance within of the did their sceptical job well, they question, and the truth of British Hitler cannot deceive his own

'planes rose to the battle. If they tablished its supremacy boyand vantage. to prove, a matter of enemy that it is fighting wore were not other aerodromes been proved by the manifest de-be hidden from the German

would' ask themselves whether reports of air battles will have airmen and the truth_caunot long lasting importance. But without.

from which fighters set out and feat of the Nazi Luftwaffe. ple as a whole.

calmly

How Air Ministry Communiques Are Constructed

get home.

enemy' to

are never concealed Remember,: (1) that the enemy's mass form- too, that the claims of the pilotslations have proved clumsy and who fail to return are never unmauageable;

.