1941-02-26 — Page 23

1.

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 26, 1941.

Page T

CHINA MAIL The Decisive Year

WINDSOR HOUSE

WHEN HITLER THREATENS

In trying to compare the pre- sent situation with that in Sep- tember, 1939, one is struck by three large and obvious facts, no one of which

has produced the consequences which imight have been expected. The overthrow of a huge and a government with apparently unshakable majority in the House of Commons and the

instalment as Prime Minister of a

who

the member

was leader of nn party and had scarce-

ly even a firm: group behind him,

universal satisfaction and national

Inside Germany or out- side, no one in the world expects truth from Adolf private Hitler. For eight years he

Instead of producing violent con- has wielded absolute pow-flicts and convulsions, has led to er over a people whose unity. A year of almost unmixed reverses, including one disaster voice is submerged, as it which the world in general con- sidered absolutely futal to OLF was on Monday at the

instead of discouraging cause, Great Britams, has left the nation Beer Cellar by the memore confident and full of fight And, se for a 1 en chanical clamour of

the thim eve

judge, the mereased sufferings of Party clique. In all that the population under the brutal- time there is not a single precedent to prove that passion, hos merely felt our town

pupulations, as the Prime Minn he will either keep a pro- į

ter puts it "grin and gay.

As for the change in the govern- misc or fulfill a threat. If ment, from Dh time when Mr iChurchill became leuds of the there is any guarantee in nation Fe has shown new quali- greatness which he had his record,

in fact, it is ties of

perhaps had no opportunity

He is far mor howing befare. that the one thing he willhan a great lighter, and the coun not do is the thing he says irrespectiv, of party feels it, England delights in his dogged he will do. For eight years enjoy: his majestic courage and feels his hank good he has been the sole and oratory, and is proud of his mag

He is just the man ti uncontradicted spokes- win again for England the testi monial which Napoleon gave her man for Germany and "the most consistent, the most im- placable and the most generous of to-day the word of Ger- my enemies many is worthless.

nanimity.

[

¦

been

ger serious, our relations with our, closer and closer cooperation with per of the world has long been

greater us both in material help and in

than it can use; if we one great ally shattered. Yet we ourselves had never

con political sympathy. The Canadian-could imagine it used according Alliance, the Anglo- to some reasonably public-spirit- scivus of defeat. No doubt we had American

the Aftyed plan, without nationalistic made a muddle in Norway, and American naval bɛscs, the destruction of our allics had destroyers and the host of volun maladjustments, it could in very compelled us to retreat in Flan-teers, represent a diplomatic gain few years make the wealth of the greater than it ders, but we had always held our which more than outweighs the human race far

ill-success of has ever been, Nevertheless, the own in the actual fighting. Our almost unrelieved

our diplomacy in Europe.

period of disorder and impoverish- Meantime the new Axis Pactment which is sure to interveno will bring great dangers. It may lead to ruinous revolutions. It may, even without that, produce ar equally deadly result, the cs- truction of the cultured Middle So much of the Cluss, on whom moral and intellectual guidance of a nation depends. It is the ruin of that class in Germany which made the brutalities of the Nazis pos sible.

-By Gilbert Murray

זי

to

Again, the prospect of economie recovery depends absolutely on the wisdom of economic policy in nations which have not been re- markable for it of late, especial- ly Great Britain, the Dominions, and the United States.

Every economist knows that, to avoid

has done

the much to clarify meaning of the whole conflict. A predatory bargain between three lawless aggressors

conquer three continents and divide the armies returned from Dunkirk spoil inevitably makes the rest at Not be- with the conviction that, man for the world their enemy. man, they "were better then cause we are Capitalists, or Con- So. Jerry." The rescue of those 350,000 (servatives, or Democrats, or men seemed to Europe admission cialists or Liberal idealists ar even of defeat, a defeat which was just Christians; not because of uny saved from being absolutely fat; panticular creed or prejudice o" but our people felt it as a victory. "kealogy." but simply because we The dang of the multitudes of are human beings. We do not want small bats manned by civilian to be conquered, robbed of our volunters roused the enthusiasm possessions, privileges, liberties, of lew of "Totalitarian wan,"

So far

than all that we value most among the of the average man more Hem engendering any faltering of

many a purely military victory.slow achievements of civilisation, | resolve or any

the present wild excesses No doubt, he felt, we had had | Besides,

agi essors shocking mistorfuties, but still we have not merely shown the ordin ruin, they must learn both to plan 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 a

religion of ly than at the opening of the wal.

their aggressiveness. | The war will drive the lesson We had to make sure that the|They have ransacked history for home, but may at the same time which will French Fleet was not going to be crimes and inhumanities which exasperate passiens handed (ver to the enemy; a pain-they van quote as precedents. They paralyse all reason, The Economic ful business, in which the unrea- have developed to its logicai ex-Committee of the League of Na- treme the theory of tutalitarian ons is, I believe, studying the sonableness was certainly not on our side: but when once that was war. Conquest is the supreme pur- | problem of planning on a world over, we could breathe again, pose. War the supreme method. scale in the interest of the whole. It seems to me little better than | That is the only true way, it we There remained the threats of

unin-triviality to say that we are fight have the wisdom to follow it. mvusion. The o dinary

Of the moral salvage it is dim- acted English at them. They or for "New Order or an Econ-cult to speak, partly because of structed Englishman knew of these ing for any of the conflicting-isms

We the diametrically opposite views had been defeated before. Besides, mic Revolution or the like.

confidently ex- we shall have no doubt to create a so publicly and while the enemy hesitated,

by writers of different made our preparations stronger New Order, but we did not go to pressed

We schools. Most thoughtful people war for any such purpose. really than ever and were not

went to war to save ourselves and regard war as, in itself, a mon- afraid invasion.

the rest of the civilised world from strous crime, and as leading to all man Air Force. Originally perhaps the triumph of organised crime, sorts ut moral disorder. Yet the

and

fighting now for average man in his romantic As for the war iseli, the effert thres unies as numerous as ours,

moods speaks of it as a school of the everything that man holds sacred. of the Petain coll.pse everywhere it

increased by but in England was catastrophic

But can we in any case save !!" | heroism, of brotherhood, of self. whole Italian force and by many Thus when Hitler pro- The only anti-German army in machives from France. The odds "One more war in the west," suid sacrifice for an ideal, Similarly the recent Prime Minister, "and one set of critics emphasise the Europe had surrendered. The land against us were terrific. Worse a

the the civilisation of ages will fall miseries caused by war; the other claims in a loud voice, it, of Liverte. Egalite, Fraterite had still, by his possession of

crash as that of points out the high spirits of the i abandoned

principles and Channel prat: the enemy had only with as great a is as if he had not spoken., adopted lascism.

men in khaki, and note how often There was twenty niles to fly to uttack Rome." Is that proving true? Or,

as another Prime Minister is said some flerce and mertal combat in opposition to Hiller left. either | Dover, and only 120 to bomb Le- When he

do we find the clouds is described by the vic- warns that

material or intellectual. For Eng- gon, while we had to fly some 200 | to have commented, land to continue fighting seemed to reach Cologne and another 360 that "It could stand one or two, for as "the happiest moment in "every ship that comes

mere folly, and criminal folly at 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, within range of our tor- that. Of course Europe as a whole of land armies. terms

as far as numbers go, is easily re- and even sympathise with, both amazing superiority of our never understood sea Air Force is a thing which no paired, Within quite a few years of these sentiments. The truth is pedoes will be torpedoed," and has

power, "The English Channel anlayman can understand; but which after the last war, which was fol- that war is a reversion to the pri- his warning will have no obstacle" said an intelligent Swiss seems rtainly to lie in the men lowed by a still more destructive mitive. Its heroism, its self-sacri- as its ferocities and · observer; "Twenty miles of water as much as the machines. There pestilence, the population of the fice, as well

within the influence on the decisions not hilf the length of the Lake of are troubles titi before us, but world was higher than in 1914. teriors, are all well

| Geneva: a motor boat ean cresi the Blitzkrieg of iness daylight | In quality the case is not so plain; range of primitive man; one might

almost

the Say within that of the American Congress is in half an hour. It is important attacks which were meant to anni- to suthe extent war picks out in

gregarious carnivora A tor as to realise this condition of miate our An Forre and clear the each country the brave and the higher

will die for her now debating. There

young!.. Thus war is picking out tigress way for successful invasion end-strong. opian in Eureqe. To win again

Consequently it brings with it ed in disastrous ulure.

the most civilised races. nothing new or startling any sort of confidence in cur pow.

release, o escape The

financial that thrill of economic and er to conquer, or even to resi t It does not follow that our con-

the thin weary plodding in this threat: the danger liter, we had to start absolutely idence is justified Many painful losses will be gigantic but, again. from

surprises may be in store for us, jean be easily repaired. A war ways of reason inte the wide un- that American ships from zero.

the confidence exists; an after all can only destroy the har-trammelled rush of simple eno- would be sunk if used effect of these events had been meantime, in place of the great vest of one year. Flocks and herd:. tion, which naturally belongs to we have lost, the greatest replenish themselves. As for capi-the primitive. This is what makes either to deliver war ma- quite different. No doubt the shock ally

was terile, the mediate dan- power in the world is moving total goods, the manufacturing pow-it so innnitely dangerous.

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.

thanks in

its

Meantime on us ourselves the

SMITH

|

What we did fear was the Ger-

tul

was now

DWIT

YATES MAKES HIS OFFICIAL BOW

AND NOW

MY CHICK.

BE NICE To

HONGKONG

BUT IF YOU MUST

EAT-

WELL-T

min

CAN'T BE HELPED.

HUMOUR

we are

NEWSPAPER

ENTERPRISE

SATIRE

CRITICISM

JIBES

POLITICS

WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE

JUS

When the period of intense strain is over one wonders how g 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 shail we find that the standard has permanently fallen, not only in things intellec- tual but in the prosaic 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 time when the world will be in dest perate need of all the wisdom it.- can muster.

The need will indeed be des perate. One may well look forv ward with comparative confidence as far as the Armistice which. 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 onc 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. wish to live in peace they must live as. good neighbours and honest citi- 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 built. The pro- blem is not whether they are trie but simply how to make them of- fective.

zens.

The eminent French historian, Elie Halevy, once said to me in a troubled period of our history that he saw in front of the British, Empire five great problems, any one of which might well be fatal to an ordinary nation; but Eng-. land, he thought, would evercomo them.

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