LEST WE FORGET

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 184, 6 August 1925, Page 10

LEST WE FORGET

(To the Editor.)

Sir,-—Eleven years ago to-day Eng- ■ -land declared war against Germany to vindicate the- honour .of our. Empire be-fore-the-world-in the .great.struggle; for "right against ..might." It would seeiri fitting on this . momentous day that some reference ..should be made in our Press of -the c .occaßion. of oiir Empire throwing itseftl into the conflict': for the freedom .of .tse world r _nd the protection of. small nations; against German kultur.and brutality. In vain we scan the columns of our New Zealand papers to.-day and find no. reference- to the greatest event in -the annals ;of oUf country, which has shown the world that though our Empire be spread over many seas yet it is as one nation bent on maintaining the protection of civilisation arid all that makes for the better ment of the human, race. Our worthy soldier Premier, the "Honourable Gordon Coates, at the. laying., of < the foundation "stone of the War Memorial Museum on Saturday last made fitting reference to what August 4th meant to Britain and the world, and laid stress ori the importance of maintaining peace with honour. It seems, however, from a soldier's point of view that the younger who were too young at the .time to. fight or to realise what the war meant, should be taught to Understand how vital to the world the struggle was, and what sacrifices were made by'thenbrothers for them. The spirit of Empire which must never die if our peoples are to remain a United Commonwealth should be inculcated in the minds of the young. In the mad rush of the present day for money making and pleasure seeking, we should do well on occasions such as this to pause and reflect a little and see if we are going the right way to keep the peace that we have honourably won, and if we"* are doing our duty H- °V^ ■'■gforioua dead and the dead of allies who gave their all for the world In this respect we naturally Took to our Press for something inspiring that" will make an indelible impression on the minds of the younger generation and cause them to remember that the honour of the Empire which will be handed^downtoothem .when this feneration ha* .passed away must for 'ever be untarnished, and that.they will have to hold it. in teust for f„Le gen era ! :^B_and;; not. live:their lives selfishly" SthS?°ii d ° 80methin S for the goo i of their fellow men and the betterment I* if- only by ._ recogn£ r tmn of,Uiis : .fact that, the E m pi re £ffl stand, otherwise there will come a day sooner o* later-when the :great faorici of freedom will fall in the' sajne way a 8 the great Rpman .Empire fell. Soldiers dbn'l *W.k**f* but they think a lot?and*F believe I am voicing the opinion of all comrades, in arms when I say that S though they do riofUke: tSe ?_____. perpetually -and hearing of war £f they cherish the memories of tw' y rades who fell and whwerefio mZX te:-,phem,,arid,.who they thinkom^t r be reverenced by the nation.: sTp_M mind August 4 means „ my to a sogier VXen£ r Arniistiee as the years by, and as the anniversary nf t ! .Great War comes round tiff " S e .reference to sudh r event 'becomes^ mUfa*' »d now seemHn \ *** ceased altogether. F O / the B atp ''1 human ty then, and for th.. <-.J f % , of wor^le^skeeptSd^S^ l - fresh in the memory of all 'iF* ' etc :> W-E L NAPiEP?"-' .Aujpusfc 4. :%-'> ■, . •• A^lEßr