WHEN PEACE COMES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 109, 10 May 1941, Page 12

WHEN PEACE COMES

MAKING A NEW WORLD

GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S PLEA

An appeal to youth to resist the temptations which lurked about them was made by the GovernorGeneral, Sir Cyril Newall. in the address which he delivered at the graduation ceremony of the Auckland University College in the Town Hall last night. His Excellency said it was the first time he had attended at any of the colleges which made up the Uni-i versity of New Zealand, and it was fitting that it should be an occasion at which he could see the men and women who had just completed their training and were about to embark on the adventure of living. He wished them all every happiness and success in their chosen careers. These were no ordinary times and he would be failing in his dutv if he did not seize the opportunity of addressing them seriously before they separated to take their places in the wider life that was before! them. j "At no moment in history have I there been greater opportunities for people of your age, nor was there! ever a time of greater difficulties," said Sir Cyril. "Each of you will have his or her part to play in the prosecution of the war, and you must play those parts unstintingly and without hesitation. I cannot impress upon you too strongly how heavy is the responsibility that every individual citizen must shoulder. Our victory depends on that. "A Tall Order" "And when that victory is won it is to you and to your contemporaries that will fall the chief share of the reconstruction that will follow; and therefore it will be your job to see to it that the new world you start to build is laid on such sure foundations that it will be worthy of all the pain and suffering and loss of life which will be the price of your opportunity—sacrifices made ungrudgingly for you. You must see to it that your new world is impregnable to the storms which have sent the old world crashing about our ears. I "This is a tall order, but you must set about it with all the energy and determination that you can muster. And you must steel your hearts to resist the many temptations which will lurk about you, seeking to sap your power. There are three temptations in particular which I would like to mention, for thev will indubitably oppress, and with which you will have to battle, both in yourselves and in others. "Firstly, the magnitude of your task will tempt you to lose heart. You will hear others saying, and you | will find others thinking, r What can I do, myself, that is worth while when there is so much to be done?' "Secondly, you will be tempted by the sudden reversion of popular feeling that will come when the war is over. Peace, when it comes, will seem to be an end in itself, and you i will be tempted to sit down and j enjoy it. It will appear to you im--1 possible that anyone \vill ever go to war again. We thought that last time. You will be tempted, as we were, to forget the lessons of history. You must remember that even the horrors of these days will not rid the world of greed and lust for power; that it will take more than a second defeat to persuade Germany that might is not right. This she must be taught by experience. She must be given her chance to realise the advantages of a peaceful life, but we must never relax our vigilance, we must never let her force her wishes on her neighbours by intimidation and sheer weight of metal.

Eyes on the Future "And this brings me to the third temptation against which I want to warn you. I have said that you must learn the lessons of history. But from your study of history you must not slip into the habit of blaming your predecessors for all the difficulties and problems which you have to face. For just as each generation is apt to criticise the youth which is following in its footsteps, so is youth apt to blame its forebears for all its troubles. It is an easy habit to catch and a fatal one, for it leads at once to apathy. Read history to find out what mistakes were made and why, not to enable you to indulge in useless blame, but so that you may not fall into the same errors. Keep your eyes on the future, not on the past. Be generous in your outlooK, patient and broad-minded; remember you have all made mistakes yourselves. "The various subjects in which you have earned your degrees and diplomas are the very ones which will be of most value to the nation, the Empire, and the world, when the time for reconstruction comes. Scientists, lawyers, engineers, you will all have the fullest scope for your endeavours. Think of the opportunities awaiting the architects. Think of what those who have learned the theory of commerce will have the chance to accomplish in making the intercourse between: nations peaceful and advantageous to all. And those of you who have studied the humanities are well equipped with the knowledge of the amazing powers for good that man possesses, powers to which any right order of humanity will give full scope. "Each of you must strive to succeed in his or her sphere. But re-i member that success cannot be measured in terms of personal gain. You must never forget the privilege of being citizens of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Do not accept the advantages of this citi' zenship as a right. You must repay your debt for your heritage by service to the community. That service is the proudest privilege of all."