A CARDINAL ON NATIONAL SERVICE.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14660, 8 May 1913, Page 6

A CARDINAL ON NATIONAL SERVICE.

Although tho members of tho British Government ore busier than ever in denouncing as "conscription" the national service system for which Lord

Roberts is working, there are indications that the country is much loss inclined than it used +o bo to be cowed by a mere word which has unpleasant associations. The spirit of the movement has lately found another ally, and a powerful one, in the person of Cardinal Bourne, who has an article in j tho April "Nineteenth Century," of j which the very title is a brushing-a-side of the pacificists' and anti-militarists' case. His thcrno is: "How can Eng- " land be prepared for defence against " possible attack?" He does not appear as an advocate of n direct and immediate compulsory training system such as we have in Xew Zealand, but his plan is based upon tho same principle as underlies our system, and he urges it with much less tenderness for the shirkers than they havo received here. "No one who loves his "country," ho snys bluntly, "and " reflects on its actual military condition, can feel satisfied about the " future. . There are stern realities to " bo faced, which no love of peace or " belief in the peace-loving qualities of " our neighbours can destroy, or reduce "to a mere phantom of tho imagination.-' And ho axlds that they aro very few indeed who would unhesitatingly affirm that England is at tho present moment pre Dared to withstand successfully a sudden onslaught. His own suggestion is derived from his reading of the history and the character of fhe British people. The source of defenco upon which ho would havo Britain rely is "the free-will choice "of the great majority, to bo 6tipplo- " mented, subsidiarily, by tho enforced " assistance of the few to whom love "of country and its consequent loyal "servico aro at present words that " have no meaning." Ho would have opportunities provided for all to fit themselves of their own accord, as part of their normal education, to be ready jto take effectivo part in the defence "of j their country, while there would bo held in reserve for those who wilfully neglect the voluntary opportunity the certainty of compulsory service when the limit of that earlier opportunity had been reached:—"Might it not bo "enacted that every male member of " the commxmity should, by tho time "that ho is twenty-one, if Ke be " physically fit, havo rendered himself "efficient in certain departments of "military training? If by that age he " has failed to take the means to make "himself thus efficient, neither ho nor "anyone else would havo legitimate "ground for complaint -were he then "compelled to go to barracks until "such time as, by compulsion, he had "been raised to at least the same "standard of efficiency as his more " patriotic and far-seeing fellows." The Cardinal-Archbishop can rely upon-* it that wherever the "antimilitarist" congregate he will be as heartily execrated as the humbler people who share his belief, that there can be no risrht without a corresponding duty. His plan appears to be feasible, although there would probably be m> little difficulty in devising effoc- I tive means of training the shirkers. The "anti-militarists" who counsel of command their sons to disobey the law, and commit tho national theft of giving nothing in return, for tho rights they enjoy as citizens, would not be likely to permit their sons,. under the Oardiual-Archbishop'a plan, to avail themselves of tho opportunity to arrive at manhood. as men, as something bettor than.mere voters. Nor would tho. slack-minded lads who shirk their duty on their own account be likely to impose any duty upon themselves. They would trust to luck in escaping detection at the age of twenty-one. Cardinal Boxirne's suggestion may contain the genus of some working arrangement for Britain, perhaps as a step towards tho simpler and more systematic plan adopted hero. It is impossible to overlook tho significance of tho fact that tho highest Catholic dignitary in Britain ehonld range himself on the side of thoso who, regarding defence preparations as vitally necessary,, insist that compulsion must bo relied upon to secure that tho men of the nation shall be fit to defend their country.

As we have pointed out elsewhere, our Opposition friends are worried over the lost and leaderless condition of thoir I Their special giriev-. arie© just now is tho inability of the common people to grasp tho fact that in deposing Sir Joseph Ward and cutting up his mantle between them his followers were really making a special display of their loyalty. Well, everyone has his own way of expressing his feelings, wo suppose. 'It is true," wo are told, "that the Liberal members of tho House of Representatives were not agreed as to what should bo done under tho new conditions that had arisen." Now, this is a question of fact, and the fact is that Messrs Russell and Hanan and Laurenson, and the rest, were agreed that the main point was to grab the vacant portfolios and cling to them until they wero dismissed by Parliament. Tho only thing they appear to bo agreed upon now, is that as leaders thoy themselves aro quito impossible. If only because it would end this ludicrous situation, and give Mr Semplo somebody with whom t-o sign, tho contract between tho Self-Effacing Party and the Red Feds, which the Opposition Press is anxious to arrange, we should bo glad to see Sir Joseph Ward return, and, after receiving their apologies, placo himself at the head of tho reptintant mutineers. i

.Mr H. B. Marriott Watson, who was distinguished at Canterbury College for bis taste in English literature, and has since become still more distinguished in England as an author, writes to "Tho Times" urging that it i≤, a pity •& fine word liko "militant"' should be degraded by its constant application to 'tho outrageous women who burn houses and railway stations, break windows, destroy private correspondence, and assault Ministers." Ho remarks that we are all "militant here on earth" for various purposes, and he protests against tho "abuse of a noblo term." Ho urges the revival of a

word used in the time of tin- Civil War in a somt-wljijt diffciL-nt μ-iisc.. but which the dictionary now defines as "disposed to harm, hun or injure others, full of niaiico, malevolence or him , :- enmity, iniuieiou.-." Why not. ho a.sks. employ tin- word ''malignant" instead of "militant?' , Tho idea seemed to commend itself, at any rate to those opposed to the violent suffragettes, and when the mail left it looked as if the word would 'catd! on."

Everybody will read with pleasure Archbishop Redwood's report ot a great improvement in tho condition of Ireland as a result of the beneficent policy of land settlement. What does not appear to bo generally known is that tho credit for this is due to tho Unionists, for it was Mr Balfour's Government which introduced and placed on tho Statute Book tho great Land Act of 1903. Under this Act a multitude or tenant-farmers are now the occupants of holdings of their own, but tho process of purchase was checked by the Liberals' Act of 1909. In the excellent "Irish Number" of "Tho Times," boric. interesting figures are given on this point. Under Mr Balfour's Act 145,878 tenants have been placed in possession of their holdings, but only 4564 purchases have been completed under Mr Birrell's Act. There are still pending 118,800 sales and 9688 sales respectively under the same two measures. Tho process of land settlement has not, according to Mr William O'Brien, the leader of those Nationalists who desire Homo -lUilo to come by friendly and peaceable methods, been regarded with favour by such extremists as Messrs Dillon and Devlin. For hand in hand with tho growth of Irish prosperity has gone an increasing contentment with existing conditions. The old firo of anti-Eng-lish feeling does not burn well in tho air of Irish prosperity.

No doubt it is tho duty of tho Charitablo Aid Board to protect its ratepayers from being saddled with tho responsibilities of other districts, but thore are occasions when humanity comes even before tho strict apportionment of liabilities. Tho case of the consumptive fireman referred to in our columns to-day supplies an illustration of what wo mean. Apparently the poor man ought to havo 'been discharged from tho ship at Wellington and not hero, sinco Wellington is his homo, but seeing that his health, is such that travelling is dangerous both for himself and for others, and seeing that his maintenance is guaranteed, at any rate for some time, it seems to us that ho should have been admitted to tho Hospital, the Board, if so advised, making a claim subsequently on the Wellington Board.

Tho remarks made by tho Mayor of Christehurch, Mr H. Holland, on entering upon his second year of office, show not only that ho has a good grip of tho city's affairs, of which ho had already given evidence, but that while ho is sincerely desirous of seeing the city progress, he realises the need of prudence as regards finance. Wo quito agree with his Worship's remarks that before embarking on now loans, the state of the money market should bo taken into consideration. There aro works, ho said, which would pay well to undertake with cheap money, but with money at tho present rate only works of tho greatest urgency would justify a largo loan. Tho electric scheme is tho most important undertaking to which tho Council has to turn its attention. Wo agreo, too, with his Worship that cool stores should bo provided with the least possiblo delay.