WINNING THE PEACE

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23494, 24 November 1941, Page 4

WINNING THE PEACE

Vigilant Watch on Germany YOUTH’S TASK DESCRIBED BY GOVERNOR-GENERAL “My own generatioh was given a chance 26 years ago comparable to yours. We failed. You must not fail," said his Excellency the Gover-nor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, in an address yesterday to the boys of Christ’s College urging them to win the peace. He appealed to them to resist the temptation to believe that war would never be sought again and to keep Germany under unceasing vigilance, for she would take more than their lifetime to learn that war did not pay. Sir Cyril said he hoped and prayed that the Empire’s enemies would be defeated before any of the pupils were old enough to fight. If they did go to the war, then he was sure that the youths would prove themselves worthy of their fathers and elder brothers, of the great tradition of Christ’s College, of the many heroes of this war and the last, and of Charles Upham and his fellows. He was not going to talk about the war, however, but about the peace. The sailors, soldiers, and airmen of to-day were risking everything for their sakes and they had to prove themselves worthy of their valour and self-sacrifice. “It will be your task to win the peace far Christianity and freedom when they have won the war against paganism and oppression,” his Excellency said. “It will not be easy. You and your contemporaries will have to face problems more baffling than any that have confronted previous generations. You are intelligent people, and you must never deceive yourselves into complacency. Your difficulties will be immense, but you will have an opportunity of service to mankind which has never been equalled. Face up to your difficulties, but face them cheerfully and learn what you can from the mistakes of the older generation. “In the first place we thought that no nation would ever seek war again. You will be tempted to think that, too. Resist that temptation as you would the devil himself. Germany must be made to learn that war does not pay. She can only learn that b> discovering the advantages of living at peace with her neighbours. Until she has learnt it —and it will take her longer than your lifetimes—never relax your vigilance. If the world is to live at peace we must see to it that the Empire is strong and alert and so prepared to crush any attempt at aggression that no nation will ever dare to face our wrath, “But it was not only in our attitude towards Germany that we blundered. We failed also in our attitude towards our own Empire. We were all too ready to accept the manifold benefits our citizenship of the British Commonwealth bestowed upon us and too apt to forget the responsibilities those benefits entailed. True democracy does not just mean freedom—it means disciplined freedom, and discipline to be worth anything must be self-discipline. We were inclined to judge everything in terms of material gain. Strive for success in all you undertake, but never forget that material success alone never made anyone happy. Keep always in your minds the debt you owe your country and your Empire. That debt can only be discharged by service.” Only by service could they hand on intact to their children the heritage they would receive from their fathers. That heritage was a sacred trust. They would be faced by one problem in particular which his generation did not find to anything like the same extent. For years now Hitler had poisoned and corrupted the children of Germany. He had taught them to ridicule all that the British revere, to worship all that the British detested. Those children, their own contemporaries, would grow up thirsting for revenge. They would scheme and plot against them, and they would try to teach their children to do the same. "Be on your guard,” was the warning given by Sir Cyril Newall. “The magnitude of your task must not discourage you. It must inspire you to give of your very best. But do not forget how to laugh. If you lose your sense of humour you are doomed. I wish you all the best of fortune in your endeavours.”