ON THE ROAD WITH CHURCHILL

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 27, 26 October 1940, Page 12

ON THE ROAD WITH CHURCHILL

Think For Offensive

AN ORDINARY MAN’S VIEW OF THE WAR

(By

Onserver.)

How are things going with us in the war? For the answer listen to Mr. Churchill. 1 mean really listen. I know we are on the right road. My signpost, is his speech to the French people last Monday. He said in it: "The story (of the day of retribution for Hitler) is not yet finished, but it will not be so long. We are on his track. . . .” These words are significant in themselves. He has never attempted to silver a black cloud or to create a synthetic morale in a people fighting for their lives. Rather the contrary. But the way he uttered them, and indeed the whole of his inspiriting context, was even more telling. If you lent a sensitive or merely attentive ear you will have noted a new buoyancy in his voice. The contrast with his speeches of sombre exhortation on the fall of France was there to be heard. These now were the tones of a man who is straightening himself as from under an all but intolerable burden and feels he can carry it, face the sun and stride along the track. The characteristic rising iuilexion with which he hammers the last word of a sentence for emphasis—lesser men let it fall and die—struck home with a fresh conviction of victory. “We are persevering steadfastly, in good heart. ...” I liked the power iu the word "heart.” It soared like the sursum corda — Lift up your hearts! Moving among one’s fellow men one is aware of a remarkable change of atmosphere. In his presidential address, to the Wellington Diocesan Synod this week Archdeacon Bullock summed up the feeling very well when he said, “From, an abyss of almost hopeless disaster our leaders have taught us to snatch hope instead of despair.” But we do not discount the magnitude of the ■ job ahead. It will be hard, grimly hard, and at times heartbreaking. Yet we have cause for “persevering steadfastly, in good heart.” Our strength to resist after nine weeks of agonized conflict in the

Battle .\>r Britain is unimpaired. Better than this, we are developing the power of offensive. The slogan was “Think victory.” A happier turn of events has rendered it obsolescent.

It should now be, “Think for the offensive!” The will to victory is ensured, sanctified if you like, through the magnificent example of the common folk of England. It remains now to follow Mr. Churchill as he steps out on the track that leads inexorably toward retribution for Hitlerism. The spirit of the offensive will quicken his pace and ours with him, so shortening the road.

No News, Good News. — The last fortnight has been bare of any sensational military news. Such is the capacity of the- human intellect to adjust itself to almost anything which once shocked it that we have come to accept the daily recital of bombings on both sides of the Channel much as a matter of routine. An air raid has to be extraordinarily massive now to evoke more than passing comment in bus or tram. A violent assault on Berlin, however, is still first-rate news. When we are told that Londoners have settled down to take the nightly raids as all in the day’s work, I can well believe it. such again is human adaptability. Has it struck you that the dearth of sensational news from the Battle of Britain implies its own assurance that things aren’t going at al! badly? Hitler lias been bashing and been' bashed at for nine weeks and looks no nearer subduing the “47,000,000 Churchills.” If his air force had got anywhere worth while in that time the headlines would have been big enough and grave enough. This battle has been a stinging rejoinder to some of our erstwhile defeatists who seem to think the Luftwaffe drops high explosive and the R.A.F. powder puffs.

It Rang True. — This has been a bad week for the Prime Minister and a worse one for the Minister of Labour. No one was deceived by .Mr. Fraser’s attempt to extricate Mr. Webb from the consequences of his class-ridden outburst to the Denniston miners. The Minister. I suspect, had it hot from Mr. Fraser. The best defence that the stricken Mr. Webb could muster was the old, old device resorted to by public speakers who, finding they have created “an unfortunate impression,” east wildly about for a means 'to get on side again. So Mr. Webb explains that the report was distorted . . . not a fair representation of what lie said . . . re•marks taken from their context and placed in an entirely wrong perspective. The Prime Minister passed Mr. Webb’s story on to the public and scarcely improved the theme song by declaring that his colleague had struck a note of national unity throughout his address. Now the public had one certain tiling to.go on —Mr. Webb’s speech us published. They read it for themselves. Did it ring true? Of course it did. The incident should go far to demonstrate Hie vacuity of Ministerial charges of misreporting. Tlte Good Old Stull’.— First thing a speaker does in stepping on to a public platform is to take mental stock of his audience. Who are they? What are they expecting? What is their mood? Facing the miners Mr. Webb, clearly from the report. sensed a latent hostility. Here is Hie pointer: “Several questions on the conscription issue and the alleged change of attitude by Labour members compared with that of the last war were, answered by the Minister.” The moot] of tile meeting was critical. Mr. Webb, taking stock, probably reasoned that appeasement was best. He would give them what they wanted to hear. So off he went on rhe "good old capitalist stuff."

This England.— Some good stories are lieing told about those new heroes of Imiidoti. the bomb removal squads. One sapper, sitting astride a bomb in its erater, suddenly shouted, “Get me out of here.” His helpers hauled him out with ropes in record time and were set to run when he pointed to the bottom of the hole and said. “There’s a ruddy great rat down there.” Incredibly British was this notice posted at a golf course outside London: “Emergency Rule: Players may nick out of any bomb crater, dropping ball not nearer hole without jxmalty. Ground littered with debris may be treated as ground under repair."

Pointed Sayings:— "Tlte slap-dash frivolity of all this (Communist 1 propaganda, the unadulterated defeatism —socialist, working-class defeatism—is staggering."—Victor Gollanez. the London publisher and former member of the Communist Party.

“The only time John Bull is more resolute than when he’is lieing bluffed is when he begins to pray and quote Scripture."—Now York “Sun.”

“Is it true that British ships at sea call out ‘Waiter!’ and Italian submarines come to tlte top?”—Mr. Davidson. M.P.

"God's View of World Crisis." — Poster lines of a Loudon religious paper. Aly, what .a scoop!