THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 127, 22 February 1941, Page 10

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Comments —Reflections

intercession. O Thou Who art the light of tlie world and the desire of all nations; let Thy light shine in the darkness that all the ends of the • earth may see the salvation of our God. Unite Thy Church to face the world's great, need, and grant to all who profess Hie name of Christ, grace so Io manifest His spirit that they by their good example may commend the faith to all who know Thee not, to the glory of Thy name. * * - “It never will lain roses. When we want to have more roses, we must plant more trees.”—George Eliot. «

■■We have lots of guns around us. and the noise is sometimes terrille. Our ‘‘Hearty Henry” is the worst. When be goes off, all our doors and windows rattle, and the whole house shakes like a leaf. The other night he shot about 300 rounds in font hours, so you can, perhaps, imagine what our rest was like. We spent hours on our top flat watching the fires of London, It was a dreadful sight, and I shall never forget it. The sky was red all over and you could see the flames far away leaping up and spreading, and the masts of ships on the river, cranes, the skeletons of warehouses and churchspires illumin ated by the flares.” —From a Lon doner’s letter.

■‘The economic policies of such great nations as the United States and Britain can be tremendously effective instruments in promoting world order In the dawn of a British victory it will be economic questions—the feed ing and reconstruction of a shattered Europe, the revival of industry, the restoration of markets —which will be crying most imperatively for settlement, which will indicate the lines along whicb the machinery of international organization must develop and will supply the pressure that will secure genuine consent to the erection of such mechanisms. But, more than that, if far-sighted and enlightened economic action is both the easiest and most practical means of making good a future peace, it is also a powerful present weapon for winning the victory. Democracy, no more than totalitarianism, need wait, upon mill tary victory to demonstrate its powers of organization.”—New York ‘‘Herald Tribune.”

•‘lt is generally agreed that Norway is giving her captors most trouble and is most strongly pervaded by a spirit of defiant independence that will, not down. Major Quisling has to go about under escort of a large and wellarmed bodyguard. A bomb exploded within a few feet of him in Fredrikstad, Southern Norway, and on the same day only his bodyguard enabled him to escape from a riot started against him in the neighbouring town of Sarpsborg. The skating champion. Michael Staksrud, who became a member of the Quisling party, mysteriously disappeared. His body was found in a lake near Oslo. German reprisals have been immediate ami severe whenever anything of this kind has occurred. 'When a German soldier was shot in a street brawl in Oslo, the Gestapo immediately gathered in 15 bystanders, took them to the nearest barracks and shot every other man.” —From a “New York Times” survey by Mr. F. T. Birchall.

“Tlie Nazi triumphs of 19-10 provided Hitler with great new reserves. Germany prepared for the war by mobilizing her entire economy 'in advance,’ through the timely establishment of an Economic General Staff. That staff, for which wo ought to have a healthy respect on the evidence of its past, work, is now carrying out. the economic reconstructiou of the conquered countries. 'l’lte same efficiency is being brought to the task. Already reports in German economic publications indicate progress, and the work will certainly reach a feverish crescendo in the coining months, in preparation for the spring campaign. Both the facilities inside Germany and tlie facilities com ma tidecred from beaten nations will be exploited to the full. Factories are being decentralized and many processes transferred to regions beyond the present reach of British bombers. Shipyards in Germany and in occupied arcus are being reconditioned at u terrific speed. The time required for the building of :i sumll submarine is estimated al nine months; from August: 1. 1940, to May 1, 19-11, the Gerin.'ins will have had time to construct a new submarine armada.” —Mr. F. Sternberg, in tlie American “Mercury."

“Impatience to bring retribution home to Mussolini for the base and cowardly deeds of which lie has been guilty is natural and creditable enough. For Italy and the Italians there lias indeed been iu this country a friendliness which has become traditional : lull it will be long before.tlie British people forgive and forget the cunning treachery by which Italy’s Duce stuck bis dagger into tlie back of France when she was alread.i prostrate. in the greedy hope of sharing in spoils which lie had done nothing to win. He had mistakenly ho]>ed to repeat. tlie assassin's blow on Greece. Affecting the lion's roar, Mussolini shapes his action on that ot the jackal. He lurks in the offing till the prey has been struck down, mid then rushes in to seize a share of it. This journal shares to the full the world's contempt and reprobation of such conduct, and the passionate desire to punish base treachery as it deserves. It. would certainly not condone any forbearance, for reasons of sentiment or old association, from the swiftest mid severest retribution that it was in this country’s power to inllict.” —“Daily Telegraph,'' London. When (lie Story is Told . . . The people of the little streets stood firm — And Britain stands. Remember this, Mayfair, Whitehall and City, when at last the term Is set to battle; think then of the share So bravely borne, our freedom to defend, By front, line folk of Borough and East End. —G. M. Chaplin, in tlie “Daily Telc- : graph,” Lindon (written iu a Fire Station Watchroom during a raid).