THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 142, 12 March 1941, Page 6

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Comments —Reflections

“You English are undoubtedly the best rulers and seamen the world has ever seen since the heroic days of Ancient Greece.”—Alexander E. Kabouropoulos (Athens).

“To live for others, to suffer for others, is the inevitable condition of our being. To accept the condition gladly is to find it crowned with its own joy.”—Westcott.

I have seen only one mention of and no comment on, a rather remarkable message from the Board of Admiralty recently promulgated in Fleet Orders. In it the Board, “in the conviction that the present war is a struggle between good and evil, and that in the practice of the Christian religion may be found today the same support experienced by our forefathers in establishing in the Royal Navy those ideals of service and sacrifice we have inherited,” emphasize the importance of holding divine service and prayers on warships as regularly as circumstances permit, and further direct “that In battleships and cruisers all possible steps should be taken to provide a space set apart for the worship of God.” This, it is to be noted, comes from the Board of Admiralty itself, not from any Naval Chaplain’s department,—Janus in the “Spectator” (London).

“Parliament the other day agreed in about five minutes to a vote of a fur ther £1,000,000,000, to carry on the wai for another four months or so, at the present rate of £9,000,000 a day. A comparison with the cost of one ot Britain’s other great campaigns is no, without a certain sobering interest ’William Ill’s war,’ writes Professor Trevelyan, ‘had'lasted nine years and had cost England an average of £3,500,000 a year. The War of th* Spanish Succession was destined to last a dozen years and cost her an average of £4,000,000 a year or more. . . . William’s war had run up a national debt of £14,500,000. To this-was added another £21,500,000 for Anne’s war So for £4,000,000 a year we got Bien helm, Ramillies and Malplaquet, ' to say nothing of Gibraltar. It seems reasonably cheap—even if £4,000,000 in Anne’s reign represents £10,000,000 or more in George Vi’s.’ ” —“James,” in “The Spectator.”

‘(Remember the Nazis have had eight years in which to bludgeon their philosophy into the heads of the German nation. During those eight years they have achieved success after success. With each success they have convinced more Germans that Nazism is irresistible and Democracy doomed. Only when we have shattered that legend can we hope to recall the German people to sanity. If we approached the Nazi Government with a proposal of peace talks we should not weaken that Government. We should be confirming, in the eyes of the German nation, the Nazis’ boast that they will force Britain to sue for peace. And our chance of arranging a bearable peace, let alone a» constructive one, on that basis would be. nil. For us, there is only one way of achieving peace. j That is by winning the war.” —“Daily Herald” (London).

“It is doubtful know that Count Ciano, the son-in-law, whose faults Mussolini is said either to be unaware of or to ignore because of his devotion to daughter Edda, is principally to blame for the Italian defeats in Albania, irrespective of what may be the reasons for the reverses in North Africa. I have learned from trustworthy Italian sources that the ambassador sent by Ciano to Athens gave the most confident assurances to Rome, before the invasion of Greece, that the Duce’s forces would meet with no resistance, but instead would be welcomed with open arms. Relying on these assurances, Ciano assumed, complete direction of what began as a purely political, rather than a military campaign. No crack troops were used in the beginning; only Blackshirt militia would be needed, it was decided. These relatively untrained men were commanded by another of Ciano’s favourites in the diplomatic corps, the former military attache of the Italian Embassy in pre-war Paris. He was poorly qualified for much active army service, but looked well in his uniform and could lead a parade impressively. When the Greeks fought like demons ' and pursued the retreating Italians deep into Albania, even after seasoned troops and officers had replaced the militia, it was necessary to find a scapegoat, and Marshal Pietro BadogHo’s retirement was clearly intended’to save Ciano’s face.” —From “Sign” (U.S.A.)

•‘Perhaps the most dangerous factor in the disruption o* the home front, which might bring a breakdown and even eventual fall of the Communist Government in Russia, is the morale among the Soviet workers. Foremen and factory directors will take no responsibility because they may be accused of sabotage if anything goes wrong in the carrying out of their orders. Workers have long hours, and their money can buy little, for there is a lack of consumption goods in Soviet stores. The population is even shabbier in the large cities than it was a few years ago. The people have lost the hope for a better life which carried them through their work, and a general apathy has taken its place. The apathy of the workers has been met by sterner laws, but these have not yet produced much effect. Tins is not a spirit that leads to revolution, even if such were possible in peace-time. However, in wartime it might bring about a general collapse of the Red Army’s rear, For these reasons it is too much to expect that the Soviet Union can in any way escape from its collaboration with Nazi Germany, or risk a war witli Germany except in self-defence, till the German armies have been very much weakened or completely crushed on other battlefields.” —New York “Herald-Tribune.” * <• * The Creature Soil. God gave all men all earth to love, But since our hearts are small, Ordained for each one spot should prove Beloved over all; That as He watched Creation’s birth So we, in godlike mood, May of our love create our earth And see that it is good. —Rudyard Kipling.