PEACE OR WAR

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 9, 11 July 1922, Page 3

PEACE OR WAR

' TO THI IDITOK. Sir,—Even a writer "wbo obviously does not know what he is talking about' (to quote Mr. J. C. Beaglehole) ni,iy| possess a little horse-sense. Apparently; Mr. Beaglehole'a panacea for the cuis'a of war is: Preach "peace at any price," and disarm. Can. he guarantee that tl)<* 1 same ideal will permeate the "thousand! million Asiatics cooped up in their teriiI tory" (to quote Mr. Bakewell), and that . they will disarm? I think not. As we grow older we lose many ideals, but we become more practical.and mare tolerant.' The sneer at our Territorial soldiers is unworthy. Had Mr. Beaglehole served! in" the late \var he'would know that -submarines,, aeroplanes; aud^gas were in use. The "diggers" have cause to remember them. Possibly they, or other agents, will be used in the next, conflict.' Wd can leave the question of material to the experts. There is no reason to believe that other nations will leave,us hopelessly in rear. But the training of the personnel is a different • thing. It should be the duty of every citizen to take a share in the defence of his country; and the untrained citizen is merely a hindrance".'"> " ' Then we haye thp,,old, old'sophistry: "Put a. pea-rifle in a boy's_ hands • and he will want to' shoot his brother."- For something like a hundred''years ; the British Navy patrolled the seas, maintaining peace and upholding justice. We had the Two-Power standard. Did we lust for war? Did wo act the tyrant or the oppressor? The historian will say; that the greatest .factor-for-peace wad I the strenjrth of the British Navy... When, I our enemies rushed to war it was the> 1 Navy which saved this country front ] horror and desolation. May we have as 1 good a shield when the next conflict) comes. It is a notorious fact that under cover of the League of Nations th» enemies of our Empire are disseminating propaganda. Many estimable people are ' 1 being used us dupes'. The dictum that we should disarm, whilst our neighbours remain armed,' is neither sensible nor patriotic. In conclusion,' had Mr. Beaglehole seived in tho late war ho would not be so anxious to throw away 1 all that we fought for, nor would he be so cocksure that his opponents "obvi* I ously do not know what they are talking about."—l am, etc., 1 SCOTSMAN. 1 (Late N.Z.E.F..} ' 10th July. .TO THI EDITOR. Sir, —In your report of an address/do livered to Territorials; by Mr. Bakewell, school inspector, I was horrified to read the opinion" expressed by him, viz., that to ensure peace it is; necessary to pre* pare for war. That argument was very freely made use of prior to the war, anil was, in my opinion, largely responsibly in bringing jt^ about. How Mr.' Bake-' woll can justify his opinion is inconcenv-' able to me. The argument, "That ttf get a sober nation, give the people plenty of intoxicants," appears to mrt quite as logical. Hundreds of the boy* who gave their lives in the l a t« war must at some time have passed thrpugN Mr. Bakewell's hands, practically a* scholars. One would thmk that alone would be sufficient to convince him of tho fallacy of his argument. Mr. Bake well should call a meeting of the mothers of those boys who gave their lives, with a view of convincing them of the gloried of war. I am firmly of opinion thab no one has a right to attempt in any wajf to cultivate a war spirit unless they ar* mentally and physically able and willing to do their share.—l am, etc:, OYMRO. 10th Jnly^

The finest publio ■ oolleotion. of postac^i sttmpi is that in th« Berlin Poit^ Musevna. '..' .-,.. '".is.,; „, „,,,,'.;,.,