Evening Post. THURSDAY, MAY 25, 1939. THE KING'S MESSAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 121, 25 May 1939, Page 12

Evening Post. THURSDAY, MAY 25, 1939. THE KING'S MESSAGE

Winnipeg, the geographical centre of the British Empire, was well chosen by £he King, on his Canadian tour with the Queen, for an Empire Day broadcast which from tlie circumstances of the time and place, the theme and its wide appeal not only to the Empire, but to "the Old World and the New, and the dignified simplicity of the utterance, bids fair |at once to become historical. It is well described, from one aspect, as a venture into the realms of .international politics rare for any constitutional monarch. The peculiar appropriateness of the place— Winnipeg —was emphasised by his Majesty. Empire Day is associated with the name of Queen Victoria, through whose reign the Empire took its widest spread. Winnipeg, when Queen Victoria came to the Throne, was, in the King's words, "nothing more than a fort and a hamlet in the open prairie." Today it is a "monument to the faith and energy which.have created and upheld the world-wide Empire of our time." So much for the material, side. A century ago, when Victoria began her reign, Canada was the scene of a great constitutional struggle between the Provinces, but their differences were composed by the.grant of responsible self-government, with freedom for growth and development, from which emerged what his Majesty described as "this noble Federation" of Canada. Thus Canada is. typical of the British Empire as a whole.

It was natural then for the King to turn to the United States and refer to the common ideals shared in progress side by side with the British Empire. It was well also to remind the peoples of the Empire of what true greatness consists.

The faith in reason and fair play, his Majesty said/which we share with the United States is one of the chief ideals, that guides the British Empire in all its ways today. It is not in wealth or power alone nor in dominion over other peoples that the true greatness of an empire consists. Those things are but the instrument; they are not the end or ideal. The end is freedom, justice, and peace in equal measure for all, secure against attack from without and from I within. It is only by adding to the spiritual dignity and material happiness of human life' in all its myriad homes that an empire can claim to be of service to its own peoples and to the world:

Such an ideal would correspond closely with that set t forth by the leaders of the great American Republic established a hundred and fifty years ago as the land of the free and dedicated to the doctrine of the essential equality of mankind and the pursuit of happiness. the picture of Canada and the United States away in comparative security from the turmoil of Europe has no doubt impressed itself deeply on the King and Queen even after the few days they have- spent already on the American Continent. The contrast between the Old World and the New—the Old torn by internecine strife- less than a generation ago, and faced again with a fear of its requr-; rence, and the New, happy and contented in its isolation —must' have prompted the vital passage in the King's address in which hp ventured into the realm of international politics. "We often talk of the Old World and the New World," he said. "It is one of the greatest services of the British Empire to link and harmonise the two. That part of the British realm which lies in Europe and in Asia looks back upon many centuries of civilised life and growth. That part of it which lies in America and Africa and the two great sister nations of Australia and New Zealand has made its place in world society within the last hundred

years."

Then the King appealed to the New World in the memorable words:

For a long period in history it was the mind of Europe which led the march and fixed the aims of progress in the world, but that tide of inspiration is no longer running as it did in times gone by. The Christian civilisation of Europe is now profoundly troubled and challenged from within. We are striving to restore its standards, but the task is long and hard. Asia, too, is changing fast and its mind is deeply disturbed. Is not this a moment when the Old World, in its turn, might look for hope and guidance to the achievements of the New World. There is one example in particular which North America can offer to other parts of the world.

•To the King's speech millions of people in America will have been liitening. Many thousands of citizens

of the United States have crossed the border at different points to see the King and Queen in the Canadian cities where they have stopped awhile on their tour. This visit of Royalty to Canada has obviously made a great impression on both the neighbour nations of North America, and the King's appeal is not likely to fall on deaf ears. It should assist the President of the United States in his endeavours to use the moral influence and material resources of the great Republic on the side of peace and liberty. The British and French races have combined in Canada to achieve freedom and security greater than they could have achieved alone. In Europe the British and French nations are standing firm together to save their culture and institutions from attack. The appeal is now to the New World to help restore the balance in the Old and bring back sanity and security in international relations.

It was a happy thought of the King to conclude with the words of comfort to the young,' who in the prevailing uncertainty of outlook are doubtless suffering more than their elders.

It is true, he said, and I deplore it deeply, that the skies are overcast in more than one quarter at present. Do not, on that account, lose heart. Life is a great adventure and every one of you can be a pioneer blazing by thought and service a trail to better things. Hold 'fast to all that. Be just and of good report in the heritage which your fathers have left you, but strive also 4o improve and equalise that heritage for all men and women in the years to come. Remember, too, that the key to all true progress lies in faith, hope, and love. May God give, you their support and may God help them to prevail.

Probably no more heartening message has come to mankind in a time of trouble.