THE RIVAL EMPIRES

Evening Star, Issue 14053, 7 May 1909, Page 1

THE RIVAL EMPIRES

The pre-eminence of the British in the naval and commercial world was not seriously challenged during the greater part of the nineteenth century, • but it was only natural that this supremacy should eventually be disputed by soma of the other Great Ppwers. It is therefore not at all surprising that Germany should have come forward to compete with Great Britain as a naval and colonising power and as a trading country. The present Kaiser of . Germany, since his ascension to the throne in' 1888, has consistently aimed at the building of a powerful navy as a means towards the acquirement of colonial possessions. His watchword has become popular with his fellow men: “The future of Germany lies over the water.” They refuse to accept the oft-repeated dictum that the world beyond Em ope is already parcelled out, and that Germany has entered too late upon the race for colonial possessions. Looking enviously at the Overseas Dominions and foreign trade of the United Kingdom, they hope, by extending their own colonies, to open up more foreign markets for their growing manufactures. Their great hope is s to make the German Empire a world empire. With tins end in view they have steadily added to the strength of their navy. A naval base has been formed on the island of Heligoland, and the Kiel Canal was cut through so that the Baltic and North Sea fleets could more easily co-operate. And although the German colonial possessions arc not yet very extensive or ''very valuable, they have been augmented' considerably since Emperor Wilhelm 11. announced his forward policy of naval and colonial advancement. His overseas dominions comprise altogether 1,000,000 square miles, with a population of 13,000,000. The largest territories are those of South-west Africa and East Africa, but there are also considerable areas in West Africa, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, and the major portion of Samoa Islands. To gain these territories some hard struggles and severe reverses have been experienced. A rebellion of the Herreros in South-west Africa cost the Government of Berlin over £30,000,000 to subdue, and the acquisition of new territory in German East Africa in 1888 was marked by a disastrous revolt incited by the Arab slave-dealers, and nearly all the results of industry iu these parts were ruthlessly destroyed. Order was, however, soon restored, and this district seems now to be prosperous, the imports in 1906 being valued at one and a-qnarter million pounds sterling, and the exports in the same year £549,000. But after all the great efforts that have been made, the results of German colonisation. do .not ..seem., very eh-, couraging when we remember that of the 13,000,000 inhabitants only 7,500 arc Gorman settlers. It has been remarked that the average German makes a good colonist under the Union Jack, blit a rather indifferent one in the Kaiser’s ovenea dominions. Is it possible to forecast the future of the German colonies? Will they ever rival those of the British Empire ? We cm best answer these questions by inquiring why the British race have, been such successful colouists. It seems to us that one important reason of the success of the British colonists has been the character and statesmanship of their leaders. In many cases, too, the British have been successful in their management of native races because their government of them has not been based upon terrorism alone, but it has been tempered with a humane consideration for the welfare of the natives themselves. Indeed, the British management of native races has sometimes erred on the side of leniency, a fading which, like the frailties of the Village Preacher, “leans to virtue’s side.” Our German rivals have evidently too great an admiration for the “mailed fist,” which, being translated, means mere brute force. A conspicuous example of wise and humane management of a native race was recently recalled by our London correspondent in reciting some anecdotes of Sir George Grey’s career as an Empire-builder. As is well known, the great Proconsul had a marvellous influence over the Maoris. During his Governorship of New Zealand, while the British forces were carrying on war against the natives and General Cameron was ready to storm a Maori pab, Sir George Grey, early in the morning, made his way, alone and unarmed, into the Maori stronghold, and, addressing the chief in his own language, induced him to capitulate and to hoist the Union Jack, "We are prepared to admit that Grey was an exceptional man in this respect, but it is the glory of British colonisation that many of our Empire-builders have been men of character-men “ able to govern colored races, e\ en when mere savages, and to win their confidence “ and even affection at the ' same “ time.”

And now that the Germans have arranged for a powerful navy to defend their growing colonies and their future foreign trade, can they furnish this personal factor tnat is so necessary towards their success? A recent writer in an English monthly, who has evidently had special opportunities of sounding prominent citizens of Berlin as to the hopes of the Fatherland, states that this is just where ful Germans are conscious of their own inferiority to Britishers. This matter was quite frankly discussed a few months ago at a social -gathering of educated men of both Empires in Berlin. .The English visitors were praising up the excellent education system of thfe Fatherland, when a prominent German who had travelled much quietly

remarked: “ When my sons arc old “ enough I shall send them to an English public school.” Other Germans re-echoed these sentiments.

Besides intellectual equipment in education there are “other things”’ which we cannot always'get here. These are just what we need most. We require that our sons shall learn to be men, to rely on themselves, to keep order for to speak ■ the truth always and take the con- ; sequences, “to play, the game” ; all that is so good, so admirable, -and that is what we look for in vain here. It is character-budding, and the greatest of all things is char-acter-building. This is hot what onr, boys are taught. They are - stuffed" with learning, But so stuffed that- ; they forget it quickly, while they are over-disciplined, over-trained, watched over until they cannot stand alone or take responsibility for themselves.. The military service means, mor&discipline, more obedience, no greater expansion for personality. We wanti personalities; we want a governing! class with public school traditions fors our colonies, if our colonies are to-be i any use to us at all, ' ; And another father of boys said:

Yes, it is all true. What Ger- -s many - needs and must have if, she is to have, a real-colonial em_>pire, is the class of administrators , trained in the playing-fields, such as -*■' are turned out in numbers yearly from your public schools. Such young - fellows as I have met everywhere carrying on the work of your colonies, sturdy and self-reliant without arrogance, for their school-fellows have seen to that; ruling well almost by instinct. Such a ruling class we must have if we are to keep overseas colonies, and we think that onhby the same sort of character-build-ing can we raise one like yours. Utterances like these tend to strengthen the belief that the d: - i-

nant aim of Germany at present is t i develop an overseas empire, and th-t her large navy is being built me.ii to further this end—not as a ire? • > to Great Britain. While it is reat-ju-

ing to accept this notion, we tent * ■! that it is suicidal policy for the EnV.h Empire to allow Germany to secure naval predominance. A more effective union of the British Empire could easily place beyond question the naval supremacy of Britannia.