The Evening Star SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1914.

Evening Star, Issue 15578, 22 August 1914, Page 6

The Evening Star SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1914.

• The New Zealander who to-day actively shoulders arms for ' The Call to ArmSithe British Empire OtagO'S Response, need not imagine that ho is in a spirit of grand generosity helping tho Mother Country. He is helping himself. Be fights to maintain the peace and prosperity of the most fortunate Dominion ' in the Empire. This is the hour of the British Empiro'fc greatest need, and all the sentiment, pleasure, and success of life must give way to sterner duty, even if it end in a patriot's grave. There is danger i in sentiment and moral slackness in in- • activity. We must all be ready to make sacrifices for our own good, and thesbrongest and the best of our young men should b© given full encouragement to make, if necessary, the greatest aacrdfioe. | lb is a remarkable fact that the greatest regret over th© Empire's n*ed is felt by elderly men wlio were sturdy youthfi in the mid eiaties, and thrilled at. the sound of wear in tin* Northern) ProruWes. Ihds ragrab i* the d*j>irtirp6 of ifcajr itoflSngth. M*oy til th«Ki would b» content to live but another year if it ooold be as a year of their yonth. There is a leascm lor the i present generation an the experiencd of ': tnare old m&n- In tha raid sixties in tho j North New Zealandors had >axperi<«ioe- of i actual warfare against ih* Waikato Maoris. 1 Hi© volunteer movement at. that time wa* I our only home defence. Of coarse, there iy ar ? tg&Wi &U| i*jt m sum,

time the. volunteers were largely relied on. When affairs became serious, when any town was in danger from advancing foes who bad threatened to bairn it, the volunteers wet* in a. measure pressed. They were encouraged and to. a. certain extent persuaded to join the fifthtinß line. Then General Cameron, who had charge of the j forces, and afterwards General Chute, who | sent the late Colonel W. Deafi-Pitt to | Australia to enlist men there, found it necessary to prees everybody, and the men who had stood off and jeered at the volunteers were ftffoed into service ae a militia. Without exemption at. the beginning every mate between the ages of 16 and 65 was eonipU'lsorily placed under arms. That was the position in the sixties. It may come to be the position at-this ei-isis if a sufficient number of persons do not volunteer. And let it be known and remembered that if necessity demand the control of the nation by military authorities there are no beg pardons (as the saying is), and there is no scope given to an exercise of sentiment. We do not say that the necessity will ariea, but we present the faots of the past as an object lesson to the young men of New Ztolancl to-day. It is also interesting to recall that the m»n of the day during the Waikato war was Major Tigbe, Provost-Marshal-*~a splendid type of fighting Irishman. His grim figure was in everybody's eye—-some avoiding him, some courting 'him. Whether courted or avoided he was tho man of that day. Why? Because it was hk duty to gather in the dodgers with full authority, as Saul of old had to hale up all and sundry beforo the rulers- Wo may be sure that if the hour of grim necessity oome, there -will bo a Major Tighe. Otago'a response to the Empire's call has, in common with other centres, been rather measured. It is foolish to pretend that jt has been remarkably spontaneous and over the required measure. Doubtless there are many reasons to oxplain the position North and South, but one feels certain that none of them touches the question of the courage of our young men. That is. as staunch as the courage of their forefathers, who fought to win this country. It is to be suspected that the real reason touches the tender affection of our womenfolk, who, strangely enough, have more, courage than men in the time of peace. Naturally, many mothers shrink from the prospect of their sons fighting in the far country, but when they realise that tho fight is to save New Zealand from the yoke of a harsher rule than it has yet known, wo believe that the women will be the first to accept any sacrifice with that courage which has mado women greater than men throughout the ages. But it need not be thought that New Zealanders are to be thrust into the firing line in the depth of a European winter. Lord Kitchener knows exactly what colonial soldiers are peculiarly fitted for, and it will be found that the Oversea Division will be appointed to do special work in Europe—work which shall rendor their service of great use to the Empire and make it creditable to the Dominions. Of course, there will be great—ay, the greatest—sacrifice required on occasions, but that must be accepted as part of the price of freedom, groat peace, and prosperity in the loveliest islands of the seas.

After all, there is no danger of Otago failing to rise to the occasion. The history of her people and their forefathers must prevail. It must 'bo admitted, however, that tho community do not quite realise yet that the hour for service in a ju«fc war fay the British Empire is now. The military authorities should recognise, too, that secrecy is not encouraging to the public. Why not give the people an opportunity occasionally to see the men who have volunteered for active service.' Parades through the City arc stimulating and reassuring.