To the Young Men of England

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 285, 17 November 1923, Page 9

To the Young Men of England

By

LORD BEAVERBROOK

Lord Beaverbrook’s appeal to the young men of England should be read in this Dominion as an appeal to the young men of the Empire, of which England is the heart. The British nation no longer lives in Great Britain alone, it lives in every British Dominion, in every British dependency, and the future of the nation, o f the Empire, lies just as truly with the youth of New Zealand, of Australia, of Canada, and of South Africa, as it does with the youth of England. Just as permanently as in 1914 we threw in our lot with Britain to rise or fall, to live in freedom or to suffer as serfs, so to-day are we irrevocably linked with her destinies as one Empire to strengthen her in her strength, or weaken her in her weakness. To New. Zealand’s youth-, of the same stock as were the pick of her man hood who left her shores on the great adventure nine short years ago, Lord Beaverbrook’s words will come as a helpful inspiration, awakening them to the responsibilities accompanying the dearly won freedom they have inherited from the older generation.

rpHE future of England lies with its young men. England, in the greater darkness which now seems descending on Europe, must look to its own citizens for the restoration of the prosperity which the guns shot away in the war. It is on the energy, the/ intelligence, the thrift, the enterprise of its own people that it must depend for the replacement of the natural wealth, the development of the resources of the Empire, and the extension of its markets overseas, which in turn means the full employment of the workers at home. And this is the task, the prospect, and/the hope of youth. The men who were still young, but were approaching middle-age m 1914, have now definitely passed to the wrong side of the ledger of time. The war plunged them, in a hurry, into maturity. They can carry on, but the new impulse must come from the generation rising behind them—like the coming up of the supports to the front line. Many a young man may be inclined to say to himself: “What has all this to do with me? It is a general issue of policy and patriotism, of commerce, and of business. Let the big politicians and the great men of affairs see to it. lam poor and obscure. How can anything I think or do affect the destines,of the Empire?” But he would be wrong. It is the action of the individual which ultimately decides the fortune of the State. The young man, whatever his position, can do one single thing. He can succeed in the walk of life he has chosen. And if enough young men do this the nation will succeed too. The young will wake up to find themselves the common partners in a prosperous and triumphant Commonwealth. Public work, and therefore public prominence, is apt to fall to the older men, who have already made good. And this is natural, for a man must walk before he can run. The first duty of youth is to succeed in his own private business of living.

If he will work while the waster amuses himself; if he will keep his eyes open and gain experience, while others read nothing but the sport and racing news; if he will save that little extra amount which makes the whole difference to his own future career; if he will keep his initiative intact from the deadening influence of routine, by sheer force of will, until the times comes when he can launch out on a career of real responsibility; then in serving his own interests he is as surely serving the State as if he was poring over despatches in Downing-street. He is making one of the contingent without which no State can be happy and prosperous, safe and powerful. The energy of the State is nothing but the sum of the energies of its citizens—plus organisation. But State-craft cannot make bricks without straw. If the initial impetus of individual energy is not there no organisation at all can make good. if you serve yourself weii you will serve the State well too. You will turn yourself into one of the men on whom nations can rely when the tussle comes. Your savings and your brains will not be found wanting at the call. You 'will be one of the men Britain needs badly to-day. This is not, as is often said, a doctrine of pure selfishness or a grossly material conception of life. Try it and see whether it is or not. You will find it involves self-denial, temperance, chastity, honesty of dealing with alf men, comradeship, self-mortification, and courage. Nearly all the qualities that the strictly religious life demands are also demanded by the life of success, which is the foundation of the social existence of the State. . Will the youth of England respond to the call? Remembering what the last generation did on the field of battle, I believe the new generation will show the same splendid energy and valour on the battlefields of peace.