The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22. 1927. A DANGEROUS SET.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 November 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22. 1927. A DANGEROUS SET.

A rather remarkable sot lignins!, military training is being made by some of the churches in Xew Zealand. 'J’lic ethics of the position should he "oil understood—that is the duty of the nation in regard to its self-defence. If our country is worth defending, and of course it is, it will not l>e advisable to slumber nor sleep in the matter of defence. And for two vital reasons; first to secure defence, and second to assure defence. If we were a country undefended, what loss of life would result were we suddenly attached and found grossly unprepared! It seems preposterous, therefore, that bodies of men who set themselves up as leaders of thought should make so dangerous a set against the public weal. It is all very well to talk disarmament and strive for it, but the nation cannot afford to practice it while all around are armed nations, and the I itior prophecy of war is in the air. The churches do protest too much when they follow so dangerous a set in public. utterances ns to advocate the dropping of military training. New Zealand, we know cannot afford a -standing army sufficient to assure defence, and there must be some alternative to serve the same purpose. „Jt is on that account that military training is necessary, and it is for the purpose of security of the whole that those eligible, as part of their national duty, are taught at least the first principles of defence Were it not attempted in this manner, and in a sudden emergency they were called on as a rabble in common defence, what a deplorable 1 tale of slaughter and loss would he credited to our unprepnredness. A clergyman in the North Island lias been lecturing a gathering of his brethren on the negative attitude they are prone to take up in discussing human affairs. He said many preachers laid so much stress on things they were against that people got the impression their religion was mainly negative. It is hopeful at least that one of the cloth is perceiving the drift of things, for it is often remarked by the man in the street that the conclusion now reached has been publicly commented upon for long past. Recently in Auckland there was a splendid display bv the women folk of the large houses of trade, when competitions were held in all classes of sport and pastime, not'the least inspiring being the marching and drilling of the girls. A local paper had a. cartoon on the subject, in which was depicted a male slacker leaning against a support as he watched the Atalantas go by. “Strewth,” he is made to remark, “These girls do make me look a fool!’’ And fool and waster he does look. Yet if such as he had their share of military training they would look no less set up and in form to play a man’s part in the hour of danger. Matters of defence are not to he considered as something abstract, and to be put away or referred to only in the silly season. War’s alarms do not greatly advertise their coming, and for that

reason the necessity of the case knows no law but the,behest to be ready always. It is a fact, ns those with the knowledge in high places tell ns, that Britain is doing nil that can be done reasonably to secure world disarmament. But it is not possible of ready accomplishment, and while there is danger there must he a real measure of preparation in hand. The churches may well leave the subject of defence to those whose prime duty it is to care for it. The advocacy now being pursued in certain places is an encouragement to flout the lawi, and to create a class of slacker such as referred to above who is a. danger in person to the national well being. The churches require to revise their negative attitude on such an Empire-wide subject as defence, which if we are to have an Empire must- be the first matter for attention by those who arc charged with the defence of that great Empire.