AERIAL WARFARE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 296, 12 November 1934, Page 6

AERIAL WARFARE.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —What are we going to do about it, provided the frightful reports that are appearing in our papers every day are true? For as things seem to be shaping, it will soon be a case of “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” For evidently destruction is coming upon us suddenly, and if we are not already prepared to meet our God and stand before His judgment seat a saved people, then woe betide us! seeing we shall be blown to pieces with all that belong to us here, in an unexpected moment with no means of defence. According to appearances to-day Germany can pop ov.er the Channel and blow Great Britain to atoms in about half a day, without sending word of her intentions, and then finish up our fleet in another half from the air.

A certain vampire has been diligently fanning us to sleep, while himself at work night and day preparing to smash us to pieces. Now we are told he is quite ready with thousands of frightful murder machines loaded with the most horrible explosives that competent scientists have been able to materialise—and practically our Dominion’s only means of defence are a few pea rifles in comparison with such a powerful opponent, should the necessity of defence arrive. Of course by putting two and two together it is easy to conclude that another European war would be a .war of annihilation of multitudes of men, women, and helpless children, with all their goods and chattels. “Oh!” say some, “why create a scare? There is no danger for a long time. Let us buy and sell and play on Sunday.” I beg your pardon, there is no Sunday now. The day following Saturday’now is the “week-end.” The idea of my name appearing in the daily papers as having made such and such a score at golf, tennis, bowls, cricket on Sunday ! What a plum for my Sunday school boys and girls! Well, there is a “week-end” in store for the deseerators of God’s holy sabbath, and for those in favour of the opening of our grounds for Sunday desecration. Some will say, “H. 8.” has gone off the track. Yes, in a certain degree. But after all, can it be true what some unbelievers say, “Oh, you cannot believe half what the papers say, and these articles about the war scare are all bunkum, just to please the pessimists.” Very well. Even if not to be relied on, there is something else that is very true and applies to us all. Apart from the war we are living in a critical and dangerous age. Speed is now the watchword on the earth, in the air and in the water, and large spaces in our papers are taken up by accounts of the dangers all around us and deaths unexpected and unprepared for. Can nothing be done to bring about a new order, individually and collectively ? Of course, an end of war could soon eventuate if a regeneration of the human race could be brought about and men really “turned the swords into ploughshares” and the great law of Love prevail—or individually that each one also became regenerated and born again. But as things now obtain it seems to be quite the gospel that “as it was in the beginning 1 is now, and ever shall be, world without end.—Amen.” So then the question of questions now is “Is my name written in the ‘Book ’of Life’’?” If so, no matter when or how the call comes, all will be well.—l am, etc., H.B.