OUR DUTY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 28, 2 January 1942, Page 4

OUR DUTY

TO BE PREPARED. A STIRRING CALL. (Press Assn.) WELLINGTON, Jan. 1. "Let us calmly take stock of our position, laying aside vague optimism and undue pessimism alike, and consider how best we can prepare ourselves to answer the calls for greater sacrifice that must be made upoji us," said the Governor-Gen-eral (Sir Cyril Newall) in a broadcast New Year message. "The latest manifestation of Axis treachery has brought war to our shores and our women and children are in danger. At any moment the Japanese may attack us. It can happen here. This is a world war and no corner of the globe is safe from its horrors. The aim I of our enemies is the knockout blow. I They realise they can never prevail I over the potential strength of the great | Powers ranged against them provided that strength is given time to develop and full use of that time is made. It is for us to sec they do not succeed. No matter what grievous blows they may deal us we must not bow our heads. We are masters of our fate. "This then is our duty—to be prepared. 'We must be prepared . both physically and spiritually. Physically we must be ready to work as we never worked before—ready to extinguish the fires the Japanese may bo lighting in ! our cities-—ready to succour the wounded and homeless—ready should the enemy dare to set foot upon our sacred soil to drive him back into the sea ruthlessly and with every weapon at our disposal. Spiritually, we must be ready to keep our courage high and our faith unscathed—ready to meet with good news and bad news, with triumph and disaster—ready to look grief and suffering and death,' if need be, calmly in the eyes. "There is ouly one way to achieve this end and that is by sacrifice—sacrifice of time, of money, of comfort, of personal ambition, of income and of profit—the sacrifice of everything which does not contribute to the defeat of our enemies. Our responsibilities arc immense but our opportunity is greater. Let us seize the chance to prove that we are worthy of all the courage and toil and blood and sweat that have won for us the freedom in which we have been nurtured. "Throughout the struggle we have one inestimable advantage. "We can say with absolute certainty and in all humility that God is with us. That knowledge, however, must serve not as a shield behind which we can claim sanctuary but as a spur to oui endeavours. There is no doubt right will triumph in the end, but it is for us to prove we are worthy to bo the instrument of t «that triumph. GUARD AT GATE OE DAWN. "At this time it is the custom to wish our friends a happy New Year. To-day that time-honoured phrase is a mere shibboleth. Instead 1 give you all this greeting: 'I hope with all my heart that our united efforts in 19-42 will destroy the evils which threaten us and that we shall all find that true happiuess which springs ouly from the knowledge of a noble task well done.' His Excellency paid a tribute to the New Zealanders serving with the Navy. Army, Air Eorcc and Merchant Navy, adding: "Their heroism is our inspiration. Our gratitude for what they are doing can .*nly be expressed by what we do ourselves. "New Zealand stands guard at the gate of the dawn," His Excellency concluded. "To-morrow morning Mount Hikurangi on the East Coast will welcome the first light of 1942 to shine on the British Empire. Let us all, therefore, resolve together that from that moment we will fight with evergrowing vigour and determination until the world is rid of pagan oppression and until the path of Christian freedom is broad and smooth."