The Northern Advocate Daily FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1935. NAZIS IN LONDON

Northern Advocate, 6 December 1935, Page 4

The Northern Advocate Daily

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1935. NAZIS IN LONDON

Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper. ♦

It is open to question whether the hopes of the. authors of international athletic gatherings have always been fulfilled. The authors of the Olympic Games, for instance, believed that competition between the athletes of different nations would bring those nations more closely together and substitute friendly rivalry for nationalistic enmity. 'Though these desirable results have followed,in many eases, it is to be feared that jealousies and ill-will have not infrequently been promoted. It was fear that something of this kind might occur that made many people apprehensive regarding, the proposal to hold in London a Soccer match between teams representative of Britain and Germany. The possibility of heartburning to the defeated nation did not enter into the question so much as the possibility, that an invasion by Nazis would be. resented by the British Avorker; and that collisions might result therefrom. These fears, happily, proved unfounded, for, as our cable ucavs has shoAvn, the visit of the Germans Avas a great success. No fCAver than 10,000 Nazis made the journey. They did not, hoAveyer, parade as Nazis or make any demonstrations calculated to offend their j hosts, and their hosts, as became English people, dispensed true hospitality. Guests and hosts Avere for tue time being one big family. The'fact that Britain Avon the football match is neither here nor there. It is naturally gratifying to Britishers that their representatives should have been superior on the day’s play, but it is more gratifying to

learn that the German visitors were impressed by the sporting nature of the British spectators, who applauded good play irrespective of players. Who will say that such a fraternal demonstration will not bear good fruit? It must do so. Nazi doctrines may be repugnant to British ideas of freedom and fair play, but it would be a thousand pities if efforts to make Britishers and Germans understand t one another better were unnecessarily obstructed. It is very necessary that old animosities should be wiped out and that the nations should realise that only in true co-op-eration of thought and action can world peace and progress be promoted.’ Nazi emblems, flaunt ed in the faces of British workers,/ would, undoubtedly have been a cause of offence. But such things are not done by well-bred guests. It would indeed be something of value, beyond words to express, if the people of every nation would' keep close; guard over word and action which might, arouse the resentment of other nations, If that were done, ap was the ease during the Nazi visit to Britain, there would he no more need for international unpleasantness than there was in London during a unique period this week.