THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1913. DEFENDERS OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15235, 24 February 1913, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1913. DEFENDERS OF AUCKLAND.

j Last week's training should remind j the public that every man is a i patriot on occasion. Probably there I is not a man in New Zealand so poor of soul and mean of .spirit that he would not try to do something towards the defence of bis country if he saw it actually attacked. It is inconceivable that any who are of our own people would not be filled with patriotic ardour at the sight of hostile warships steaming through j the Eangitoto Channel, at the ap- ' pearance of raiding parties in Waitemata, at the sack of the city, at the burning of homesteads. Even though they might be so dull of imagination as not to understand that attack upon any point of our far-Hung Imperial frontier should rouse patriotic feeling as much a3 an attack made close at hand, the dullest would be stirred if they heard the thunder of attacking guns and the whistling of coming shell. There may be a few whose religious convictions would prevent their active defence of an endangered town or of imperilled women; although it is always well to remember that a subtle distinction .is usually made between reliance upon police protection against dangers which are close at hand, and reliance upon military protection against dangers which are still far off. It is impossible, however, to conceive of one whose religious convictions would prevent him from doing what he could to assist the wounded, to prevent disease, and to nurse the sick, if wounds and disease exhausted the capacity of the professional medical corps. Neglect of defensive training and indifference to precautions, whether due to perversity of temper or ignorance of the international situation, will not diminish enthusiasm when the need for defence arises. What want of training does is simply to rest defence upon a wild mob instead of. upon disciplined regiments and companies. Universal defensive training enables the patriot, upon emergency, to fight for his country with efficiency; or, if he conscientiously declines to fight, to work efficiently in that great branch of the national organisation which is charged with the care of wounds and the prevention of disease. Only very foolish j and short-sighted men can imagine that the citizen can become a competent ' defender in an impulsive ! moment. To be an efficient defen- j 1 der, the citizen must devote a eer-: | tain amount of time to training, so | that when the State needs him and j his every instinct is to do his duty, j he may be of some use to himself, to | i his cii v to hirs people and to nits | country. Intelligent patriotism ae- ] cepts training as impulsive patriot- ; ism makes heroic sacrifice. . I

General Godley has 'expressed his great satisfaction at the spirit shown and the progress mad" by the men in tin Auckland training camps This commendation is» woli deterred. lor in all branches of the sendee tb.y men have done their beat to make z\v> most of last week'' 1 ", training. Those peculiar individuals who take a depraved delight in hampering and belittling the territorial defence, which they will acclaim with equal energy if ever they should ne»id it, are fond. of dilating upon the difference between the pressed man and the volunteer. The real difference, when universal systems are established, is as that between the self-respecting schoolboy and the neglected truant. The modern State acts arbitrarily in all public matters. Education is compulsory ; jury service is compulsory ; obedience to all regulations is compulsory. Scholars are none the less willing because they cannot avoid schooling; jurymen are not a whit the less careful and. sincere because they are given no option as to their service; still less is there any antagonism to territorial training among youths and young men who know that they are doing their duty and acting a manly part in the national life. Though evil associations and demoralising incitements may have warped the plastic minds of a few foolish youths, we need have no fear that the spirit of loyalty and nationality will thereby be weakened. . The time is already with us when the few who are opposed to training for the defence of the country are so ashamed of their mistaken attitude that they are being driven to offer all sorts of fabricated excuses. The spirit displayed by the territorials in the training camps was a pleasing exhibition of how the rising generation regards defence. As a body, they worked as hard as they could in training for football, which is saying much. The same spirit will certainly animate the larger camps to be formed next month. At, the inevitable weaknesses of a new system are overcome, and training methods shake into shape, the territorial forces will constantly become . more efficient. "When the system becomes perfected we shs'l have the satisfaction of knowing that on emergency our young men will not be merely an impulsive mob, but will form for the national defence a trained, efficient army.