ENGLAND NO DYING NATION.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10237, 28 August 1909, Page 6

ENGLAND NO DYING NATION.

(By William T. Stead.)

Lord Salisbury a dozen years ago gaVe mortal offence by describing Spain as a dving nation. Since then Spain and Spaniards have shown astonishing recuperative power. At the last Hague conference nothing was more remarkable than the revival.of Spain and the Spanish race in the old world and t.ic new.

A few years ago Turkey was supposed to be manifestly moribund. The •'sick man" bad been sick for nearly a century, when suddenly, to the surprise of ins expectant heirs, he leaped i'rom Lis sick bed and proclaimed that, under constitutional treatment he had recovered his youth. " There seems to be now going on a similar renaissance in the case of 'Jing-l-sid. „ , Outsiders who only k:io\v or England and tiie Knglish from newspapers and from the of part> politicians have for some time licen under the impression that old Kngiand was, if not exactly in extremis, at least '.ll a very bad way. The ic.mill has been that when the niel editors came to the Old v>ouniry ihey were more than half expecting to be asked 10 officiate at a iunerai. Hi nee their immense surprise r.ad hea: tick relief on discovering that iar ibeing ready to die, John Hull was never in better health, never more robust, never more full of life and energy than he is to-day. it is r.' l l very d-ineult to explain the origin or the false impression now so completely dispelled in .the mind of tilli- colonial visitors, as to the dccad--::cv of Britain. It is the poisonous | v <>{f ,t!ie eriiriinal war which iMr Ci:a:r.bi "Sain waged in South Africa. Tiie m'»ral unpiiude of that war of biiece.!'-ering adventure aopr.! led the deeent '.vh'> still believed ill Uod ;!!'.(• in lite ten commandments. They saw that empire engaged in a gre.it erimina! cr.ttrpri.se, conceived in lal-ehood ei:d shaped or iniquity, hearing l!it- ve:ig eance of Ahnighty (eod. lii'.-v r.: : v perhaps te:> eager to detect and sTi;c!:um every adverse occurrence as ail evidence that the nation suffering a righteous punishment ior its sins. Oil the other side the Jingo, war reckon:: iiot either oi Clod or of ethical <\i:v id-. ration'. was furious oyer tin r.iisean ir.go or his piratical policy. T«. seire Xabotii's vineyard seemed chcaj ;u!tl easy. but when Xuhoth proved that he was capable c>t keeping the sons ot Beliai at bay for uearl.y three year: they in tun; began to think that l'-ng-land was past her prime. Tiv spectacle of a I'ower thai a h.m----(In 'I years ago had iaecd unduuuUi the :::::: ies of Napoleon being hard put to it to crash the command of tin Be; r.s naturally made those who mca .-.-lav eveiything in terms /si" siaughtei c:-:;cedingiy sick. The iace that W( W-. : c beaten year after year in Soul! Africa because we deserved to be beater aiForded then! no consolation. So k.l! •:i o-Hoi rs and .jingoes si greed that olt I'-rii'l:';:-:! -- in a bad way. he pro-iioers were the first to dis c.'vc: ihr.•_!>.• country had been chastened. not in wrath, but in mercy. ISui (!:• _! jeu-'.i end depressed b.v vhe ghastly fcilinv <.i" their policy in Soiitl a. >;-i I'hntuhv-riain and his sale! ill's could conceive ot no olh: r mot ho: of dive:ling public audition -'roni iheu him;;' by making a headioiiL troHl.ii :: i lack upon free trade. 1; order I.) ia-lir* a fheal revolution o pjiv ki:u.i I- i- '. --rnlial thai ihe ev:!.or the " siabiished order shccld b. painted as black as possible. The word of command was given on; fr.:i:: :H: :n:ngh:::a that Kngiand was or the brink of ruin owing to free trade r»ir Chamber!:!in and ail his myrmidon" r-t i-e. 'e.seives on a thousand platform: and a hundred newspaper.-, to proclaim that the trade of the country was .going to the dogs and that we were s< hopelessly bee.ten in manufactures thai we cor.id not hold our own, even ii the home market, without the protection o!' a 10 per cent, import duty. It becomes •"patriotic" 7 to "crab" th< e-ontry. Those who "thought imperially' Weill aim at as if they were thr undertakers preparing for the fuiiera ihe Krapire. No wonder, i herein re t!::'r i:i liie oversea dominions a belief grew sip that -.lie Old Country war T laved out. There are clouds on the horizon, i:=-it-!i '-pie.-; in the social system oi j'aigh::d, but never in my lifetime has Knglanc* been so urong. so litii. so siii>:. rncly eenfident i:i the justice of her e::: :- at;': ;iir energy of ln-r ]:eople. :ie- : - never been >•:; great, her navv :o stnmg. her p.eople so well to do. };• j- (;niy danger arises from her g-'::;-; asperity. >."o v. - (>iidcr. then. that, the colonial e-'itors i-eL:;ii! u: the four ou-irte?'s of tiie ranh cor.v'nced that if John Hull is la- is thg liveliest corpse the" ever taw.