The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1910.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10572, 29 September 1910, Page 3

The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1910.

The oiithreak of .soldiery of all aces from boyhood to 'he Dominion Day. Ilnwcr of manhood t lironjilun.il the Dominion on Dominion Day has 1'..-•! some critics to warn the world ana ins! the spread of the siprit ol militarism? They saw murder in tin' i-vcn of the sunny-faced little- idiaps who marcht'd past, the saluting points set up for them. They did mi figuratively, c course: their meaning being tlmt the sense of ]iro]iortion is being destroyed in tin's nation. Wo may In- I raining the youth of the country to think thai the game of war is I lie only pastime lit. tor a gentleman. It is a return to the old -Maori idea, ami anthropologists ol the fanciful order will he- discovering that the influence of climate is all puwerlul. jf so, we oulv hope they will not, proceed to the logical end of the idea and make the discovery thai eantiihalism will follow in i\u<- <-ourse. Serious lv, the kevnote is far dilforcnl. The sight of these armed bunds in fh<- flush of boyltood and the flower of niaulioon was a sign of the new position the Dominion has taken ill the Kiupire. 'I tie Empire stands for flu- highest measure of freedom ever enjoyed by an enlightened race on earth, ibe livedo,., winch flourishes under conditions ol local autonomv consolidated by cohesion oi all the. States, one with another ol a -feat federal union. All llm groat se Ignveniing dependencies arc now developed to the utmost pomi ol aiitoni'unv. The Australian Commonwealth, the Dominions of Canada and New /■■:■<- laud, the I'nio.i of South Allien the.,are all united in the local sense, 'hey are free lo consider two great corollary questions: the questions of imperial defence and the question ol the development of the federal sysiem wliicli at present- rest on a basis of sentiment ; -rounded on a rnunnunilv ol tradition. of similarity of freedom, and of equal hope for the future. Of these the defence question is the more, iorward ol the two. the other bavin- to awaii natural developments which are. beyond the forcing of any human power. As the Roman said., it is a holy thine, lo defend the Fatherland. As the M; i said, those who have land are not worthy of il if they tiro not. ready lo light for it. and those who have Iriends must be ready to back them when the need arises. That is the duty which l lie Dominion has set itself, thai and nothing more. It would, be an ideal s ate of things if we could say to ourselves that the Dominion of New Zealand can stand out of the press of the world's •ili'airs self-corn nined. meddling wuh none and meddlh-d with by .none in return.' But history is against any Mich comfortable tlmor\ . I'listly, there is the tendency of people occupying poollocations to IK-i.er their litems ~, life bv raiding the territory o then neighbors who are better oil. 11, r- ■> tendency uuelieckcd by any international system of police supervision. Hai'tte Conventions are not relugees for the weak .so much as checks lor the stroii"' against each other m matters m which" they may .h-PP'''/ t" :V : ' 111 ~'' check more pressmgly than the appeal to the sword. . Why the very questions most requiring such inleneution. such as existence and honor nu barred bv the. preliminary statement ol the conditions This brings us to he second point, which is that tne on .\ possible road to protection is eelt-relinnoe It- is not so much a question ol keopin„ what we have as of maintaining our freedom intact. Tic Iu o. indeed, arc ~;--- separably bound together. Ibe pos,,-.,-s i,n cf our goods implies the kceptng ol 0,,r freedom. That is the reason. «.> our bovs and our men I urn out, on Dominion Day. They wi.l, the Donunm,. to be reaily at. any tune lor eventim! - ties of a disagreeable order. bey w, 1 , )0 t wait for the dcvelopmeu . I sentimental into a practical iedetal . - Stitlltiona! development. U is I • night before the day : am we ; - make it a hue iiighi- .lb«t \ ; '.' son why the public opinion ol |." minion accepted the principle u o -- pulsory military service. I bat pub opinion, therefore, is not gomg to e timed from its deliberate ehoi,:e I>. 1. working-out m practice oi be s> .urn of defence it has.adopted in do not want to invade anybod> s<, ,- trv; we only want to hold oin own agtiinst all-comers that may never come We' don't want, ihem to come:. In,, should they arrive we are arranging .« warm reception U<r them.