THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1923. ANZAC DAY OBSERVANCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18801, 2 March 1923, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1923. ANZAC DAY OBSERVANCE.

WmLK yielding to no one in tho point of devotion to the principle of international arbitration ns represented by tho League of Nations, we are by no means convinced of the propriety of the proposal, mooted and sanctioned by the Methodist Conference, that tho special memorial observance of Anzac Day should be extended and associated with organised advocacy of tho cause of the League. It is highly questionable whether tho assumption embodied in the Conference resolution—that such an extension of purpose would conform with the views of the dead and living soldiers —is based on substantial ground. The desires of the dead can only be surmised, but it will not be surprising if the majority of the living members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force deprecate the idea of interference with the peculiar memorial significance of Anzac Day by the introduction of considerations which, however valuable in t' nnselves, are still of a secondary character and not wholly devoid of a controversial quality. One of the speakers in the conference discussion remarked that he had heard many Anzac Day addresses, “hut in them he had not heard a single reference to the horrors of war.” Is not the explanation of this suggested oversight to bo found in tho fact that Anzac Day is in large measure a memorial of martial valour aud kindred virtues of endurance and self-sacrifice ? virtues, be it added, on which the nation might conceivably have to rely again in unhappy contingencies, the possibility of which it would be unwise to ignore. Another speaker said that “we had not got war out of our minds; many people had learned few lessons from the horrible war through which we had passed.” We are not at all sure that it would he prudent to get the possibility of further wars out of our minds; and one lesson w hit'll most people have, or should have, learned is that the repetition of a horrible menace must be obviated, not only by giving zealous support to the principle of the League of Nations, but also by keeping tho manhood of the country in a reasonable state of preparedness for eventualities against which the League itself might be impotent. To our mind there is something rather sinister in the suggestion that it is the duty of the churches to “defy any resolution of any political party laying the basis for future wars.” It is a suggestion which looks suspiciously like a protest against adequate defensive preparation. One minister, greatly daring in the prevailing atmosphere, remarked tersely that “there was something worse than war—namely, injustice”—a truth which the most enthusiastic peacelover need not shrink from recognising. Something was said, in a strain which has become rather too familiar, about “the purpose for which the soldiers died”—that is, allegedly, that there should be no more war. Must not this supposed motive be regarded as an afterthought, chiefly of civilian origin ? To repeat what we have said more than once before, the main purpose actuating New Zealand soldiers in their self-sacrifice was the safeguarding of their country and the British Commonwealth; and Anzac Day observance is tho memorial of the heroism horn of that purpose. Let the special genius of the day be cherished in its hallowed integrity. It is noticeable that the Methodist Conference subsequently made an additional provision for the setting apart of the Sunday before Armistice Day as Peace Sunday—a most appropriate arrangement, surely rendering unnecessary (even if it were not otherwise inadvisable) the proposal we have deprecated. It will be recognised that the remarks which we have thought fit to make on this subject are complementary to, and in no way inconsistent with, our repeated advocacy of the principle of the League of Nations.