“THE VOICE OF ROME”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23247, 20 July 1937, Page 17

“THE VOICE OF ROME”

* TO THE EDITOR

Sir, —When I saw the news I hoped that “ Maran-atha ” would make comment on the signs of those times as evidenced in the announcement of the new broadcasting station in Rome, and he is to be commended for keeping the subject in the forefront of your readers’ minds.

Ever since the League of Nations gave the mandate over Palestine to Britain, and not to Italy, which hoped for it, the attitude of that country has been increasingly energetic to ingratiate itself into the goodwill of the Moslem peoples throughout the Near East, as episode after episode has revealed. The last lines of “ Maran-atha’s ” letter are .intensely significant. They read:* “Observation confirms the opinion that unless Britain and France take steps to counter the appeal of Italy to the Moslem world mere force of arnjs will later prove no barrier to Italian supremacy.” We can leave France out of the calculation, for her relationship with Italy on this question will be on a par-with her attitude concerning the Abyssinian affair. She will do nothing to offend her neighbour, although she will later side with her Russian ally, but that is another matter. Italy is, as Signor Mussolini himself says, the revival of the ancient Roman Empire. Like his compatriots of the last 12£ centuries, he “ considers to change times and “God's laws,” so that the Roman Empire will not succumb, as stated, to the fifth kingdom, but will supplant it, and become supreme, reigning millennially. So much for this opinion that “Britain must take steps,” which appears to have some following in ,his Majesty’s opposition at Home. It seems from biblical injunction that the present attitude of non-intervention by the British Commonwealth is the correct one. and Moses’ exhortation again reechoes to the people, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of God.”

German 16-inch guns now dominate Gibraltar. Italy is dug in securely at the other entrance of the Great Sea. What else, in actual fact, can we now do but stand still? Although we have turned our ploughs (and our bedsteads, too) into munitions, the position is now arising that we shall not be able to use them in the further defence of that glorious land, Palestine, as was suggested by Mr W. Ward in your columns on March 21, 1936. We can only stand still and tremble, through lack of faith, until at last that prophecy becomes history, “ I will yet be enquired of, to do it for them.” —I am, etc.. G. Steel, July 18.