PASSING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26559, 6 September 1947, Page 3

PASSING NOTES

“ What's in a name'? "—Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. Mere words exercise a hypnotic influence on some minds. The British Empire t o-day is not like the old Roman Empire, nor like itself in the past three centuries. Yet constantly we see that to Communists and to certain members of Parliament the word Empire evokes a satanic connotation. But the title will remain in use, as it embodies in itself one of the greatest achievements in the long drama of human history. Even after the stress of two dreadful wars there are no fatal cracks in the great edifice. Moreover, the crisis in Britain is revealing the cementing spirit. All the Dominions are clustering around the parent Dominion, thus exemplifying Shakespeare’s dictum that “ there’s still some soul of goodness in things evil.” The evil is the suffering in Britain, the soul of goodness is revealing itself in the spontaneous outpouring of help and sympathy. It will be remembered that the English cricketers on their recent tour were frequently accosted thus by strangers, —“ for every run you make, I’ll send a parcel Home.” That’s the true Empire—one that has a Home, a central hearth, the Auld House that is never forgotten by those _ who have gone out from it. In a richer sense than was ever imagined by the songwriter, J. H. Payne, “There’s no place like Home.” All that is needed to appreciate it is patriotism, tinged by the imagination, and illuminated by some knowledge of history. “In necessariis unitas. indubiis • libertas " —ln essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty.—Old motto. When the Dominions reach adulthood, though combined they have each separate as well as collective responsibilities, the larger part they are now playing in international affairs, while it asserts their claims, demands readiness to support those claims, and logically that demands more expense on armaments —unless of course the UNO should hatch out from its long sittings an “avis angelica an angelic chicken, or in other words universal peace. But the old cock-fighting brood is not extinct yet, so it is necessary to be on guard, and not to forget what Rear-admiral Creasy emphasised a few days ago at Auckland—the importance of sea power, despite the advent of aerial navies. Had the Old Country not had ships to send to Egypt, the Hitler hordes would have never had to undergo the crucial defeat at Alamein, and Rommel would have had his luxurious quarters at Shepherd’s Hotel, Cairo. But as Virgil saith, “ Dis aliter vistum ’’—the gods thought otherwise. And not alone on the Atlantic did Britain’s sea power operate, nor the convoying of supplies to Russia (rather grudgingly acknowledged!), but on the north-western coast of Australia British ships patrolled from 1943 onwards, besides taking an active part in operations nearer Asia. No one dominion can have an independent foreign policy—Canada perhaps excepted. Solidarity is essential in armaments and finance: and. more than all, what counts is spiritual solidarity —a contradiction in terms maybe, and yet a truth. Toute l’Angleterre moderne est issue du eharbon ” —all modern England is the result of coal.—Le Vicomte d’Avenel. Coal strikes in Britain are doubly unfortunate in the present crisis—they create, an impression abroad that Britain’s stringency is being exaggerated, and they reduce the vitally necessary output. Coal has been, is, and long will be, essential to Britain. The perspicacious vicomte quoted above adds to his dictum about England: “Sans le eharbon,- elle ne seriat rien, ou ties, peu de chose ” —without coal she would be nothing, or practically nothing. He found comfort in ascribing the progress of England in the nineteenth century to a gift of Nature and not to the existence of " hommes superieurs” in France’s old rival. Let us leave him to his belief and admit the importance of coal to England. It is worth noting what may be only a coincidence—that the ancient Britons should have been the first users of coal. The Greek word fyr “ coal,” “ anthrax,” applies to charcoal—so does the Latin word “ carbo.” The ancients knew of the existence of coal, but don’t se,em to have used it, though it is said that coal-cinders have been found in the north of England near the Roman Wall, and on the sites of several old Roman towns in Britain. Strangely enough, in the fourteenth century the King prohibited the use of coal as injurious to health. But the growing scarcity of wood near London finally saw the triumph of anthrax, carbo. eharbon, in a word, coal. The King and his noble advisers knew as little about the/ far-off destined coal-age as we know of the coming atomic age. I have been a stranger in a strange land.—Moses. Some recent 'immigrants into New Zealand have lifted up their voices, have complained, have departed. They did not find the streets of God’s Own Country paved with gold. There are others. Two young Italian brides of returned soldiers in a rural district were asked how they liked New Zealand. Quoth one: “ Too many sheeps, too many cars.” Quoth the other: “ Not enough peoples.” Perhaps when the one bride later . finds that the ovine quadrupeds carry a golden fleece she will not cry out “Troppo" —if that is the Italian for “too much." And both the brides may in the course of nature and of years help to remove the other objection—" not enough peoples.” And when the “ sheeps,” or cows, bring in the gold—or rather notes—two more cars may be expected. , Clvis.