The Otautau Standard. AND WALLACE COUNTY CHRONICLE. Tuesday, October 24th, 1905. LORD NELSON.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 26, 24 October 1905, Page 2

The Otautau Standard. AND WALLACE COUNTY CHRONICLE. Tuesday, October 24th, 1905. LORD NELSON.

The name most on the lips throughout the English speaking world at the present time is that of the Great Sea King whose name appears at the head of this article. One hundred years have gone past since the epoch-making event, which all the British world is celebratingjust now, took place. The great battle of Trafalgar altered the course of history, and established tbe supremacy of England on the high seas, a position she has since held, and is never likely to relinquish. Great changes have taken place m the councils of nations since then.' There is an ever growing tendency tp have matters of national import settled by other means than appeal to the sword, and it is worthy of note that the two great combatants m the historical battle fought a century ago, should almost on the date of the anniversary of it, enter into a mutual compact of peace and goodwill, with a view of further ensuring the peace of the world, and that, the fleets of the erstAwhile combatantl-*sbould;u_w he paying friendly visits to eachlpfcher, =aad the statesmen of the two lauds be assiduously endeavouring to stimulate a feeling of loyalty, and goodwill between the peoples of the two countries The fact that the Union Jack of Old England and the Tricolour of France are now entwined m fraternity and peace, does not m the least detract from the pride and glory every true hearted Britisher has m the memory of his illustrious countryman's noble victory, recognising that it is almost entirely due to that great victory that the {present friendly and amicable arrangement between the two peoples is possible. That the time will ever come when the nations of the world will settle all their disputes by peaceful means is hardly to be expected, for, after all, International Law is a very slender agreement, existing only m the goodwill of the respective people of various countries, and is not a hard and fast contract, and such goodwill oan, after all, only be maintained by the undoubted superiority of one nation above another m the extent to which it can impress malcontent*; with the qt'tgr futility of appeal to>more warlike tactics.. Bearing this m mind, there is great wisdom m our own oountry's attitude of always being prepared for the unexpected. . The tinW is therefore* ne^r likely to come

when we will allow our gre&t first, line of defence to fall below the fighting strength of that maintained by any other two natiojjs, so that our children and oue children's children are still likely to glory iti' tlie prestige of our superior naval strength. The Trafalgar of Lord Nelson settled the peace of the Eur ->p< _v s and Western world, and the Trafalgar of Tushima has settled the peace of the East. The treaty just entered into between Great Britain and Japan, m which each, of the high contracting parties agrees to I stand by the other for defence and offence, has been built upon the Yestablished supremacy of the naval strength of the two great powers, and that com-" bined strength is going to ensure peaoe and goodwill throughout the world during the. present decade. It is well that we should honour and revere the memory of the man, who, by a master stroke, and the infliotion of a crushing defeat upon a powerful enemy, has handed us down a legacy of peace, and made us the greatest power m the civilised world, So long as the English tongue is spoken, the name of Nelson will be honored by it, and his memory he immortalised m its song and story.