PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2561, 6 May 1903, Page 69

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

A CHAT WITH CORRESPONDENTS

To-day I publish a rather long letter from a senior reader residing in Tasmania. My readers know that I generally use the word ''British" where possible instead of "English," but in the chat my critic refers to I committed the offence of wiiting "England" for — what? Not Britain, because that does not include Ireland, nor, I think, does Great Britain. Now, what word includes all three? And then what about the Welsh? Again, the colonies must not be forgotten ; so what word shall we use for the British Isles and what for the Empire? By the bye, I notice Mr Barrowman uses "Scotch"; shouldn't it be "Scots"?

One point he refers to deserves serious attention : the proposal to have an Australasian Navy as an absolutely independent unit ; and I see that the Federal Premier is a supporter of that proposal. Personally, I think the Hon. Mr Barton must be a Republican at heart, and that he would not object to cut the painter tomorrow. But about the fleet. I do not understand how anyone who has studied naval history can, for a moment, advocate the splitting up of the Empire's naval resources into independent units. An Australasian Navy may defend Australia at the Cape, or at Singapore, or in the Persian Gulf, or at Hongkong, or at Port Aithur much more effectively than in Sydney Harbour, or in Australasian waters. Nothing would give our enemies greater pleasure than to have the opportunity of smashing up our navy in detail. One man could '"knock out" a hundred if he had the opportunity of taking them one by one, and one good massed fleet would easily defeat in detail half a dozen fleets which, if combined, would have perhaps three times the strength of the one opposing fleet. I hope all my readers will do what they can to banish the Australasian fleet idea.

The re&t of my correspondent's letter I leave to my readers, with the simple remark that the navies of Spain and Holland and the opening up of Spanish America to English trade and the laying of the foundations of British Empire jn India and Canada were almost entirely the work of Englis-h-men. "Lennox," of Mosgiel, asks me for an essay on "The Negro Question in America from the American's Point of View and President Roosevelt's Side." Perhaps I shall have a word or two on the subject next week. It is quite possible that the Review s will have articles on the question ; if so, I promise to give my readers the gist of tli em.

Dear Pater, — Being one of the oldest of your boys, and always interes*?d in your "Chats," I carefully read your Chat of March 11 on "Tlie Macedonian War Cloud," but was a good deal rnoie than interested when I came to your avowal that you used the word "England," moaning Britain, "becan«« it comes naturally, somehow." From this it would appear you deliberately violated written law ; for the convention of the representatives of England and SootJand that brought about the union of the two countries laid it down that tlipy ohoulcl be known from the first day of May, 1707, as the "United Kingdom of Groat Britain." That is the gist of the first article- or clause of 25 in the deed that brought about and fixed the Union. And not only is it breaking the law to say "England" when "Britain" is meant, but it is breaking faith and violating good manners, which is surely not a good lesson to give to boys either by example or precept. Englishmen, and probably some Scotchmen too, are loud in their complaints of the vulgar manners of the Germane ; yefc it would be well to learn and take example from them. How faithfully they adhere to the name of their convention of nations. Prussia is quite as much the preponderating country of the German Empire as England is of the British Empire; but the Prussian never either ignorantly or designedly offends hia neighbour countrymen by any fci*percilious assertion of his own country. Indeed, that vulgar John Bullism is becoming a real menace to the stability of the Empire. The colonial is a3 deeply imbued with his self-importance as 'he race he sprang from is, and he cannot brook the id«a of his ships that are to guard the southern seas forming nart of the British fleet. And when he becomes stronger he will resent the John Bull assertiven^ss with his own <,elf-sufTleienoy, and it is hard to realise the consequences It will be much more serious than the patient endurance of the Scotch or even the constant protest of ths Irish, because it will be added to these. Let me further advert to another phase of the pride of race of the Englishman A writer not long ago, in the columns <"if the Witness, in a supercilious manner, eaid j ''the Anplo-Saxon race was fast overshadowjnq- j.Vi^ Ji^fj^ rgf ai arifl ifr wm tifr* fnw«j»^

who were the Empire-builders." These are, as near as I can remember, his words and meaning. And what a fiction thoy are. Observers have lately been commenting- on how the blonds in womenkind are giving way to the brunette. Again, take any list of names, say of members of the House of Commons, and compare the list of those of to-day with lists of by-gone days, eueh as can be sr^n in some old books, almanacs, or directories, cr lists of business people, rind it will be se«n that the names of Celtic origin are gradually increasing in proportion to those of Teutonic origin. I am not insonsible of the advantages of a proper blend of the races of men now native to the British Isles and in these colonies. They are, in a manner, compensatory to one another, for while the Teutons give the staying quality, which, metaphorically, might be likened to the uses of the brake and the governor on the steam engine, the Celt provides the motive force. And people should begin to know in these day* that the mere force of numbers is not sufficient reason for ignoring the rights and trampling on the su=ceptibilitics of one's neighbours. Very likely I shall be told that it is not well to cultivate such susceptibilities. That is, " we should blunt our feelings of national patriot16m, po that we may endure the aggressive national prido of )ur neighbours. — I am, etc.,

J. Babeowihx, Ncwtown, Tasmania