THE WORLD'S PRESS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 272, 21 December 1914, Page 6

THE WORLD'S PRESS.

POLICY OF SECEECY. The policy of secrecy directly injures recruiting in another way. It destxoyai the tie of human' interest between; 1 the; people and their soldiers. So long as a county t or ; acity is ; not permitted to. learn the,gallant .deeds, of .its regiment or to follow the fort»nes--of :iteisdns in the field, so long as men "pass Silently ovier-sea and are lost to view till their names appear in some belated casualty list, so lozig, will ; a most powerful, stimulus io enlistment be lacking.—''Daily Mail.'' -- WHAT "KTOTTJE" MEANS. "Kultur" cares nothing for international law any more than it cares for decency, or humanity, and it would not be in the least surprising if, as appears from the report, the Emden's captain broke tEe rules of the game. Anyhow, to fly false colours was not Drake's way or Nelson way. ButTthen, the British-sailor has rib "kultur." He, ■.■ the German newspapers constantly assure us; is a mere barbarian, the citizen of a decadent country that; cares for honour and keeps its plighte<(l word.— t( Express." ' '_ THE RECEUITING CAMPAIGN.

There is not the slightest excuse for parsimony or shilly-shallying, and the country will hear no excuses. We are all glad to pay; let the Government use .our money generously. Then let it enliven the recruiting- campaign. 'For all the colour" there is in it now, the men might have been recruited and marched in queues for labour in cotton factories.—''Evening, News" (London). - . . ■,. -\

CLOSING THE NORTH SEA. - The new order does not mean that the: North Sea is closed, but it. does mean that ■it is closed except for well:defined routes, and that any ship found outside those routes is found there at its own peril, an.dl will be called upon to explain itself. - In this way, and in this way only, is it possible, to keep the trade routes that are vital not only to ourselves but also to .all neutral countries free from peril. The course now taken will also appreciably lighten the anxieties of our Fleet and give it a control over the traffic in contraband, which has not- hitherto been possible.— "Daily News.'* j DEMOCRATISING THE ARMY.

The hardness of the line of demarcation between the two ranks of officers, though theoretically it can be passed and sometimes is, has always been one of the defects of our military system. And Lord Kitchener, whose sole interest in the army is in its military efficiency and not at all in its social brilliancy, is just the man to know how much is loslf to the army by the barrier. He is the only man who could make the '' democratisation'' of the armysomething more than a phrase.—'' Manchester Guardian." , J ; WILL CONSCRIPTION BE NECESSAET. Our cause we profoundly believe to be just. But the surest proof of that belie'f is the strenuousness of our efforts. God helps only those who help themselves. More men must be forthcoming. They can only be obtained in two ways—either the Government must permit the people to know about tni» war and appeal to their sentiment and their imagination; or a very speedy resort to compulsory service will become, inevitable. It is for the Government to choose.—"Daily "Mail."