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Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 565, 1 December 1915, Page 6

The appeal of Dr Sven Hedin, the famous Swedish explorer, to the Swedes to abandon their neutrality in favour of Germany, is only to be expected* after the obsequious attention which.Hedin received in his now notorious visit to the German lines in the eastern and western theatres. Recounting his experiences of that visit, the Explorerauthor amused the world with his child-like rhapsodies on the humility, physical grace, and highmindedness of the Grown Prince and the Kaiser. At lunch, reviewing troops, or making presentations of Ircfti Grosses, the eldest son of the Kaiser, we were informed in deliriously admiring prose, was the embodiment of virtue and valour. Iledin went into ecstasies over his hosts, exalted the ordinary German type of officer to the standard of Napoleon's Field Marshals, and generally took upon himself to "whitewash" the whole German Army from the Kaiser downwards, or gild their grossness with line words. As a reward for this service, he was invited by Hindenburg to attend the entry of the German troops into Warsaw. So if will be seen that Hedin has had much honour done him by his Teutonic friends. As Germany never condescends without expecting a quid pro quo Hedin 110 doubt considered it the right thing to play the mouse to the lion,, and appeal to his country to join Germany in her mad enterprise. The contiguity of the two nations has made for a sympathetic understanding which feeling has been assisted by the assiduity with which Germany has encouraged trade with her neighbour, and, in her own clever way, fostered the distrust with which Sweden regards Russia. But the Swedes, as a thriving people, are too well aware of the advantages of peaceful neutrality to be led or forced into actual belligerency.