The War Memorial

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXIX, Issue 6180, 14 February 1922, Page 3

The War Memorial

[To the Editor.]

Sir, —All through the a./es it ha:» been mau’s ende»v i to •xc 1, a>’d when we achieve some (fished end, deed, or act we are applauded for it in pom-' shape or form. In our uneducated days it was the custom to erect a sign or monument, to those who were fortunate enough to have the opportunity. Especially was this so ou the battlefield. Today we claim to be educated, and we have our names spread over the earth by newspapers, books, etc. For the last two thousand years we have been preaching Peace, and the need for beating our swords into,, ploughshares, etc And all the time we have bepn fighting and inventing lethal weapons and methods of destroying humanity quicker than ever before in history, erecting monuments to those brave fellows who died and applauding generally and figuratively saying to our sons : Go thou and do likewise, Ye men, and also crying poverty—no money to give to those living monuments of the Hell they came through. Ob, no, let them work, you say. Yet we hear of a meeting of our townsmen and ccuutrymen all over the eaith saying, “ Let ns collect money to put up some heathen idol’’ to commemorate the names of our boys who died for Peace ! -Ye Gods, Mr Editor, have I read aright? Do we want peace ? I cannot reconcile this monument “ stunt ” with the cry of peiC9. With one voice we say ; “ Go aud tell some fellow or people, aud we will emblazon your names on a roll or rock 1000 ft, high,” and with another we say, “For God’s sake let us tave peace.’’ There's something wrong, Mr Editor. If we were an uneducated people and had no literature to commemorate our achievements hereafter, well, a sign or monument may be excusable. But as educated people with our literature a.nd pictures spread over the earth, 1 most emphatically state we are doing the wrong thing. If we want peace let ns destroy all sign and symbol of HUMAN destruction. Talk peace and goodwill by helping the living monuments in our midst. Let us practice what we preach. In reality, Sir, we are putting up a monument to ourselves. How, you ask. Simply because we want to let Mother Grundy see what we as citizens think of our fellow citizens. Self-laudation is the curse of human aspirations, hence I say abandon this heathen and uneducated idea and put the money to a better and less selfish use.—l am, etc., C. J. Tuck.