TRAFALGAR DAY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14039, 23 October 1909, Page 8

TRAFALGAR DAY.

To tho Editor of tho "Timaru Herald." Sir, —lour interesting criticism of tilts morning on tho object of tho Navy League and the steps tho Leaguo takes and proposes to tako to obtain that object, and tho numerous enquiries which tho members of tho league's local committee have had to answer during.tho past few days, as well as the consequent increase of tho roll of membership since the first letter 011 tho subject appeared in. your columns, loads mo to believo that in Timaru .Aher© is a.very.real feeling of interest in • tho subject, and I therefore—with, diffidence,. having taken up -somo of. yonr-space so recently—venture to stibmita few points for consideration. • 'Firstly, and all' through the chapter, League endeavours to steer for tho clear channel between the Scylla of public t indifference and tho Charybdis of 'Jingoism.' History—so tlio proverb eays—has a habit of repeating itself, aijd in order that tho history of tho present and tho future should bo' not less creditable to our Empire than that of tho past, it-is snrely. permissible to point-to tho great deeds of our fathers ih" the hope that "our.sons may copy their virtues bold." And-in"thus celebrating tho day. of Trafalgar tho league, does so not in any spirit of. "mischievous vainglory,"' but rather;' -that tho example the- men ' who raised - England to % her : present- position may not be lost on'the generations which are springing tip to take their places. The-public spirit of a country rests .very largely of-its' history, and "it is to the public spirit throughout the Empire that wo must- look - for our national safety. /To encourage and keep 3livo 'thisspirifc ifcis'necessary'to instil it" into the minds of tho" men of to-morrow, and ; this-* is tho • idea tho Navy-Leaguo has in view ,\vlien it ox-, ganises its campaign in - tho schools and.' educational establishments of tho country. and 1 to - stimulate tho ; interest -Wo endeavour, to show- to our. school. members as much*as is posibTo of tho Navy in- whoso'hands the .maintenance of our glorious traditions and national honour rests. —I 'am/ etc., GEO. N. G; AKBER) ; ■ Timaru, October I :2lst.

To .the Editor of the ."Tiniaru Herald." Sir,—Will you be good , enough-again to - allow me some, lines on ■ "Loyal V last letter-appearing in yesterday's is--6UO. First of all,- "Loyal" is apparently under the'impression .that my letter was written under tho auspices of tho Navy League. .Nothing .of the sort. : I wrote from,- - an, outside standpoint, whicli standpoint I, am sure' is- snared by* the majority of : our'.citizens, whether members of'the Navy League or not." ■ •- • Secondly, to answer "Loyal," I have lived in .Franco/or .-various "periods extending i ovteiv several years, r and >■ travelled a'good-deal' in' that country.;'! have attended.Withother; English people resident "there, : various.-, celeb rations inhonour :of Jeanno d'Arc, and ' say emphatically - there : never' could. •be - a feeling of resentment raised_in anyone's breast ata-'nation,on- theirown. "soil, doing homage to* tho memory of-a girl who did. -so much- for ; her country and - whoso death- at our hands can; only be regarded, as one of those stains on'Eng-. Ush" histoiy we-would'fain-wipe out. • There "are- certain 1 politicians. in the> Empire at present who would have us adopt a policy which can only be described ai 'soft.' "They would build no more ships, they would decrease our fighting strength, - etc. Such -a policy can have but one end—disaster to the nation. ; We have only to look back and glance at the rise and fall of empires, and in almost every case we find tho decline was caused by over-confi-dence in their might to contend against any foe. They lived on laurels won a hundreds years before, and they fell. We have enjoyed peace in Europe for 100 years, let us see to it that we look to our armaments to ensure it for another hundred. After that tho times may be riper for a more general discussion/of'the peace sentiment—l am, ctc " • It.T.