The Christchurch Star. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1929. A STRONG TIDE OF PACIFISM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18940, 10 December 1929, Page 8

The Christchurch Star. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1929. A STRONG TIDE OF PACIFISM.

THE BRITISH EVACUATION of the Rhineland which is to be completed on December 13, and which is being carried out with such good feeling on both sides, is a reminder that recent visitors to Germany have observed a complete change of feeling towards things militaristic there. Indeed, they tell us that one may go through the country and be conscious of a strong tide of pacifism. But it is a pacifism that, while fostering international friendliness, and looking hopefully to Geneva, at the same time fosters a healthy national sentiment. Germany has learnt her lesson from the war. She is releasing those energies formerly cramped within the channels of a militaristic regime into a movement that is reviving the spirit of her youth, bringing her people back to a love of nature and tile old folk-traditions, and training her young people to self-reliance and initiative on her sports fields. The welding of Germany into one autonomous state has been completed so recently, historically speaking, that to-day there is an interesting reflection of this in the fact that since the abolition of the monarchy the German people have been without a national anthem and a national flag. Two schools of thought disagreeing as to what the flag should be, have prevented the definite acceptance of any flag by the country. Yet, although she has not yet accepted these outward symbols, there is no lack of national sentiment. Herr De Hass, the German deputy-Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaking to a party of New Zealanders and Canadians at Wiesbaden, voiced the feeling of the people when he said that they hoped by self-denial, hard work and education to regain what the war devastation had temporarily lost to them. PRIZES AND PIGTAILS. U TF YOU DO NOT begin to grow your hair quickly you ■A will all be out of fashion in six months’ time,” said his Excellency the Governor-General the other day to the students at the Wellington Girls’ College, and as if to strengthen the case for long hair he assured them that in his experience it was always the girls with pigtails that got the most prizes. We are not so sure about the accuracy of his Excellency’s conclusion on this subject, and least of all in regard to the matrimonial prizes that he may have overlooked. It is certain that the fashion is changing temporarily in the direction of longer hair, and this trend of fashion is not influenced so much by the greater expense of constant waving and clipping as by the fact that women have been so long “ without their hair ” that their natural curiosity is aroused to see what they look like with it again. Most of them are worrying not so much about pigtails and prizes as about their personal appearance, and if the “ Star ” may be permitted to put the masculine view on the subject, it would venture to disagree strongly with his Excellency the Governor-General, holding that women are much more attractive shingled, and much happier in that blessed state if only they could realise it. CHARITY WITHOUT TEARS. THE CHARITY STAMP with which it is hoped to raise money to help to stamp' out tuberculosis within the Dominion will be on sale at post offices to-morrow. The stamps, which will be sold at twopence each, bear a postage value of a penny and a charity value of a penny. Thus, since it is hoped that everybody will use them, the cost to each individual giver will be a comparatively small sum; but the aggregate monetary result throughout the Dominion should be substantial. While the novelty of the new stamp will have a certain attraction, the knowledge that one half of the cost of the stamps will be applied to the setting up of health camps for improving the health of ill-nourished and debilitated children will be the great incentive to purchasers. The scheme has already been adopted in Denmark and in America, where the increasing results show its life-giving possibilities. In America, since the existence of the seal, the death rate from the disease has fallen from 198 per 100,000 of population to ninety-five. In New Zealand the urgent need of money to save the children from the disease is great, the cost to the individual is small, and the general public, we feel confident, will make the fullest use of this new stamp with the double-barred cross, the emblem of anti-tuber-culosis work throughout the world. A NEGLECTED ANNIVERSARY. AVERY ARDENT ADMIRER of the Canterbury Pilgrims urges the “ Star ” to make an effort to restore Anniversary Day to something of its former importance as a provincial holiday. Unfortunately, the date of the arrival of the historic First Four Ships, falling just nine days before Christmas, has done more than anything else to push the anniversary into the discard as a general holiday, and it is to be feared that a fete day of the kind, once lost, is hardly ever regained. Nor is it feasible to revive the old-time celebrations. Torchlight processions pale before the steady glare of electric lights, and although fireworks are a form of entertainment that we see too little of nowadays, at best they would be merely an incident in the day’s festivities. However, the whole matter hinges on the inclinations of the people of the province. Country people have shown no inclination to perpetuate a holiday lying so closely between Carnival Week and Christmas, and the city people and workers are not in the mood at this time of the year to close down for twenty-four hours. It may be that a coming generation will have a strong enough sense of reverence for the memory of the pioneers to insist upon the observance of the day, and we devoutly hope that it will be so, but in these days the utilitarians are in the saddle, and sentiment is at a decided discount.