LOYALTY TO EMPIRE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18458, 17 April 1922, Page 7

LOYALTY TO EMPIRE

DUTIES OF CITIZENSHIP. PRE-SENT DAY PROBLEMS. > CANKER Ol' INTERNATIONALISM. Loyalty to the British Empire was the subject of an address given at the weekly luncheon of the Auckland Rotary Club on Tuesday by Mr. J. Shaw, a lecturer at lhe Auckland Training College. Mr. Shaw said the Empire was face to face to-day with more problems than ever it had to face in tlie whole of its wonderful history. They were important problems which might end in disaster if not settled in the right way. “1 am a New Zealander, and I am proud of the fact.” proceeded Mr. Shaw, “and I am a Scotsman, and am prouder of that, but is there anything hostile to my loyalty to New Zealand in my loyalty to Scotland?” Imperal loyalty, lie continued, included the whole and gave it a fuller and a wider meaning. “What is the. Empire of ours?” asked the speaker. It was the greatest factor in the English-speaking world in the maintenance of stability and the building of the better era it was hoped would arise eventually out of the great war. The people had come to see just exactly what the Empire stood for. THE COLONISING SPIRIT. The vast difference between the British method of Empire building and that attempted by the Germans was referred to by Mr. Shaw, who said that in a recent German publication were the words, “ Others in the past saw the advantages of Empire building but in some queer way Britain always managed the building of her Empire.” The Germans endeavoured to build an Empire according to drawn plans, but they failed. This was largely due to the lack of the spirit which had been the secret of Britain's success. It was the national spirit which impelled the British people to go beyond the far horizon, determined to find what was beyond it. Mr. Shaw instanced Drake’s famous voyage round Cape Horn, across the Indian Ocean and around the Cape of Good Hope, in a. small craft, that today none would dream of venturing to sea in, to show the spirit that dominated the British. YVherever Britons landed they established themselves, and so stage by stage the Empire was built up, and was to-day firm as a result of the spirt of the people The Empire had not been manufactured on some preconceived plan, but grew, and therefore was not a ramshackle affair that could be broken up. It was in a more unassailable position now than it ever occupied in its history. (Applause.) “In spite of her difficulties,” said Mr. Shaw. “ I believe that Britain stands higher than ever she has done during the whole course of her history.” (Applause.) “That makes it practically impossible that she shall have any enemies from without.”

Referring to the spread of modern social revolutionary doctrines, Air. Shaw said chat whatever country welcomed them, of this he was certain, that when | it camo to solid facts the British people would say, '‘We won’t have any of it.” (Applause.) DANGER OF ABUSE OF FREEDOM. “Y T et, for all that,” he proceeded, “it seems to me there are very grave dangers, examples of which we havae had here in New Zealand. J hey may accomplish what revolution cannot accomplish. I think you all are agreed in this that the greatest disaster that could happen in the world to the cause of justice would be the overthrow of the British Empire, which stands for cleanliness, and sanity throughout the world. Remove it and you remove the most potent factor in the world to-day.” (Applause.) “Is it possible to be a loyal . citizen of New Zealand and not be loyal to the Empire?” asked Mr. Shaw. “Is it possible to be loyal to New Zealand and disloyal to the Power that makes New Zealand anything at all? Remove the imperial background, and what are we? It is impossible.” There was something plausible about the internationalists’ doctrines, but they would not contribute much to the' world in general. (Applause.) It was said by extreme Labour that they are loyal to the Dominion, but not loyal to the Empire behind it.” The same tiling was occuring in Australia, wlnere the people said “We’re Australians; we’re not British.” It was about time a definite stand was taken not to allow the cry of “ Freedom of speech and liberty” to undermine the Empire ol which this country formed a. part. “I am quite convinced,” said Mr. Shaw, “that the heart of New Zealand beats absolutely true to its Imperial ideals within the Empire. If we allow too much to be taken for granted, them we are going to allow enemies to enter into the national life and overthrow this Imperial body of ours. It is up to loyal citizens of New Zealand to see that we owe everything to the Empire, and that if we allow this disloyalty to go unchallenged, goodness knows where we will he in a few years hence. If the undermining of the integrity and idea of citizenship of the British Empire is to be permitted, then there is no hope for the Empire, and no hope for New Zealand.” (Loud applause.)