"PRAY FOR ENGLAND."

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2280, 14 October 1914, Page 5

"PRAY FOR ENGLAND."

APPEAL IN A MOSLEM PAPER. The "Baid el Osmani,"a weekly Moslem paper of Tantah, (edited by.Sheikh Mohamed Towfik el Azhari (says the "Egyptian Gazette" of August 22), publishes a.lengthy leader under the following heading: "Pray for England, and ask God to help Her." We translate the .following brief extracts from the article, which shows the Egyptian attitude towards Britain:— . "In the present circumstances, while Great' Britain is engaged in ' a x cruel war, started by the ambitious Germans, the Egyptians feel a. deep sympathy for the former Government. * Indeed, England, that wise colonising power, has always been kind to us, and during the long years of her occupation of our country we havo never heard of her trespassing on our rights or. traditions and habits . . . Egypt can never accept any other occupation except that of the British. "Some foolish people amongst us express themselves as friends of Germany, because Germany, so they say, is a friend of Turkey, and they sympathiso with them for this reason. But wo fail to see that Turkey has "drawn any benefit from the German friendship, which is based on political ambitions arid ends, as far as Germany is concerned., We hope the Ottomans will realise this fact, and not be so rash as' to throw, themselves into fateful danger by risking any attempt to support Germany in this war. "We sincerely hope that Great Britain will win in the end, and be crowned with" victory, for we will never forgot her good treatment and the keen interest she always takes to safeguard' our interests. Nobody can deny this fact, except those who have never cared, in tho least if the country prospers or is ruined. We. must absolve ourselves of responsibility. for tho attitude of such unwise persons so that history may not record that we are an ungrate-, ful nation. "Pray for England, and ask God t<j' help her." . A resident of Tβ Aroha, Mr. D. Eoland, who-is. a native-born Hungarian but a British subject of some years' ■, standing, recently found that ho was being mistaken for an Austrian. Takiii" tho bull by tho horns, Mr. Roland called a public open-air meeting, and there and then explained tho salient differences , between ■ Hungarians and Austriaas. Ho explained that the alliance between tho two countries was made ia,the sixteenth centuryj when, with tlip death of King Matthias, the , army disappeared, leaving the-country exposed to tho ravages of the unspeak- • ablo Turk. It was then that Austria offered assistance on certain tornis, which wore accepted, one condition being that tho Hapsburgs should be the kings of an independent Hungary. Today Hungary had her own Parliament and laws, tho only terms of unity being in regard to defence matters. ' The military system in Hungary; said Mr. lloland, was that a youth on reaching tho age of 19 years appeared beforetho authorities, and if fit and well was warned to present himself for three years' military service in the army. Ho ' then had to live in barracks, and v did nothing else but perform military duties, for which he received tli6 equivalent of ono penny per day. Mr. Roland thought, from'bis own experience, that as the soldiers are under-fed, illclothed, and ill-paid, that they would 'hardly bo ablo to stand against the armies of tho Allies. The official language is German. Thoso who epeak ■ other languages and not German cannot rise even to be petty officers inythe Army. In advertising artists making Pathe- . phone records we included tho names of Jlelba and Clara Butt—who to the best of our information <lo not belong to our list of artists. Wo have corrected the advertisement. However, -wo invite you ■ to cot our list of artists—and Gatisfy yourself we have the best of tho world's best. Oscar Heiyett and Co., Solo Agents for Pnthophones in New Zealand, 56 Cuba •Street, Wellington.—Advt.