OUR STAKE IN THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2649, 21 December 1915, Page 4

OUR STAKE IN THE WAR

.. -;"C ' WHAT FREEDOM MEANS ; J - • I C SPEECH BY THE ATTORNEY- f CENERAL. 1 c : - ( A virile patriotic speech was deliver- 1 ed "by the Hon. A. L. Herdmau at the c annual prize-givin<* ceremor.y of Nelson College on Wednesday night. What did the present situation mean to the boys as the men of the future? said Mr. Herdman. It.meant that'the. greatness of the nation to which' . they belonged ivae threatened. It meant that her power and her. influence -were in danger. It meant that if wo did not succeed, an Englishman would _ne\;er again be precisely the same force in the world. His' mana would be gone. He. would have fallen from his place in the sun. We were to-dav fighting for our, very lives, for everything that we held most sacred and most dear. He was. . mentioning all this because 0110 day they would' be the men _ who . would 1 be responsible for the guidance of our 1 cmintry,,' and should understand how ' great were the advantages which we 1 enjoyed as subjects of the British 1 Crown. He supposed they understood I hew precious freedom'was, and hov safe 1 1 their person and their property were J wherever the' British law was adminis- I terod. The.v could say what they liked, 1 they could think what they liked, they ' - co.uld do'what thev liked, provided they 1 respected the rights of other persons, ' and so ho would ask: What was the J 1 position of the.Englishman? Old insti- : tutions looked down upon' him, and ' 1 spoke to him of the days in which 1 the foundations of his nation were laid. 1 He customs that were old--1 fashioned, his actions _ and decisions - were, influenced by traditions that were | ancient.. His country possessed ' a his- ' tory the pages of which spoke bf sacri--1 fices.made and of honourable and bold ' deeds performed so that freedom might ' be secured. His nation possessed great 1 wealth and vast'territories, and she had. I prestige, distinction,.and character.-The centre of his country was an island, set iii the midst of the' sea, and standing apart from the rest of tho world. His nation had played;'a great part in tho j world's history, she had raised herself to an eminence never, before Teached, , and she wielded-a. power and influence for good over humanity never equalled (' .by any Power in. ancient or modern- . times. If this struggle was not ended [: ■ iii': ou'r ifavour,.- wo-.stood to lose'sonic- [ thing, of "all this, and there would, rise [. a Power'. above ■ _ and over us'. whoso methods we despised and whoso prin- : ciples of government were repugnant to r us. The boys would understand • then what they stood to lose. . - . That .victory would como to us corf .tainly. lie believed—'(applause)—but' it , was useless to shut'our oyes to danger, , and we might just as well make.up our. j uiinds that wo could only triumph when ~ we looked facts fairly and squaroly-in the face, and when we determined to become earnest and thorough. Ho | could not liell them when tho end would > come. Tlioy could on a blackboard | demonstrate to him that tho angles at . tho base of an isosceles triangle were , equal, but- ho could not provo to them j that to-dav the Allies were mora than oqual to tlie Germans, but ho thought that they could accept this: Germany had been deceitful, deceit would never , win, truth would. Germany had been : cruel, cruelty would not conquer. The . principles of humanity would reap their • reward. Suffocating gas may choke an " odd soldier hero and there, but no suf- ; foeatins gas would choko tho spirit of ( a people which had a fixed belief in the principles of right and ■ liberty. We knew to-day what the spirit of the German people was; we knew that . it meant- force, cruelty, deceit,' and i want of principle) and a belief that jmi&ht is riaiitu iWa .know, what tho

spirit of the British people was. It stood • for,; justice, fair play, and a recognition' of the principles' that those who were not mighty have rights. The life of the British' nation was founded upon the struggles which men had made for freedom, upon the countless; deeds of sacrifice, and heroism perform-; ed by numberless patriots to gain that national system of living which _we counted our most priceless possession. (Applause.) He would like to say one word more. : He was speaking that night as I'he boy of yesterday to the men and women of to-morrow. : Through all ".their < lives' they should count it a great thing to have been born citizens of the British Empire, not because Britain was all powerful, but. because under her rule the best of the world's work /could best be done.' In'our long career as amtion;: we might have , done many things that wo.' should not, have done; but in tlie- main lie believed. that we could say without boasting thst wo had helped to lift up the world, and we had set standards in , business, in society, in life, and in • statesmanship of which we might well be proud, but lie would ask the boys to remember this and never forgot .it. Vast .and great as were our wealth and possessions, powerful as was dur Navy, wise as were our statesmen, courageous'as were our. soldiers, those alone.would not enable us to endure.. Our safety lay in the spirit and pharacter of the people—the spirit of a, nation that had laid it down as a fixed and unalterable principle that national greatness was worth nothing unless it' was firmly, fixed upon the rock of truth, of honour, and of justice. It was for the, boys and- girls charged with the care of our country in the-days to come to see that this spirit never died. Mr. Hordman resumed his seat amidst prolonged applause. , The Hutt and Petone Railway Section of the National Reserve held its usual parade ' last- week ,Lieutenant)' Siniolis in command. Sergeant Bland instructed, the squads in the usual routine, and after some useful work at the rifle range, the company reassembled, and a lecture on "Musketry" . was delivered by Mr. H. Donaldson, of the Military College, Diuitroon, N.S.W. A vote of thanks was accorded tho voung speaker at the conclusion of tho address. Tho signalling and N.C.O. classes are being well attended,' and,keen interest is being maintained in both sections. - '.. ' '