OUR DEBT TO FRANCE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 187, 27 April 1918, Page 8

OUR DEBT TO FRANCE

Sir,—ln attempting to enlist the active sympathy of yourself and your subscribers in the National Association of the French War Orphans (Mons L. J. du Mou, lion, secretary, Hamilton, N.Z.), I am impelled U> write, not as ono having any standing or authority in the matter, but as one plain man whose conscience will not let him rest until he has done something to bring before other plain men the profound and undeniable obligations wo, as members of tho British Empire, are under to that greet and longsuffering nation, the French. Without in any way belittling the magnificent achievements of tho "old contemptible" British Army in helping to stem, in the early months of the war, the first terrible onslaught of the Germans, and which was practically wiped out in accomplishing its task, justice compels ns to acknowledge that all through the long months of preparation and training <bf our now armies France acted ns our shield and buckler on the Western front. Had her resistance to the German pressure failed, one may well ask, in the light of what has since happened, what chance would the British, single-handed, have had of staving the German advance to world nonunion and the consequent, triumph of militarism, with all its atrocious methods and pracBut France stood fast, and it eeomß to me that as a people we do not realise, or make nnv attempt to recognise, what this resolute stand of France means to us and those who come alter us. Unc does not find iu the speeches of our

public men any attempt to bring home to us the enormous significance of the French resistance, or to make us realita that what Belgium has suffered, that part of France which the Germans have overrun had also suffered, and. worse. There was no hesitation on our part in recognising our obligations and responsibilities to heroic Belgium; but while Belgium held the gate for days, France has held it years, and has dumbly endured an equal crucifixion with Beligum. Do we'here really understand what German occupation Thank God we have not been called upon to experience it, but at anyrata we should try to imagine what it means to children whose fathers died in defence of their homes, and whose mothers have had to endure much worse things than death. ltavo we, then, no responsibilities to these children and to the ihildren of the tens of thousands of brave Frenchmen wnu nave loiignt and died in this battle, which is our battle also? Most certainly there is no one in this Dominion wh u can plead that he has no obligation in this matter. To tho»e who, )il ;e myself, have been, hroughont in the unfortunate position o£ being obliged to make monev out of the war, then, is no escape from the conclusion that war profits so made are due to our having t o far been able to hold the Germans in check, and that this holding in check is largely due to French endurance. That a considerable part of these war profits should therefore be returned to France seems to be demanded, not as a charity, but as an act of restitution and justice; while those who have not been making war profits may yet find room to deny themselves. What better homage, then, could wo pay to that proud nation, and to those brave sous and daughters ?f France who have died in the great cause, than by helping to the utmost of our ability lo provide for and cherish the young children who will eventually build up that new people of France, whose only rivalry,' with our own children in the days to' come wo pray will be in the service of! humanity and the final establishment of true freedom, the brotherhood of niaai and an equal law!—l am, etc., Ii.D.F.