Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star MONDAY, JULY 12th„ 1920. NATIONAL DEFENCE.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 July 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star MONDAY, JULY 12th„ 1920. NATIONAL DEFENCE.

During last week, Major-General Sir A. . M. Russell made several appeals to public gatherings in Wellington in support of the National Defence League of New Zealand. Before the Anglican Diocesan lie said there was no need for loin to explain he need for a continuance ,of National Defence. It was, ot should be apparent to every 'thinking man and womep. put )w would like to say just a few words about ope plank in the policy of the league. He inferred to a “White New Zealand/' When it was first considered he half doubted the wisdom of its inclusion, fjfld asked if it was not a “dog in the mntigpiJ’ lydkj. That doubt had passed. 'file fact that jv.e had in this country a standard of Hying and cepta n moral idaffdards different to tho-.e found in other parts of the. Pacific v as sufficient. If they subscribed fo the principle of racial purity, as he did, they would subscribe to the object of •the league. One of the great questions of the day concerned reconstruction the key to which has so far remained hidden. The conclusion he had come to | at the front was that there was only | one chance of bringing about reconI struetion, and that was we should be betI ter men and women ourselves. To that end three things were necessary: —(1) enlightened self-interest, (2) religion, and (3) better education of all kinds mental, physical, and aboyo .all, .moral. The,, had* to inculcate these ideas iff the minds of men and women while they were young, and to do that if was incumbent on them to perform a. social service. They should not pay someone ! else to do it, but do it themselves, i .Good work should be done in the , .camps, where, ip his opinion, training need not necessarily .be Restricted to dull and dreary drill. No doubt they bad heard much of the use of bad .lan-! gunge and pther : bad habits in camp, • but be would like to impress on them 1 the fact that bad language uud bad habits iverp brought into camp. Clean thoughts were pot fostered in this coun- 1 try as they should be. The habit of bad language and thoughts could pot lie removed by'punishment, but by. sup*' planting it, by something better, by something due tfr tlvo self-respect of the individual. Although the powers for evil were great, the powers for good w,ere infinitely greater. In France, f j do good from the viewpoint of the country the men bad to get out to go over the fop into “No Man’s Land”; It wan no use attacking an onepiv entrenched across “No Man’s Land,” from behind barbedi-wire entangle-

, meuts. The day always came when the men had to go over the top. That day had arrived in New Zealand, hence the existence of the National Defence League. In asking for the support of the Synod, lie had in mind that unless religion were brought into the movement it bad no hope. One of the difh • onlties which might occasion them much concern might be the want of unity among the churches. Very frequently very worthy movements were doomed to failure because the lack of unity prohibited a general expression of opinion from tlhe lohnrebea. He hoped that such would not be the ease in respect of the National Defence proposals. All that was required was a right judgment in nil things.