OUT THERE

Hokitika Guardian, 20 September 1921, Page 3

OUT THERE

WHAT THE DOMINIONS REALLY THINK. (By Professor T. I*. Kent, of the University of Capetown.) During the few months 1 have been in England on leave I have, been asked many times: “Hour do you like living Twit there k” If the questioners would i engine themselves visitng us in South Ail it’ll and try to think how they would feel if they were constantly being asked. “How do you live living out there?” (meaning “in England”) they might realise that the qaestkm contains implications that make it awkward to m answer. It surely should not be necessary to ask anyone if be likes living at borne.” And I nm one of nearly two million white people to whom South Africa is “home.”

The numlior of men who come to South Africa with no intention of making it their home, hut with every intention of making a fortune on which to retire in England, is diminishing. This may he due partly to the fact that fortunes are not made so easily ns they used to be. But it is mainly due to the fact that South Africa is now a nation with a growing self-con-sciousness and self-respect. It is worth belonging to, and men feel that they cannot, in honour or even in common decency, live in the country and yet remain outside the stream of Us national life.

Goodness knows we badly want immigrants from tho Motherland. But they must lie prepared not only to make thei,- money in South Africa, blit also to spend it there; not only to live, but also to die there. AYc want the man who is often turning to the Motherland, hut who. “turning, ever stavs.”

And what of the children? My children, as purely English hy descent as they can possibly be, are South Africans of the third generation. They know no other fatherland, no other home; to them South Africa is not “out there.”' They are South Africans first and all the time. « * * # * Wo havo no use fur sloppy internationalism. Each constituent of our Commonwealth of I‘Tee .Vations is left to develop its own nationality. England has ancient and glorious traditions; some day we shall have ours too. Hut we shall run develop, practically, socially, or economically, on English lines. It simply cannot !*• done; growing nationalities cannot he forced into fixed moulds. The Dominions will discover their own particular quaht.es | and gifts and develop them for the | lienefit of all. But- we do desire, above till things, that, while building up a great nation ■tn the sub-continent, we may keep' yftiive all the ties of affection and admiration for the old home in the northern seas. We want also to take o 1„. sliare with it in advancing common ideals of freedom and world-ser-

vice.” . , Our statesmen are doing their nest to avoid friction and to harmonise clashing interests. But their efforts will lie vain unless they have behind them the active support of the mass oi their ;>eoples; such support must lie based upon knowledge and understanding and forbearance. Yes, we like living “out there” lieeause “out there” is our home. But **“though mountains divide us and the waste of seas,” and though different forces will share our destinies, yet we nre —and ma* we ever remain—proud of the one constitutional tie that hinds us together—namely, a common Icing-