THE WORLD OF TO-DAY

Hokitika Guardian, 27 February 1925, Page 1

THE WORLD OF TO-DAY

THE PROBLEM OF RACE. "WELLINGTON. February 24. "The United States constitutes today one of the few great stable empires that the world has seen.” These words, uttered by Sir Auckland Geddes in the Walter Page Alemorial Lecture in London, defined the attitude of Sir John Findlay towards the great English-speaking Republic as revealed in an address to tho Englishspeaking Union last evening. FALLEN AWAY. There had been a marked decline in the outlook of the Anglo-Saxon race upon one of the most serious problems which they had to face, said Sir John. Two hundred years ago there would not have been wanting an audience to consider the important matters which lay before them. The most serious tiling in New Zealand to-day was the apathy with which all matters which did not lend themselves to enjoyment were regarded; and unless they learnt to copy the severe, simple, and manly virtues of the race to which Washington belonged, they would assuredly go down before t-he teeming millions of the East. IX WOMEN'S HANDS. There had been a day when this was '.not ,so. But to-diiv there seemed nothing which the public resented more than a challenge to serious attention. He could not help feeling that perhaps Benjamin Kidd, in his last hook, was right, and that the future of the race lay in the hands of the women. The basic factor of all European progress had not been anything save race. Professor Stoddart had told them that the total number of people on the globe was 1.700.000,000. WHITE AND ICO LO URED. Of these only 550,000,000 wer ewhtie, the remaining 1,150,000,000 being coloured ; and while the white races doubled themselves every 80 years, the brown and yellow races doubled every 60 years, and the black every 40 years. In the ease of France, the population was falling, in 1921 the population of France was 37,500,000, or 2,000,000 less than it had been 10 years ago. In 1919 the total numlier of births in France had been 200,000 less than they were in 1911. In England the average family was seven ; hut where the men could he regarded as the best it was four. IF IT FAILED. If white civilisation went down, the white eivilsiation was irretrievably ruined. In the past the civilisation of the whites might decay; hut there came to fill their place the hordes of the north, who in time raised themselves to the standard of those whom they replaced. But there were uio white savages to-day. 11 the white races went out. they did so to the teeming millions jof the East, who would replace them either by diminution or by admixture of Idood. CO-OPERATION AIUST CO A lE.

No man had realised more sharply than Walter Page, the late American ambassador, that il the place ol the white races was to be preserved the closest possible co-operation between England and America must come about; and for ibis the name of Page should he revered. These two countries represented the two greatest oi\ ilisatious that the world has seen, and it the co-operation was to come about, il must be from the hand ol friendship extended eastward from America and westward from England. PAST All SUNDER ST a XDING.

There, 'had been sonic misunderstanding and bitterness between the countries. Of this he had had seme experience, lie had been six tinv.M in America in the past, and Then there first had found the Americans hitter against tho British, and fne western farmers regarding themsMves as crucified upon the English cross of gold, and the English blamed for i 1 e low prices which the farmers were getting. Tho truth was, of course, that the currency was inflated. Each time that he had gone back since then he had found the feeling better and better. But there still remained a sediment of misunderstanding and n; strust to lie dissipated, to lead towards the union of these two great nu..ona] relatives, which was the cardinal aim.