WAITING FOR HITLER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24422, 7 October 1940, Page 11

WAITING FOR HITLER

TO tHH EDITOR

Sir—May I quote, for those of your readers who may not have read them elsewhere, the following words?:— ■‘Oh. England! Long, long may it be ere the sun of thy glory sink beneath the wave of darkness! Though gloomy and portentous clouds are now gathering rapidly around thee, still, still may it please the Almighty to disperse them, and to grant thee a futurity longer in duration and still brighter in renown than thy past! Or if thy doom be al hand, may that doom be a noble one and worthy of her who has been styled the Old Queen of the waters. May thou sink if thou dost sink, amidst blood and flame, with a mighty noise, causing more than one nation to participate in thy downfall. Of all fates, may it please the Lord to preserve thee from a disgraceful and a slow decay: becoming ere extinct, a scorn and a mockery for those self-same foes who now. though they envy and abhor thee, still fear thee . nay, even against their will, honour and

respect thee. . “Arouse thee, whilst yet there is time, and prepare thee for the combat ot life and death! .... Cast from thee thy false philosophers, who would fain decry what, next to the love of God, has hitherto been deemed most sacred, the love of the Motherland! Cast from thee thy false patriots, who seek to promote Internal discord, so that thou mayest become only terrible to thyself! And remove from thee the false prophet's, who have seen vanity and devined lies , . . who see visions of peace where there is no peace; who have strengthened the hands of the wicked, and made the heart of the righteous sad. Oh, do this, and fear not the result, for either shall thy end be a majestic and an enviable one, or God shall perpetuate thy reign upon the waters, thou old Queen!”

These words were not written last week, nor last month. They were written by George Borrow a hundred years ago. When I first read them—years ago—l wondered what circumstances in 1840 could have called forth such an invocation, but now I feel sure that George Borrow, who had within him a spark of the divine fire, saw with prophetic vision the day of trial that lay ahead, and saw, too, that when the day came, he, who loved England and was jealous of her honour, would be inspiring with his message the people of the British race. —I am, etc.. P. Malthus. Hillgrove, Oct. 4.