Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1916.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11645, 12 August 1916, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1916.

ONE of the most practical doctrines

in the ethical

Turning The Other Cheek.

creed of nations at war is “an eye for an eye

and. a tooth for a a tooth,’’ The British Government, ' however, has been so jealous for its chivalry, which is held to be an essential concomitant of a high civilization, that it has hitherto mote often t turned the other cheek to the smiting Hun on the plea that to make reprisals would not be in accordance with our elevated type of civilisation and would sink us to the immoral level of our enemies. Under the influence of that delusion it has taken the Imperial Government quite two years to become [simply raw human nature. Over and over again Zeppelin raiders have gone over and destroyed a great amount of property as well as massacred a large number of people. And hundreds ot ships have been sank on authority of uo international Jaw that any civilised nation would recognise as justifiable. And Mr Asquith has borne it all with more than Christian fortitude, although there were plenty of German ships and other German property available which might have been [utilised to recompense the losers. Mr Asquith is, however, apparently descending from his high estate to one more in accordance with the existing conditions. He is not yet in the reckless, ravaging stage, but he begins to talk of punishment of individual Huns and of devoting German property in the United Kingdom to repay those whose property has been destroyed by Germans. Bye and bye he will be saying to a man whose house has been destroyed by a Zeppelin bomb, “My poor man, there is a nice German villa in the next street, all nicely furnished. Go and capture it.’’ And to the owner who has lost a 2000-ton steamer by submarining will ba given one of 4000 tons. What is gradually converting Mr Asquith probably is that his son Claude is a prisoner in Germany and is fed with hog wash. It would put more vindictiveness into the war on our part, and the conditions of peace would more closely lit the German crimes, it every member of the British Government had a son a prisoner in Germany, who was fed with hog wash. The many-headed Mrs British Government would see to that.

THE appointment of the Herman generalHin-

Hinclenburg The Saviour.

denburg to the 'supreme com maud,

not only of the German armies in Russia, but also of a large section of the Austrian forces, has apparently caused a rift in the relations of the two nations that may bo fruitful of catastrophies for them. Divided commands, divided counsels and an abiding jealousy will probably constitute a vital, advantage tor the Russians, of which they may be trusted to make good use. Why the appointment of Hindenburg should be regarded as of such importance as to cause all Germany to rejoice it is difficult tor outsiders to imagine,

unless they regard him as being the kind of straw that the drowning clutch at. He is probably a great general. His close study of the possible Lr.iTifields between Germany and Russia, which he undertook while still no signs of war appeared on the horizon, and the signal victories gained by him as a result in the border lake region, proved him to be a painstaking soldier. The German civilians, however, forget, if they were ever told, that German successes were due to the Russians being only partly armed. The conditions are no longer the same, and if the Germans rejoice because they are sure of a repetition of Russian defeats they are almost certain to he disenchanted,

THE general query to-day, we imagine, is “Have

Have Yon?

you bought Bonds?”

And lest our readers, who are able to do so may forget their duty, we repeat the question. The sum required by the Government is a [large one, but the cost of the war to us grows progres sively greater as the men come forward so willingly and with such self-sacrificing patriotism to risk their lives in tne cause of the Empire. Borrowing for the needs of the Dominion within the Dominion itself, though not quite a novelty, is an operation with which we have not been made familiar by repetition. It might appear to some people, therefore, that it might not be such a safe kind of investment as many of those with which they are acquainted. But it is absolutely the most unassailable[and least venturesome in the world. .Other forms of investment are more or less subject to mutations of fortune, but while the country remains above the waters the security tor the Bonds remains intact and the payment of the interest is assured by the honour of the Dominion. This is a wealthy district and we hope to hear of a very large amount of money “volunteering from it.