Denmark Doing Her Best

Taihape Daily Times, 14 October 1918, Page 2

Denmark Doing Her Best

WHY THE NEUTRAL'S £.6t IS NOT A HAPPY ONE. (By Herbert Vivian.) COPENHAGEN, August 10. I read in a New York newspaper the other day that life in Denmark has grown “grey and joyless.” Last night there were 40,000 Danes at tlxe Tivoli, a glorified White City which, with its switchbacks, open air performances, countless fairy lamps, resounding, fireworks, and many restaurants was so packed, that there was not even standing room for the drinkers of champagne at four pounds a bottle. Bands, glad eyes, and careless laughter all proclaimed the practical wisdom of neutrality. Denmark is blazing with prosperity Good luck to her, for her neutrality has been as honourable and conscientious as wise. At the same time, she is full of ligitimate grievances. The belligerents cannot understand the neutral point of view, and misunderstandings breed all uncharitablenesu. “We all are like a schoolboy tirea of going to school,” remarked a statesman. ‘The more we are told to go to school the more inclined we aro to go to the devil. Nobody is ever satisfied. The Allies scream if we want to sell a pat of butter to the Germans. The Germans hint that if wo do not give them food they will come and take it.” An editor asked whimsically the other day whether the war would teach England to understand other nations. We do not understand Denmark; we do hot seem even to have glanced at the map. A few thousand uhlans over the Schleswig border ana a couple of German dreadnoughts at Copenhagen—and we need worry more over the alleged blockade ancr finicky agreements about exports and imports. The Danes are probably the best organisers in the world. The way they have transformed themselves from graziers to intensive dairymen is little short of miraculous. The war, which is not their quarrel, has given them much money, which they cannot spend; at the same time it threaten* all their laboriously created industries with destruction. German cunning is taking full advantage of the situation. The Danes know that Germany, though, by no means starving, can ill spare supplies Accordingly there is undue gratitude if the Germans gracefully supply a few tons of petrol to keep the Copenhagen omnibuses running unrrr Christmas. We could help Denmark in T many ways without the least risk of helping the Huns; but wo stand ungraciously aloof and refuse, or at least fail to express any sympathy with the difficulties and anxieties of our traditional friends, who are now bearing a silent share in the struggle for .the liberties of mankind.