The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1919. THE PEACE WE CELEBRATE.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 July 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1919. THE PEACE WE CELEBRATE.

With which its incorporated “The Taihape Post. and Waimarino News-” é

Having passed through the travail of some fifty-one months of the deadliest strife in .a. great European melee, on which “Old Scratch” has beggared all his previous records in ‘the destroying of human life; causing the innocent and helpless, with the guilty and depraved to suffer as humans never suffered ‘before, New Zealand, with the Homeland, and the rest of the British Empire, is called upon to observe tomorrow as a. day of joy and thanksgiving that honour and righteousness have again triumphed over sin, selfishness and insatiable military might. Whether the nineteenth of July will be retained hereafter has the anniversary of peace there is some doubt, but that question does not now concern us. We are to cease all business to-morno-w, and entirely abandon ourselves to joy in the on_e thought that ‘the British Empirehas passed victoriou_sly through a furnace .of_ war which hasino precedent in ‘history. .'l‘ha.t we a.re_ ,entering,'.u’p.—_ on a difficult undertaking goes _without' saying; we can, however, wi‘th._'eve'ry' good cause’ «and intention give our-_ selves up in a greatpscheme for im-' pressing indelibly upon_the minds ofi the young of this generation the supreme occasion of their Country ’s- and Empire.’s emergence with honour and victory from the most terrible trial of war that has ever overtaken them. Only in such a spirit, and for such a cenimendable and worthy ic-bject could we willingly consent to again close the doors {of ‘our atrophicd land brokpn businesses. The elders of our time are undoubtedly introspectively questioning and weighing the nature of the peace it is humanly possible to make, at this stage of the \_vorld’s,' civilisation, between the most advanced and powerful of nations. They realise fully that so acutely aifected has the human soul become with ’ Uunrestrainalblc a.vari_ce and inhuman lust that the accomplishment of a peaceful state is possibly made the commencernenti of a preparation for another war. While all around are wars, and rumours of »wars; while semi-civilised peoples in hundreds ‘Of millions are hustling out ‘of the helplessness and subjection in :'which they ligpyc been hold; while greed lis provoking civil strife throughout lolll' Empire and tln-ougliout all civi.lised realms, we -are compelled to nothing better than a life of hope that most humane counsels will ult'ililaFely prevail. A peace has been signed that assures only partial quietude, merely a suspension of war, not a return to a ?Dl'CViollSly existing state of amity between all belligerent parties. There is no real oblivion and waiving of all !future claims on account of injuries H which caused the war, because there is lno real penitence and regret for havi ing involved the world in such J. vortex i‘of tliilboliSm- It is difiicult to decipher ;» the reading that is lon the i]1f()1']1;1ti011.-dl wall of the immediate future. “'0 have ;t-.119 actual experience of great. nations ‘changing, during war, the sides 011 ‘which they fought. In short, peace is the condition arrived at through exhaustion, for victors even, are experiencing some of the aftermath of defeat. Men and women of ‘the Enipire may, to-morrow, whiolly devote themselves to aiding in the general festivi. ties that will help to clear the mind of the clouds of strife that are yet darkening around. but after all, the depressing apprehensions as to the immediate future will return in full force. In the celebration of the suspension of ‘ war with foreign nations, we are borne ‘down, by a dark, threatening cloud of 1 civil strife. We are jubilating over the ‘'defeat of an enemy while insanely idrifting into a state of internal disycord, enmity, and conflict. It seems that the crush which Germany failed tto inflict We are venally bringing upon ourselves. Wliile celebrating a vici tory over the Central Powers truly may rive ask, is there any peace? Will the ‘boasted civilisation of our Empire con- ‘ tinue to demonstnate that it is yet‘ un[able to settle differences by honour, , able, peaceful, means‘! Are British people to be governed to—day by superiority Of Physical; 01‘ of intellectual force?

While the Empire is justifiably jubilating over the defeatof the greatest ‘momy to popular freedom. there is another aspect of freedom yet. ‘to be determined upon; are we in New .Zea—land throwing tour .efl’orts into fthe balance‘ against _"‘-mlighlt. \is '-.1-igll}t‘.l” Are we honestly, patriotically, striving for as glorious‘, just, and lasting, a determination of our civil difliculties, as that achieved internationally in the signing and rat-ificatiion of the Peace Treaty? If -not, we are 'shamcfully neglecting our duty to the State. The man who gives his allegiance to any seti of men rather than to the CommonWcalth is not worthy of the citizenship he enjoys. He favours the disaster bringing principle of might’ is right, and so long as there _are adherents of that principle in any country there must ciontinue conflict between parties whose desires lie in opposite directions. Whatever the contributing causes may have been, we have had "to witness ‘demonstration of the fact that it is possible for a great‘ peaceful nation, in almost a day, to become little short of a nation of criminals and murderers. Who will say that what has happened in Russia, and with other peoples, cannot happen in New Zealand‘? Instead of advocating a, settlement of disputes by a triumph of intellectual force, we have !the disconcerting eviidrence {of some n‘eWspapel's fanning the fires of diss-a-tisfaction in a. way that can only end in the a~:bit“rament of physical force. In the. establishment of a truepeace there is much to be accomplish~ ed, and unless every man and Woman become wholly obsessed with the one; desire for peace; unless the populace entirely abandon themselves to the .aequisition of peace in which the principle of “might is right” has no shadow, then, there is no peace. If the popular will is directed towards both, and all, parties to a difference, meeting in peaceful conference, intellectual force will triumph‘ and peace only can result, but if ta-postlcs of might haughtily refuse any course but that which their evil passions dictate, then it means that physical force alone must determine the"future, and there can be no‘ peace. Is the true peace built upon‘4hono’ur,"‘justice, and every‘-‘ ..thl'ng +ll.é+ is ln"lm‘"a'nc‘l'a-nd holy worth’ gtlm colloctivc.'“st.riving“of the whole ‘nutrient! If‘ sic‘;-‘ let“ there’ be no ‘shirkers in. the «bat~tl”e an ‘peace ' wh'i‘ch- all win have entered upon in acordance with their imperative_,_duty as A‘ ‘patriotic citizens. ' J H '