The Daily News. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1900. LORD ROBERTS APPEAL TO THE NATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 221, 13 November 1900, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1900. LORD ROBERTS APPEAL TO THE NATION.

iTiiKiijs is something vory pathotie and at the same titno very humiliating in the appeal of Lard Roberts to the British n ition ou behalf of the brave soldiurs comprising his army in South At'ti.ai Lord Roberts is, without doubt, one of the greatest of the many great soldiers produced by Great Britain and is admittedly the greatest general of his day. He has had a wider experience in the .field than any living general during which he has made the men constituting the British Army his constant study, until the skill with which he handles his troops, and his care of his men have caused them to look upon him not only as a wise general, but as a loving father. No man knows the strength and the weaknesr of the men constituting army bettor than Lord Jtoberts. t \tf' is doubtful if ever Great Britain put braver men in tbehold than those constituting thogrest army assuniblod in South Africa from every portion of the British Empire. When the exceptional difficulties of the campaign come to be considered the deeds of heroism performed by men from every part of the Empire will redound to the credit of the nation which gave them birth. Yet with all their, strength, and all their heroism and bravery, Lord Robsrts recognises that in one respect they are wsak ■' as water. The cable says: " Lord Roberts has appealed to the nati n not to treat returning soldiers to stimulants. He says he is proud of the army's exemplary record as nionand h<roei on tin battlefield and, gentlemen everywhere else. Despite the malicious falsehoods about the brutality of the soldiers, the Boer; women and children soon acknowledged ] they had nothing to fear from the man in khaki. This confidence is gratifying to Britain and Greater Britain, whose sons shared to the fullest exteci ""the suffering and glory of the helping materially to bring abciit its successful conclusion." This- appeal is addressed to the colonies in commoa with the Motherland,_aud in view of the early arrival of the first detachment of those who Wt New Zealand for South Africa it should be taken to heart by the people of this colony. Man is very much a creature of habit, and there is no doubt but that the habit of promiscuous drinking is an artificial one,, and one that is formed and cultivated by the social custom of treating, ;>gainst which Lord Roberts' appeal is directed. The habit once formed is hard to «et rid of, aud leads to many evils. From the practice of frequent draughts the system becomes accustomed to a regular amount of moisture in excess of its actual needs, and any interruption of the supply brings about a condition that has been described as artificial thirst. Some vory interesting correspondence has lately taken place in the Loudon Times on this subject, which supplies materia! for consideration, and the facts adduced iu favour of a more' limited drinking custom carry some weight. The extraordinary prevalence; of enteric fever among ti.u British I troops in South Africa is ascribed i to this habit of promiscuous drink-j ing, rendering it diLicult for them to resist th? demand for liquids. The opinion is express d that if troops could be train d to fcravoli op. a small supply of liquor, the amount] of sickness would i-s wnsideraoly | lesserod. Tim ordin-wy hibita oi moot whom armies arc u.ade render thum unnaturally desirous of uwailuwicg fluid at short intervals, and impatient of thf absence of opportunities for such indulgence. The history of the campaign has, it is claimed, furnished many examples of this, and lh*> result of ni'-n endeavouring to adh;re to thdr ordiuarydiiukinghabite,foim<:<Uihorae,has proved disastrous. The unnatural artificial thirst created by the habit has citusod numhßn? of men to I'.se their soli-control, a/u! indujed them to drink uu:etv/ of |fr,y • liquid I.Uat- w&i< in 'talc vn.y, We

have had abundant evidence that in this, as in other wars, sickness is responsible for far more deaths than the bullets of the enemy. In future, we are told, efforts will be made to train! troops to march without drinking, and authorities agree that even in equator- j ial Africa one can accustom himself, with great benefit to his health and comfort, to continued exertion in a hot climate withoat drinking or feeling the inclination to do so. in the face of these facts and Lord Roberts' appeal, all well-wishers of our brave soldiers should do all in their power to discountenance a habit so injurious to them in a time ofneed.