EUROPE'S NEW MAP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 84, 4 September 1914, Page 3

EUROPE'S NEW MAP.

SKETCHED BY PROFESSOR MACMILLAN BROWN". BRITAIN'S FUTURE ROLE. "It was when we reached Epi, one of the smaller islands of the New Hebrides Group, in the Burns, iPhilp and Ce.'s steamer Marsina that we first heard of the outbreak of war," said Professor Macmillan Brown, of Canterbury University, who returned to Wellington on Thursday, afer an interesting two month's tour of the islands of the Condominum. At that time —• that

was about [August B—we8 —we thought it was a canard from Vila, and we did not believe it. But when we reached Vila we found that it was true, and there learned, too, that the Torch, the I survey boat, had coaled, repainted, and suddenly left for Fiji. On the Marsina I was induced to give a lecture on the causes of the war, and my hearers included several German people. They're everywhere, you know, and we've got to look out for them, as many of them secretly sympathise with Germany whilst outwardly protesting a wonderful patriotism for England. When we got to Norfolk Island,. the passengers came to me again and asked me if I would lecture again, and I promised to speak on what would probably follow the war. At Norfolk Island, the Russian GonsulGeneral for the Commonwealth (Count d'Abaze) came on board, having been holiday-making there with his wife. As soon as we got away, the Count collected the men in the smoking-room 'lo make revelations about the war,' as lie put it. His revelations, delivered between the puffs of a cigarette, were, first, that Germany must be smashed, and secondly that this was a great struggle between the Slavonic and Teutonic peoples. He exhausted himself in less than a quarter of an hour, and then asked for questions. I asked Mm would he mind telling us what the French nation was, and he said 'Latin.' And what was the English nation? Teut—!' Before lie eould pull himself up, he had got out the first syllable of the word Teutonic. Then he said that he meant to ray that the struggle was one between Slavonic and ((Germanic, nations. I told him that he should have said nothing at all, at which there was a big laugh. The next day I told the Count that I was going to take what lu. had said as a text for an address on the probable outcome of the war, and 1 di;l so.

•'I said that though they had an enOIJV to freedom hi Germany, or rathei P.'t'issia, they had still a greater enemy to freedom in Russia. Russia had never bi.en a friend to freedom, and liad always been given to' stamping upon struggling nations. The Count had spoken of the generosity of Russia in pi Braising Poland her independence, to Wilich I replied that about one hundred and ten years -ago Russia guaranteed Finland her freedom and independence. sinc« when she has stolen it awiy. The next great European war would be against Russia. As Prussia—now German}' —had built her greatness on (he downfall of the French, so is Russia going to build hers on the downfall of Germany. Britain must stand by Germany, and see that she is not smashed altogether. As soon as. the German wings arc clipped and ttie usual washing up has taken place, Britain must see to it that Germany still Tcmains a Power. It may not be tlio Germany of to-day, but perhaps the old Prussia. The southern German states —Wurtenihurg, Saxony anil Bavaria —do not like the Prussians, and when '.Austria goes to pieces. as she will in this war, those States, with Austrian Germany, will probably form a new German Empire a revival of the Holy Roman Empire of medieval times perhaps. Southern Austria would form a Slavonic kingdom, Eastern Austria a Hungarian Empire, and northern Austria, a Bohemian Empire, and to preserve the independence and freedom of smaller states guarantees would have to tie given to them. Tile smaller states would have to make a defensive alliance against the raiding proclivities of neighboring great States."