The Daily News. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1914. EFFECTIVE PATRIOTISM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 154, 5 December 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1914. EFFECTIVE PATRIOTISM.

Never in the history of the world has there been such a magnificent exhibition of patriotism as that which the European war has evoked. The jpightiness of the British Empire has been revealed with startling effect, and its solidarity proved beyond all question. * It is only in times of great stress in a nation's history that its true power and cohesive spirit become substantiated. Hitlierto Britain's proud position in the forefront of the great nations of the earth 'has been largely due to her immense naval power, and she has been recognised as mistress of the seas. To-day it is her army that is bearing the brunt of resisting the gigantic hosts of Germanyhas, indeed, foiled the Kaiser's confident expectations of reducing France to the position of a crushed and impotent vassaldom, and still holds the Teutonic hordes of armed barbarians in check. But the cost has been enormons, the saerifice of life and treasure immense, yet not a single life nor any fraction of expense is grudged or regarded as wasted, for'the might of Britain has been invoked to defend the sacred rights of humanity" and to prevent the crushing of our weaker brethren by the great man of the world who was prepared to ride roughshod over Belgium and France as a preliminary to an attempt to break the power, on laild and sea, of the empire under which we are proud to live and in whose protection we have learnt to trust. Citizenship in the British Empire has its duties as well as its privileges, and the first and most momentous of these duties is to give our best services when the need and the call arrive. New Zealand, we are proud to say, did not wait for the call when the hour of need arose, but spontaneously offered its aid to the Motherland, thereby proving that its patriotism was true and practical. Other dominions soon came into line and vied with onp another in the sacred duty of upholding tne good name of the Empire and protecting the weak nations which depended on Britain for their very existence. Tlie lirst vibrations of enthusiasm have now become somewhat feeble, though -.\'e\v Zealand has done more than she was asked to do by the Motherland. Tlie lire of patriotism, however, is still burning, and it is well that it should be fanned to a blaze. The crucial time in tlie great struggle is expected to arrive in the spring, when the enemy will undoubtedly make a desperate effort — the extent of which it is almost too appalling to contemplate—to break through | the Allies' forces and accomplish their pent-up revenge by all and every means in their power. Britain realises that her task will be one of colossal proportions. Lord Kitchener naturally desires to be prepared to successfully meet and defeat the German impact, but to do this he must have the men and the equipments. As to the latter there need be no second thought, for with the ample financial resources of tlie Motherland these can and will be provided. With the men, however, the matter is different, for how.ever ardent and eager our men may be, they cannot bo converted into satisfactory fighting units in a day or a week or even a month, for the strain and demands of modern warfare render a thorough training absolutely imperative. That is why the call Mr further help demands an immediate hearing, and a quick and ready response. New Zealand has already done well in this respect, but not nearly so well as the circumstances called for, or as' she could and ought to do. Admitting that the population of | the Dominion is comparatively small, it is not too much to expect that, at a time when the very existence of the Empire and its units is at stake, at least 20,000 men could be found to offer their services in defeating the Empire's enemies. An urgent call to arms is now ringing in the ears of the men of the Dominion. Now is the time for effective patriotism to be demonstrated. It is a certainty that the stronger the force that tlie Allies can hurl against the Germans when the crucial' moment arrives the sooner the war will bo ended, the sooner tension will he removed, and the sooner a permanent peace will enable the .dominions to realise to the full their measure of prosperity. In every district throughout the Dominion those able to serve with the forces should enroll without delay, so that New Zealand's I quota shall worthily represent its population and importance. The Defence Department should not bo content until at least 20,000 men have been raised to help the Allies. The Premier, in a speech of weight and spirit, has declared that the Dominion must give all the aid it can. What we urge is that there shall be no limit, except that of unfitness, and that the response to the, urgent call shall be prompt and generous.