MILITARY MANIA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8864, 26 October 1907, Page 5

MILITARY MANIA.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—There 'is a spirit of militarism amongst certain sections of official and non-official people in the dominion, and it verges upon mania. Their aspirations may be expressed in the words of the jingoistic song—"We don't want to fight, but by Jingo if we do, We've got the men, we've got the guns, and we've got the money too!" We have army leagues and navy leagues; we have a Military Board, aad there is talk of universal military training, calling out the militia, and a heap of other things of the blood and thunder order. Much of the time of the State school teachers is taken up with the drilling of cadets, and in the cities the streets and hills daily —almost hourly—resound with the brain-bursting blare of the braying bugle. A large percentage of the peaceful public holidays are marred by the "measured tread of armed men"—and boys; and twice or thrice a year the school urchins are called out en-masse to "salute the flag." The school walls are being hung with battle scenes on land and sea, and pictures of wholesale butchery and rapine, to inspire them to emulate the "glorious deeds" of their forefathers. The latest phase of this military craze is the burning of the "School Journal" into a warlike organ. The editor of that State publication wrote this week to the Wellington Education Board submitting for approval a series of battle pictures which it is proposed to insert in the "Journal." Mr A. W. Hogg sensibly Suggested that pictures for farmers would have been more suitable. The Board laughed at the idea. With that body the arts of war are held to be superior to the arts of peace just now. Sanity will come later on. • I agree with Mr Hogg, and am regardless of the laughter of those who disagree with myself or him. — I am, etc.. ANTI-JINGO.