TOPICS OF THE DAY

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21212, 7 September 1940, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY

Appeal to Fearlessness “Appeals are being made to the prudence and common sense of civilians. All very well in their way ! But there is another appeal to which the heart of the British people is ready and eager to respond. It is the appeal to fearlessness,” writes Mrs Pethick-Lawrence in The Times, London. “Courage is a primitive instinct, stronger even than the instinct of fear. The impulse to come put into the open and fight will ultimately overcome even in an animal the impulse to take cover. Safety first does not win wars. The Maginot Line has been a weakness, not a strength. Refugees on the run have contributed to disaster in the field. Does not all this point to the fact that fear is the worst enemy ? A people prepared as individuals to conquer fear in themselves would be unconquerable. Hitler asks nothing from his people but sacrifice and offers them nothing but danger. They respond with enthusiasm. The temper of the British people today is one of hardness and simple heroism. Why is this temper not universally and publicly realised ? Why do our spiritual leaders tell us to pray to God in His heaven, instead of evoking the God within who alone can win the victory?”