For some little time we people in Britain have been told repeatedly by our Prime Minister, various Cabinet heads, and military, aval and alr experts—to say nothing of Hitler, Goering and Goebbels—that fre to be subjected to an invasion unpre-Cedented in history for ferocity and ruthlessness j furthermore, that we can now expect this at any minute. It is not known what new tricks of diabolical ingenuity Hitler may have up his sleeve, but we can be sure weare to be given the lot. Even with the Dest of luck a large number of our good people, men, women and children, are to be "cruelly done to death. 'The famous British Stamina, the capacity to endure, to suffer and to' survive, is to be given a supreme fest. Well, there is no reason why, like the condemned prisoner we are always reading About, We should not eat a hearty breakfast fon the morning of: the execution, Let us count our blessings. In the characteristic understatement of the English (which Tam told is s0 surprising to Americans) we can say the prospect is rather disturbing. But we have much to be thankful for. For in-Btnnee, how much belter prepared we are to receive our visitors than we were last July when the collapse of France left this Unprepared and unorganized island open to rushing disaster, We are no longer lambs waiting tamely for the slaughter.
Most heartening, 100, of course, is the warm sympathy and practical aid of our Friends in the United-States. In the dugouts, Kitehens, shelters, factories and barracks throughout the land the evidence and arguments about the progress of aid have been followed with a Keenness which overrides national barriers. Why not? We sare in~ imately concerned; but also we have been through the same sort of controversy ourselves—so recently—and have learned in the school of bitter experience to distinguish far-sighted statesmanship from the other thing} and to recognize and value the wisdom which avoids making the same Kind of mistakes. we made ourselves before reality hit us on the chin, And, amid all our apprehensions, we find tremendous consolation when we look at the unity of the peoples of the British Commonwealth of Nations—not British Empire—their war. against Hitlerism and Mussolint-ism does not extend to the sinking of Yocal Identities, so Tel it be emphasized that the greater part in Libya, apparently, has ~beon played by the Australians. The effect Inns been to attract close and admiring attention to these blood relations from overseas. which is a good thing. Australia and its near st British neighbour, New Zealand, are far from each other, and both are jealous of their identities. Comparisons would odious except perhaps when drawn by tone. like myself—a New Zealander who lived Tong time in Australis. New Zealand is far from Britain, too. They are both unhampered by tradition. They have the qualities of self-reliance, independence and initiative. They think the best of their ¥ace lives in their children and did not die with their great-grandfathers. They have a ood deal ju common with the people of the United States—they, too, are part of the New World, The British Empire has in its time had its tributes of roses and raspberries from the outside world. A certain Herr Hitler ten yours ago wrote in admiration of it. On the other hand Fuehrer Hitler, the Nazi warlord of 1941, views it in a very different light. It is, he thinks, a collection of loot bathed in blood and fears. And, what is worse, badly managed, too, His friend Mussolini is, of rather was, to tear the whole iniquity ous thing apart like a cuckoo clock. They said, "Germany and Italy will free the world from the tyranny of the British. Arise, you victims of British tyranny," they say at Jarge, vaguely. (Not to Canada, South. Attica, New Zealand and Australia, of course, because these had already risen—to some purpose).
Despite their concern for the victims of lieged British tyranny," the aims of the Axis aby not particularly humanitarian. Ab, no, They think of Empire in old-fashioned terms of precious materials, submarine-bases and herds of brown and black skinned ttle or "labour" to be exploited for the "benefit of the Master People. The Empire is property. They want it. There is tall of haves" and "have-nots." "They photograph the purity of their piebald blood corpuscles and discover that they are the best people yun the earth. In neither of the two countries which have Imperial issues with Bs tain do the Nazis find a response. India should be promising material for the application of the Goebbel's touch. Close one eye, and he could say we have an unreasonably thwarted Hindu majority; close the other, an unreasonably thwarted Moslem minority. You get it both coming and going,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.