Evening star., 1940-06-05
EngIond's Strength
Held Underruted
Lessons Of History Cited to
Refute Widespread
Fears of Todoy

To the Editor of The Star:
England is fast losing all It's prestige,
and the empire is doomed" Once again
mat refrain Is widely chanted, and not
alone by those who wish the British
cause ILL., Many who are convinced that
England's cause is on the side of decency
and fair play (even though, humanly
enough, not utterly unselfish) also seem
to find in recent and current events the
seeds of incurable decadence.
II they are correct 1t would be tragic
ally unfortunate, for whatever faults are
inherent IN the British system (and there
are not few and whatever lacks there
may be IN the British character, it can
not be galnsaid that England's contri-
oution to the art of government, juris-
prudence, literature and in host of
other fields, including that of science,
has Immensely and permanently en-
riched the world.
Whatever the shortcomings of the
British system and the British character.
each has the vital virtue of standing up
uhaer extraordinary stresses and strains.
AND 1t Is that virtue that has been the
despair OF the many who, In every gen.
GRAFTON. have been certain that Eng
iano Is last losing all its prestige: and
the empire is doomed" And there is
another essential factor which CONT
nentals especially dictators) have never
oeen able to understand, and that is
Englands seeming unconcern as to the
status OF its so-called prestige. Not for
many centuries has England gone to war
simply to save face.
But the point of all this is that the
history OF England reveals that the de-
cline OF Its prestige always has been
lamented; the doom of its empire always
has been prophesied as being just around
the corner; and that from the ashes of
apparent defeat and destruction new life
ever has been taken.
A lew instances should be cited. A
most are available. During the War of
the Roses, when many of England's lead
ers fell In bitter civil strife that cost
thousands OF lives and blackened count.
less lalr acres and thriving towns, it was
freely predicted that the days of the
islands independence were over. Weak
ened, 1t was said, she would fall easy prev
to invaders from the continent. But two
generations later, in the reign of Henry
VIII, England met on even terms with
FRANCIS and the Emperor, and in the
time OF his daughter, Elizabeth. she be-
gan building her far-f1ung empire.
Yet even in Elizabeth's day. England
was being doomed" How could her
neet stand up against that of Philip, the
melancholy Spaniard who had vowed
that ne would spare no man and no
treasure to destroy the island kingdom?
England's prestige in the world never was
lower than when Philip launched the
Great Armada. But contrary winds,
skill, daring, unity Of purpose tand few
fire ships beside wrote a different end
to the story
England was doomed" again when
Charles was tried, found guilty OF high
crimes and misdemeanors against the
state, and beheaded. Throughout the
period OF Parliament's fierce struggle with
the stubborn son Of James, men were
fearful that the strife would mean the
end OF everything. When the Stuarts
resorted to arms, they felt certain that 1t
would. Yet the successor to Charles.
Oliver Cromwell raised the prestige of
England to point higher than it had
ever before attained. On the continent
they frightened mischievous children BY
mentioning the coming of his Ironsides.
But England quickly demonstrated that
she wanted liberty, freedom the Joy OF
living far more than prestige. She put
Charles II on the throne-and within a
few years it was possible for men once
more to lament the loss of prestige and
power And this time both sank to
sorry state indeed. Charles was un-
ashamedly on the pay roll Of Louis XIV:
the Dutch fleet sailed up the Thames
and burned English memo war; and Mr..
Evelyn. stanch patriot though he was,
viewed the future gloomily. For the
finances were in a hopeless state; and
behind Charles there loomed the figure
OF the grim-visaged Duke of York. and
there was no doubt that II he assembled
the throne even greater trouble lay
ahead
And the Duke was crowned, and there
was revolution, and the King of France
did finance an attempted restoration
and things did look bad. But this storm
England also weathered; even though
while the winds of revolution were blow
ing it seemed clear enough that this
one might be the last. Yet it was not.
England's prestige took many more
hard bumps during the years that fol-
lowed. When the embattled American
colonists whipped George III decisively
there were many who felt that Eng
lands prestige on the continent would
not, could not, survive such a devastat-
ing blow. Indeed, Napoleon later de-
clared that he could clearly discern the
seeds of disintegration and he meant to
deal the coup de grace.
Not since the days of Philip had Eng
land been in such case; Napoleon was
sweeping everything before him, his
revolutionary armies seemed irresistible
in their might and spirit, and his de-
clsion to invade the island seemed to
many to be certain of quick realization.
The funds dropped to a new low; the
world watched breathlessly for the i'm
pending debacle. But Nelson finished off
the French fleet at Trafalgar, and Ma
poleon reconsidered And in 1915 the
Little Corporal, so admired by today's
two far smaller corpOralS. was aboard