I cannot sec what Mr. Herbert Morrison hopes to gain
by requiring that EmpireDay, as celebrated in the London schools, should have its name changed to " Commonwealth Day." I am well aware of the fact that at one time the word " Empire " had an invidious meaning to many people, and suggested to their minds Jingoism, flag-wagging and an aggressive policy of Imperial expansion. But today all that is changed— except in the mind of Mr. De Valera, and possibly Lord Beaverbrook. The word Empire now suggests self- governing Dominions and an increasing sense of responsi- bility to the dependencies ; and it is a word whose use persists here and overseas, whether Mr. Morrison likes it or not ; and since it is used, surely it would be better not to outlaw the expression in the schools, but to see to it that it is associated with the ideas of freedom and community and responsibility.
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