LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
(Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief as is reasonably possible. The most =tab's length is that of one of our " News of the Week " paragraphs. Signed letters are given a preference over those bearing a pseudonym, and the latter must be accompanied by the name and address of the author, which will be treated as confidential.—Ed. THE SPECTATOR.]
WELSH NATIONALISM
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The case against Welsh Nationalism was so ably stated
by Dr. J. D. Jones that I waited with interest for the reply by Mr. Goronwy Rees. I expected this defence to be the usual assumption of all racialists that separation in language, legis- lation, and administration is patriotic because it has some special virtues. But to my astonishment Mr. Goronwy Rees explains that their nationalism is due to Internationalism !
Mr. Saunders Lewis " believes in the restoration of an inter- national order superior to the will of the sovereign State " which is excellent and I'm sure sincere, but why do Mr. Lewis and others contradict this by at other times preaching violent racialism ?
If Internationalism be their aim why do they not become supporters of their compatriot Lord Davies, who by his tireless promotion of " The New Commonwealth " at Geneva is doing service not only to Wales but to all mankind—which is true patriotism ?
But are Welsh Nationalists any worse than any other tribalists ? Patriotism involves not only loving but working for one's country. Surely it follows that as racialism is the cause of economic nationalism, and the resultant stresses ending in war, these people have no right to be regarded as patriots. Admit their fervour and sincerity, but the world's present troubles are almost entirely due to fervid and sincere men. What country is not afflicted by them ? The Hitlers, Mussolinis, de Valeras, and Japanese leaders have all the same type of mental warping which makes them with the best of intentions serve their countries so ill.
The speeches of them all might be interchangeable, because communal boasting and odious comparisons with other " alien " nations are considered by them to be virtuous and patriotic.
Differences of language are unhappily a major obstacle to the unification of mankind. The sentimental value of Welsh language is surely overwhelmed by the comparative univer- sality of English in these days of world interdependence. Do Welsh nationalists deny that the language test might be used to the exclusion of merit in making appointments ?
Nationalists will not realise that wars are not created by the fighting services, whose nobler part it is to be sacrificed as the victim of the racialist's policy. Neither are wars due to finan- ciers—that hoary old fallacy has been exposed with unanswer- able logic by—among others—Sir Norman Angell. Finance is highly international. Nor are they due to lack of raw mate- rials—the world was glutted by them, but their distribution was paralysed by the economic nationalists.
I, who cannot claim to be a religious man, realise that Christ, by inspiration, has shown men—in vain—that mankind is one. And now the sciences of Economics, Ethnology and Psychology have by history, reason, and discovery, demon- strated the same truth. This revelation is frustrated by these sincere strife-promoters who inflame the minds of their unthink- ing dupes.
I am afraid the speeches and writings of Welsh Nationalists convict them of being racialists.
As a Welshman I am thankful they are no worse than others. I am still more thankful that they are more vocal and obtrusive than representative of Wales.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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