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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Those crazy old-timers

I found this today while busily reading an 1899 Auckland newspaper (don't ask).  Thought it was worth repeating with a hundred and twelve +/- years hindsight...
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TS18990801.1.3

I guess someone should tell Whitehall to break out the champagne, to celebrate their final success in total world domination.

"A nation only lives a few thousand years. Look at  the great nations of 4000 years ago. Egypt, Yucatan, Mexico, Peru, Assyria are all dead and buried. China is only staying alive to save funeral expenses... 


the United States, Russia and Germany are gaining in population, wealth and power but the British Empire is extending more rapidly than any one of them... 


The British Empire is growing, and it will keep on growing, along the lines of least resistance. At the present rate, the whole land surface of the planet will be absorbed by the year 2349 A.D. But as Greater Britain grows it comes into closer contact with the boundaries of the United States, Russia and Germany. Even if we could, we have no wish to swallow these or any other decently governed countries. The United States, Russia, Germany and Japan are playing the same game. The British Empire is nearly as large as the four combined. As England does not wish to conquer the well-governed countries, the area open to annexation may be diminished by half. In that case, all the world will be properly governed by the year 2012 A.D.  So, in 113 years from the present time, the British Empire must stop spreading for lack of room on the planet.  


Even then it will grow in wealth and population, but, meanwhile these little islands are getting very old. Sooner or later we may feel theweakness of age, and be no longer able to fight for our possessions our colonies may cut adrift from us; the conquered countries, like India, may revolt. If all this should happen, as politicians of a pessimistic temperament are already predicting, it would only be a case of history repeating itself. How long will that be? Well," Rome rose in 400 years, as we did,' and took 1000 years to decline. Our Empire is infinitely greater, stronger and more loyal than the Roman." 

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