dred years; and they know that that civilization was de- stroyed bythe Church of Spain in the interest of the re- ligion of that Church. And they are laboring to help their beloved land to lay the foundation of another such civili- zation. So these thoughtful Spaniards are fighting for justice, for freedom, for enlightenment, for opportunity. They are fighting for the finest ideal civilized mankind can entertain, the idealof a free, well-rounded, joyous life.

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And we in Canada-can do nothing better for ourselves than to assist the Spanish people in preserving their De- mocracy. For we have to realize that the issue at stake in Spain is of interest not to the Spanish people alone, ‘but to civilized men and women everywhere. For if Spanish De-

g moocracy goes down, the Democracy of France, of Great Britain, ofCanada, of the,United States, will be very grave- ly endangered. For Democracy in these countries is menaced witha growing Fascist spirit, and a Fascist victory in Spain would be a signal for the growth in these countries of challenging Fascist movements.

One is reminded of thewords of Mark Anthony in his speech over the body of the dead Caesar. He says that when Caesar fell with his twenty-threewounds “then you and I and all of us fell down, while bloody treason flourished over -us.” If Spanish Democracy falls, you and I and all of us, in the words of Mark Anthony, will find that our Democracy -—and we enjoy no small measure of Democracy, mark you —--which constitutes a splendid foundation upon which to build a greatly extended and finer and better Democracy, will tend to fall down—-to be knocked down. F

g So it is for us to see to it that we do our very best to help to safeguard for the Spanish people the Democracy which they in recent years have come to know. It is for us to do ourbest to guarantee, if we can, that that oppressive, loathsome, infamous thing called Fascism does not establish itself in the Spanish Peninsula.

THE END. i

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