ONE GREAT AIM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 282, 28 November 1931, Page 22

ONE GREAT AIM.

INTERNATIONAL ROTARY.

CHEATING WILL TO PEACE.

STRONG PUBLIC OPINION WANTED,

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

VANCOUVER, November 5.

Rotarians of New Zealand will read with interest the views of the president of International Rotary, Mr. Sydney W. Pascall, of London, England, given by him in Montreal to 500 Rotarians and their wives at a special dinner held in his honour at the Windsor Hotel in the Canadian financial capital. In the course of his vigorous message Mr. Pascall said: "Thoughts form-habits and character—therefore let us internationalise our thoughts. That is the revolution I plead for —revolution in thought. Let us think internationally, let us think peace, let us think good will and then tho right actions will surely follow. The statesmen who guide the destiny of our nation will feel free to act because they will know they will have a public opinion behind them which will support them in actions of good will, international amity and actions leading towards peace."

. He emphasised that Rotary was not asked to take part in controversial politics?, but declared there was no controversy about the problem of disarmament, for every nation in the world was pledged to it. Rotary realised that the real preparation for peace lay in the minds of men and women and that underlying this preparation for material peace there must be moral and spiritual disarmament, the disarmament of mind, the internationalising of thought. "In Rotary we recognise," he said, "'that the colour of a man's skin or the difference of tongue that he speaks docs not render him an enemy or cause us to think of him with hostility. We recognise that in every nation of the world there are varieties of persons and a variety of opinions." ; ;

Mr. Pascall remarked that it was often said that the best internationalist was the man who was a good nationalist. That was perfectly true, provided nationalism was nothing that bred hostility to others or which narrowed itself down into selfishness. Nationalism was perhaps better termed patriotism. "Rotary stands for co-operation between nations for the solution of international troubles," .he said in conclusion. "Rotary stands for service above self internationally as well as in our own nation. We believe that the problem is an international one, and the solution is international too, and we believe in Rotary we can do a great deal, not to solve those problems—that is the duty of statesmen and organisations specially adapted and conceived for the purpose—but to create an atmosphere in which it is easier to solve those problems. We can create a state of mind in which the statesmen feel that they have got a great body of solid people of common sei J^w behind them and that if they take risks for the sake of peace the people ai - e going to back them \i p in taking those risks."