AGAINST WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 124, 28 May 1935, Page 10

AGAINST WAR.

G. Hamilton Fraser is to be congratulated on an able letter against war. A few more letters of a similar strain would hasten the will to peace. Unfortunately, most letters published claim that war is inevitable and enables the Attest to survive. War does not help, but hinders the struggle for existence, so how can it assist in the survival of the Attest. That the fittest perish by war is only partly true; for man's clever brain enables him, unlike lower types of life, to survive unnatural conditions. And modern war is an unnatural state; and those who survived the last war tell us that it is a horrible tragedy and its aim futile. It settles nothing and brings no prize to the victor. Hitler recently conlimed this when he said: "No future war can give more than small alteration of frontier utterly disproportionate to the sacrifice involved." War is based on fear and suspicion—the poisons that corrupt the hearts of men. If faith and brotherhood substituted these poisons millions of the world's youth would not be called upon, as it seems likely, to make the great sacrifice. Only this change of heart will prevent the insanity that impels nations to war and bankruptcy. Are there not other enemies of mankind to wage war upon, and economic and traffic problems to solve? To those who infer that pacifists suffer from craven inactivity, I would point to Britain—it does not want war—also to the Prince of Peace who could by no means he called a • craven. A knowledge of history suggests , that the British Empire has been . founded on individual character more than on war. Man's aim should be to > bring heaven on earth, not to turn the < world into a "madhouse." If another j war, with all its frightfulness of bomb- , ing 'planes and poison gases, comes. , who shall escape ? Will it be then too , late to ask God to save mankind? , S. R. HALE. c