MORE OF WORLD

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 124, 19 February 1941, Page 9

MORE OF WORLD

Mr. Ivan Menzies’ Opinion Of Moral Rearmament

LEADING SUPPORTERS

“This war will only be won. and the peace we all desire will only be brought about, by this force that 1 call God working 'in the hearts of men, said Mr. Ivan Menzies, the Gilbert and Sullivan player at the weekly luncheon of the Wellington Rotary Club yesterday. Mr. Menzies said it was four years since he spoke to the club ou moral rearmament as expounded by the Oxford Group, and he knew that the question in the minds of a good many was how it had worked out. It had lasted and grown in significance till he wondered how anyone could doubt that this new force was at work in the world. He was so convinced of its power for good, that with tr group of other men he had visited the United States in 1939, working solely in the interests of moral rearmament, till he was recalled to England. Mr. Menzies quoted Senator Mead, of New York, who, in appealing to the American nation, said: “By no process of logic may the problem of military preparedness be separated from the' broader problem of the moral and material standards of our people.” Charles Edison, when secretary of the United States navy, had said that moral rearmament was as essential as materitil rearmament. Other names which supported the movement were those or General Pershing, President Roosevelt, Lord Halifax, the Earl of Atltlone, Lord HaiLsliain. the Marquis of Salisbury, Sir Roger Keyes, Sir Robert Young, Mr J. R. Clynes and Mr. Anthony Eden. From India had come a report of an Indian Assembly for Moral Rearmament held at Lahore, when the Premier of the Punjab, Sir Sikander Hyat Khan, addressing the gathering, said: “The moral rearmament movement might turn out to be the saviour of the old world and the new, and wtL prove to be a beacon light to bring us back to the home from which we have wandered.” . “I believe that this new faith, this new morality which centres in God is the strength behind England today, said Mr. Menzies. “England wants every bit of morale to win this war, tor it is morale that Is going to win the war. The Earl of Athlon© had said that the strength of a nation was the character of its people, and he believed New Zealand an Ideal one for experimentation: that an inspired minority could direct a majority and make possible the seemingly impossible.” Vt the conclusion of the address, Mr. Menzies asked those present to remain silent for half a minute to contemplate what he had said. Immediately afterward, Mr.ll. G. Teazle expressed thanks to Mr. Menzies for what he termed an inspired address, o-iven by one who was clearly and deep]y sincere. A vote of thanks was given in the form of applause.