SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 110, 11 May 1909, Page 2

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

— * DESIRE FOR -INTERNATIONAL PEACE. In connection with the Conference of the Society of Friends, a meeting hold in the V.M.C.A. rooms last evening carried a motion in favour of international peace. Mi\ J. L. Vaughan presided. Mr. J. G. W. Aitken forwarded an apology for unavoidable absence. The objects of the meeting were outlined by the chairman, who said that all deplored the effects of the present system. The eceds of change, for ve--form, must be sown, and then the effort to abolish war would be successful. An encouraging feature was that Labour supported the aims of the meeting. Rev. J. Dawson said he earnestly desired a condition of peace between the nations, but in the present state of national antipathy and greed he thought armament might lead to the prevention of war rather llian the reverse. Peace aims would be better served by due preparations for war until nations of the world would see things in their true light. As in Labour and commercial conditions, so in war there should be arbitration. He denounced the South African war as the cause of it. Rev. J. J. North believed some Avars to be justifiable, and war in defence, in his opinion was justifiable also ; but the vast majority of wars ought not to have been fought. England would be paying for generations for wars that were huge mistakes, and for which there was no excuse. Mr. -A. Goldsbury moved -as follows : --—"That we view with grave concern the outburst of what we deem an unreasoning warlike spirit in our midst. We cannot fail to sympathise in the affectionate goodwill which prompts the Australian States to rally round the Motherland in a time of imagined danger, yet wo cannot but regard the present cause of its exhibition with serious misgivings, since it evinces unworthy distrust of another nation, to which, ny ties of blood, of religion, and of common interest, and of traditional friendship, vre are closely allied." Messrs. J. Riga; and J. Holdsworth also spoke. ' Dr. IJodgkin expressed his sympathy for the British Ministry at the present time. He thought it an agony to them to have to propose fuch heavy armaments for such a mad race for power. The motion was carried unanimously.