"DR. GIBE'S LITTLE ARMY."

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 150, 28 June 1930, Page 11

"DR. GIBE'S LITTLE ARMY."

(To the Editor.) . Sir^ —Your footnote to my letter on the above-mentioned article resents my comparison of its arguments with■■■Shimci'a stones and curses; and further challenges me to prove that they were other than "logical and just and temperately : and reasonably expressed.". No similitude Jits in all details. And the , gory adjectives you .quote*l neither intended nor inferred. But contumelious stones are more deadly in. effect than Shimei's lumps of Syrian >:oad metal, and may hurt. a good emlso more than his Hebrew maledictions." And tbo effect of your -article' would be tp put i\- "stone'■ of-..stumbling'and a rock of oil'encc" in the way of a cause, you praise.

You ask.for proof? Take the following paragraphs: "So often are we doomed to dissent from Dr. Gibb that it us very great pleasure to agree' with him on.this occasion, but eyeu vow our satisfaction with his dissatisfaction is qualified by a not unfriendly regret. It is surely deplorable, that so .staunch a champion of peace' should have been so overcome by his feelings as to be -driven' to a military metaphor.ln.order to express them. May we venture to suggest that 'little flock would have been more in keeping.with the .spirit of the organisation and, of its president than 'little army,' : and that the necessary change should be made in the official record?"

Here we have derision, irony, sarcasm, with a gibe for climax.- Strong weapons surely from the journalistic armoury! And their use is surely intended to make the person and the cause look, ridiculous. But this . association is. distinctly offensive. In the League of Nations Union are members of Parliament, leaders of' religion/ including Anglican and libmau.'Cathplic1 prelates, journalists,' University lecturers and professors, educationists,. members of the medical and legal professions, representatives of Labour and 6i women's movements. And it is;ludicrous to find- such classed as ba-sheep who have no mind of their own, but: bleat to the pipings of a foolish shepherd!.- , '■.-,■■ The second part of the article exaggerates.and exploits the financial and numerical', weakness of the League.;, The work of the New Zealand Union, except for a small honorarium to the secretary,: is conducted on/ an honorary basis. And the amount quoted in. your article represents only the fractions of the income that reach the -Dominion executive. But surely, Sir, you would not infer that a cause is to be judged by the state of: its finances, for the most Sacred Cause started -with neither; silver nor gold. And if numbers are an indication of real worth, then a prize fight would rank higher than the House of Commons. In an age when the gigantic or the.giantesqne bulks so largely in popular esteem we need to be remind' ed that a cause stands or falls neither by its income nor its numbers, but by the moral worth. : of the ideals and principles for which it stands. Then the article'makes: a preposterous charge. The ill repute of the union in New- Zealand is.'due to the disregard by the union of the principles of the League of Nations, misled by; men. who ; '•have acted as though it were an association of cosmopolitan amateurs for the propagation of pacifism." This is contrary, to plum facts. For a term of years and up till Tune; 1929, the Dominion executive was in Dunedin, with Dr. Fisher, Professor of Economics, Otago University, as president: His predecessor in the presidential chair was Dr. Condliffe, now chie!_ executive officer -of the: Institute of Pacific Relations. These surely were not amateurs! Yet as far as response from the people of New Zealand was concerned they- were voices "crying in-. the wilderness." •■■■The mental food of the .union is : not supplied by the Dominion executive.. It consists of the journal and . literature1 issued _by the parent union, whose work is praised in your article; and to its programme and methods'the ■■■ union hero is committed. ■This programme is peace; through arbitration, and disarmament as-the essemal prerequisite; . the substitution of faith tor fear, and of moral bulwarks ot justice guarded by: law' for' violence. It _does not seek the suppression of men s , lighting instincts, but their development and dedication to the use of other weapons than sword and gun. And so it is cqmmitted to a moral offensive against war mentality and tempers, and the conditions and institutions which breed the war ' bPThe concluding part oFyour article .is strangely out of. date for ■-a wideawake journal. • TUe -League of- Nations: is precisely what- you. declare 'it is apt:-.a treat' pacifist organisation., Its articles ten: and eleven it has already put into operation along pacific lines to stop ana prevent war. Its article' sixteen, making possible recourse to wa» aftev pncihc instruments have failed, was put auto llie Covenant, as a concession to fear, binee then we have had tlieLocarno Treaty, the Paris Pact,'and the adoption, by Britain and her Dominions of the Optional Clause of: the Permanent Court.- Technically as the Covenant stands, after the prescribed period of cle'lay Ims passed and pacinc instrumeuts have failed, -there, may be recourse to war. But this^is practically ruled,out by the Pact of Pans and the operation of the Optional Clause by most of the members of the League of Nations And America also is bound by covenant not-to have recourse to war as an instrument of national policy. Xlns represents the' final extension of law, tlious-'ti of course it: needs to be implemented by international legal instruments to. mate U "workable.- But one result has been; the proposed revision of :the Covenant of the League to eliminate- the articles which sanction an appeal to'violence. A com; inittoe of the League has approved ol this revision. And the British Government has instructed its delegates to. vot« for its adoption. But whether this is adopted or not the Pact of Paris has made war a' crime in international law. And any nation, which appeals to the sttord will be condemned, as you, bir, m a recent article, rightly condemned the Texan lynohcrs who .violated the process of law and executed a hapless negro.prisoner. . ■■'''',

I have trespassed unduly on your generosity in answering'your challenge. But I beg of you a little morn space to eloso with an appeal to the patriotism of your readers. I believe profoundly in British genius as'one of the greatest instruments in organising for world peace. From English brains 'and hearts have come the great institutions of freedom which guard, the best life of-the' nations. -And to my outlook on,the world's future, the disruption of the British Commonwealth of Nations would be the calamity of an age. But peace is absolutely essential for the continuance of the great Commonwealth. If another war occurred could we count on the Irish Free State, South Africa, India, and even . Canada participating? Neutrality would mean severence from the Empire. The only rallying centre of the moral forces which make for world peace is the League of Nations.. And this great institution must have behind it the force of public opinion to function successfully. The Press of the Empire gives a worthy load. But as Lord Grey ef Falloden has ■said,.the first'duty of every citizen who ■desires, to help the League is to join the 'League of Nations Union. ' lI.JM. the [ Kinjj has said: "Nothing is more essential than a -strong and enduring. League, of I Nations* Millions of .British-mea'-and. women, stand ready to help if only they can be shown the way. I commend the cause to all the citizens ;of my Empire." And as a final word let the.Press speak through your noble contemporary, "The Manchester Guardian": "War as a means to anything great, noble, or precious, beyond its- own immediate object of escaping violent conquest by others, is as bankrupt before the world as fire or plague. The only common-sense policy is.to enrol the forces of sanity and decency in all nations in a joint endeavour to get the world put of its foolish and wicked old dream about war's nobility and utility! Probably an enormous number of people, certainly mostly ex-soldiers, have got hold of' some -of this truth. The League of ■Nations'. Union 'are .acting upon it. and cycryoncVlio lias grasped it himself should give a hmid to the union."—l am, rtc... ■■,-'■ W. S..'ROLLINGS. . ■ Richmond, Nelson, 2-ltlt June. [To learn that the organisation which we.had ventured to criticise has prelates; journalists, and so many other distingirish-

cd persons among its members makes lis tremble at oui\ rasheness, but there is some compensation iri* the knowledge that the "climax" o£ our offence .was the suggestion that in view of his opinions "Dr Gibbs' little flock" would be a better title, foe it than "Dr. Gibbs' little army." At ;the same time we recognise that to argue a point of humour or taste or logic or t'airplay with a correspondent who likened our comments to the stones and curses hurled.by Shemei at "the Lord's anointed," and when asked, to apologise, prefers -to "rub it in,"-would be a sheer .waste ( of •words. —Kd.] ■ : _ ..