REV. O. E. BURTON

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 89, 15 April 1940, Page 9

REV. O. E. BURTON

HEARING OF APPEAL

PACIFIST IDEALS

WITNESS: QUESTIONED

J The hearing of the appeal of the I Rev- O. 13. ■ Burton, aged 47, against 5 the sentence of three months' imprison- \ ment imposed on him in the Magisl trate's Court, at Wellington, on a r charge of wilfully obstructing a police 1- officer in the execution of his duty, ~ was continued before the Chief Jus- \ tice (Sir Michael Myers) in the t Supreme Court today. The charge arose ■ out of a meeting which the Christian • Pacifist Society .attempted to hold at the reserve at the corner of Dixon and ! Manners Streets on March 29. Burton is conducting his own appeal. The Crown is represented by Mr. W. H. Cunningham. : Archibald Charles Barrington, secretary of the Christian Pacifist Society, ■ gave evidence as to the basis of mem- ! bership of the society and of open- . air meetings which, he said, the society ■ began to hold in August, 1938. In crossl examination, ho denied that a great ■ majority of the people who attended 1 the meetings were hostile to the views put forward by the speakers. He con- • tended that the society's meetings had been conducted ■ since the outbreak of • the war in perfect order and without • any demonstration of hostility, except -. on the few occasions when a small number of young soldiers had attempts • ' ed to obstruct or disturb the meetings. Replying to further questions from Mr. Cunningham, witness said, he did not dispute the right, of the police to stop a meeting if they thought there :was likely to be a disturbance. There ' had been 24 convictions against mem- ' bers of the society,' himself included, in various parts of New Zealand oh charges of obstructing a public place or of obstructing the police, and the , total fines amounted to £72. SOCIETY'S COVENANT. His Honour observed that the cove- ' nant,' which every member of the society was required to sign, included the following:— I here and now renounce war and • • preparations for war and I declare that I will not fight nor render military service under any circumstances. I further declare that I will not undertake "non-combatant" service, such as "Red Cross nursing, chaplain's, V.M.C.A. work, etc., under military control. "Suppose," his Honour asked, "the country is attacked' by1 a ruthless, invading military force bent upon en- . slaving the people and .ravishing the women, does membership of your society mean that the people should not defend themselves by force?" Barrington said that their view was that as Christians they were required to love their enemies and to overcome evil by good, and that no matter what , their enemies did to them they would use towards them only friendliness, . good will, and persuasion. They believed that war would never be overcome by war and they were prepared, believing they were following Our Lord Jesus Christ, to adopt His methods and persist in trying to turn \ our enemies into friends. Those who agreed with the society would not defend themselves by force. ' His Honour: Do you not think, that the advocacy pi such a doctrine' in a public place, when - there is a war In progress which, if the enemy is successful, involves the annihilation of freedom and the destruction of civilisation, is calculated to result in breaches of the peace?. I ask you that, assuming you ; are a person of average 'common sense. Barrington replied that annihilation oj! freedom and . the destruction of . civilisation were not necessarily'involved. Freedom and civilisation, and culture and ideals could^ not be preserved by war. They could only be preserved by resojute men and women who possessed convictions, i culture, ideals, and faith, moving under all circumstances in accordance with those convictions and culture and ideals and faith, prepared to suffer for them, and, if necessary, to >die for them, but not being willing to dishonour' them >by using means inconsistent with them. Robert William' Finall, waterside worker, .the Rev. -A. Richards, Mrs. Lucy Gibson, and James'Webber Winchester, civil servant, were called by Mr. Burton to give evidence regarding the feeling of the crowd at various meetings conducted by the society. (Proceeding.)