INTERNATIONAL DISCORD

Evening Star, Issue 22881, 12 February 1938, Page 14

INTERNATIONAL DISCORD

LEGACY OF VERSAILLES BLUNDERS SENSELESS ARMAMENTS RACE CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS THE ONLY SOLUTION " [Pm United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, Februaij 12. A keen student of European affairs in the last 10 years, Dr Arthur H. Ryan, lecturer in philosophy at the Queen’s University, Belfast, who arrived by th» Rangitiki this morning to take part in the Catholic, centenary celebrations at Auckland, had something outstanding to say concerning the present armament race among nations, “One of the important points from the aspect of culture and civilisation, and still more so from the standpoint .of Christianity, is the problem of the value of the human individual',” he said. “ The Christian concept of the intrinsic worth Of the human personal* ity has been submerged by statesmen in more than one European country. There is a tendency in Russia,/Germany, and, .to a lesser dangerous extent, in some quarters of Italy to look upon the individual as subservient to the State ia every conceivable way. “ The achievement of peace is the one hope for the continuance of Western civilisation. Everybody now realises this, but, unfortunately, the will to peace is sadly lacking in Europe to-day. “ Among the historical reasons for this one must, place in the forefront the stupidity and vindictiveness of the victorious '•Powers' at Versailles. Although it was alleged that the war was fought to end war, any child could have told the statesmen that the crippling restrictions and unjust allocations of territory were- bound to dislocate international trade and leave behind a legacy of bitterness inevitably antagonising the victims., “ The result is that we now have the sad spectacle of peoples w*ho have achieved enormous advances in science and machinery, and who could by those means solve most of their problems* vieing with one another in placing scientific gift? at the service of the destruction of human life and property. “Nothing but a return to the Christian concept of strict justice in international dealings, and a return to the Christian belief in the brotherhood of man" can save the world from disasters still more ap- / palling than those of 1914-18."