World Federation

Franklin Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 22, 26 February 1940, Page 6

World Federation

NOT DOMAIN OF RELIGION “I do not wish lo argue the case for and against a World Commonwealth as a political concept (says Sir Alfred Zimmern). My point is tin;l il is u political concept and he ■ Jongs to the domain of political science, not Of religion. We realise today Dial the new international ouler, which seemed so near to us twenty years ago, is still a very long way off—tli a I a generation or more of education in international relations ir, required before even the more political mature peoples will be ready to co-operate in transforming the ideas and principles of the Covenant into practical working policies. is that a reason for discouragement? Only for those who allowed themselves to he buoyed up by foolish hopes and for whom those hopes had become associated with (heir religious beliefs. Ought we indeed lo feel depressed by the discovery Ibal largo new' conceptions of policy cannot be improved in an emergency but require to be disclosed and matured —as all the great changes in recent centuries of European history have been discussed and matured —in the world of thought'? If our record in foreign affairs during the last twenty years inis shown intellectual inconsistency and lack of consideration for other peoples, ihat is at least partly due to I lie fact that before litli hardly anyone was thinking about these these issues. Our present duty both as students and as Christians, is to think about them.”