MORAL REARMAMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 May 1939, Page 4

MORAL REARMAMENT

OXFORD GROUP BROADCAST. [I*EK PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, May 15. A novel radio telephone talk, from London to a New York audience of •?o 000, at Madison Square Gart.en, is described in cable mesages received by the Oxford Group in New Zealand from Rs London headquarters, reporting the inauguration of a moral rearmament campaign in Ameuca. Special facilities, provided by the Post Office, enabled speeches that were spoken into a London miciophone to be transmitted across the Atlantic, then carried by landline to the New York audience, and re-broad-cast throughout the United States and Canada. . , , , The speakers from London included Lord Salisbury; Tod Sloan (a former East London dockland agitator); Sir Lvmten Macassey (leader of the Parliamentary Bar); Mr Austin Reed, a businessman; the mother oi Mrs James Roosevelt; the Mayor of New York, Mr La Guardia; Governor Lehman, of New York State; ex-Governor Al Smith. In addition to the speeches, many niesages from Britain to Dr. Buchinan (Oxford Group leader) were read at the meeting.

The Lord Mayor of London, Sir F. Bowater, said: “May the world’s greatest cities lead in moral rearmament as a. foundation for a. new world of to-morrow.”

Others to send messages included Mr Joseph Hallaworth, Chairman of the General Council of the Trade Union Congress; also 123 Scottish Mayors: the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Aiderman Byrne; the Lord Mayor of Cardiff: forty-three Mayors of London boroughs; the Secretary of the South Wales Miners’ Federation; and also many leading sportsmen, including the Duke of Beaufort; Mr Pelham Warner; also from 3500 mothers (for Mothers’ Day in America), including Lady Eiphinstone (the Queen's sister) ; leaders of women’s movements, and Miss Sybil Thorndike., the actress. Among the messages from prominent. Americans read at the Madison Square meeting was one from Mr Cordell Hull, stating that in the postwar period, they had seen a general lowering of standards of conductmoral, political, social, and economic. International morality had seldom been al. a lower ebb. The time was ripe, and the need urgent for a renewal and restoration of former high standards, both in individuals and in governments.

From Mr Woodring, United States Secretary for War. the message received was: “The heart, of our national defence is a. rebirth of true patriotism among our people. Moral rearmament deepens and strengthens that love of country, without which no nation is secure, and it. deserves the support of every loyal American.”

Speakers at the meeting included' the Oxford Group leader, Dr Buchnian, who said: “Moral rearmament is a national necessity to win a war against chaos. It is a race with time to remake men and nations.”

Tim tennis player, Mr Bunny Austin. in his speech, said; "The trouulo in the world is plain selfishness in everyone. Moral rearmament is a war '-'0 selfishness. To change ths world, we change people. I had to begin with myself."