WORLD PEACE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 2 June 1928, Page 11

WORLD PEACE

COME new and striking ideas on the subject of world pence were expressed by Miss Maude Hoyden, at Auckland . Inasmuch as every nation has its own particular genius, sue- declared that it was her conviction that the British race was destined to bring peace to the world “Not that I have any sympathy with the belief that we should love all countries as much as wo do our own, remarked Miss Hoyden. “It is as toolish us u womuii sirouKi love all men as she does her husband. .Patriotism is an instinct, and in tinies of stress a very personal one.” From the Gospels the speaker drew an interesting . annlogy. Christ, she maintained, while loving the whole world with a great Jove, still loved best his own people. Til©genius of the Jewish race lay in their religion, winch had shaped the whole history' of their nation. To them, therefore, in view of their Jong training, Christ had looked for help, but they failed Him and so their nation perished. With their knowledge, it was their duty to lead the world, but they refused, wishing to keep it to themselves. “In a similar position stands the British Empire to-day,” declared the speaker. ‘‘We have special gifts, m that we have the faculty for evolving great ideals and of carrying them through, even when they are embodied in duff political formulae, and their fulfilment is sordid and imperfect.” England has always been a leader of great reforms. Miss Hoyden maintained. Her Parliament, ‘‘the Mother of Parliament,” was a fulfilment, however imperfect, of the national aspirations. If the British Empire, with centuries of such national training behind her, did not make use of these talents her fate would be that oi the Jewish nation. Man’s first instinct, continued the speaker, is social, and is growing stronger while the warlike instinct is dying. Tn proof of this, she pointed ou that the cities of Carlisle and Chester in England were built to defend the country from the wild Scots and savage Welshmen respectively, “And yet, ’ she went on, “I did not see any walls round Dunedin to keep out the wild New Zealanders.” First of all the countries of Europe. Great Britain united her warring tribes into a nation, .a process similar to that passed through by Ame-

DUTY - OF GREAT BRITAIN

ricu many centuries later, when the United States arose from tne wreckage ut the Civil War. it was now the duty ot cues© nations, affirmed Miss Hoyden to help other countries to avoid the mistakes they had made. -Discussing ways and means, Miss Hoyden saiu: “in the days when every gentleman carried a sword, and with it defended his honour by duelling. England was the first country to see the tolly of the custom and destroy it, yet no one said that an Englishman had ino honour on that account. Bather, his prestige was greatly increased. That wa,s tne greatest moral triumph of my country, and I am jealous that to her should fall the lot of abolishing duelling between countries.”

A great move toward the peaceful settlement of international squabbles had been made by Britain when the question of compensation to -America tnrough the Alabama’s raids during the Civil War had been submitted to a jury of delegates from disinterested countries. ’The exorbitant sum decided upon had caused a lot of hard feeling, but Britain, taking tiie stand that having cnee submitted to arbitration, she was morally bound to submit to> the decision, had set up a standard for all to follow.' 1 : ? ’

“All war is a crime,” continued the speaker, “and more so now than ever. Once, a war was purely a local thing, decided by a few trained men, but now whole nations are involved, and a spark ignites the entire civilised world. It is too horribly destructive. It made my blood run cold to hear the report of the first meeting of the British Association after the war. Advances in surgery and medicines were trifling eomparemd with those in methods of destroying life; and then the president regretfully stated that ‘owing to the reluctance of the Government, science had not got into its stride when the war ended.’ ” “Now,” concluded Miss Royden, “those who should have been our leaders are dead, for they were our leaders in war,; but do not give up hope and slip back into the attitude that says, ‘What was good enough for my father is,good enough for me.’ War is not good enough for anyone. It is worse than disease, because it causes disease, and worse than unemployment, hec-auses it pauses unemployment.”