THE CHURCHES AND GENEVA.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 7, 6 December 1932, Page 8

THE CHURCHES AND GENEVA.

PLEA FOR DISARMAMENT. Signed by F. Lewis Donaldson, I Canon of Westminster, Dr. J. Scott Lidgett, President ot the Alethodist I Church, and Dr. F. AY. Norwood, exj Chairman or the Congregational l nion ol England and Waies, the following letter appeared in the London Times: “Ilie churches have a special responsibility in relation to the grave crisis in Geneva. They ought not to contemplate m passivity the possible disintegration of the League of Nations. The minds of religious people are growing weary by reason of hope long deferred, and are confused by the advocacy, here and elsewhere, of narrow, national interests. Where counsel is darkened by special pleading, using highly mural terms to cover subversive policies, the conscience of the Church is perplexed. Christian people have hoped against hope, believing that a cause so sane and noble must be crowned with success. “Now it is beyond all doubt that at present there is no competent will to disarmament, not sufficient moral force to impress the recalcitrant, not enough truth to keep the most solemn promises, but a syciiicism which permits the signing of express covenants, such as those enforced upon Germany in 1919 in relation to disarmament, such as Locarno, such as the KedoggBrituid Pact of Paris, without even the beginnings of a genuine attempt to implement them, and that as a consequence the whole edifice is iu danger of collapse. ••The world crisis is a moral one. Its political complexities have resulted in causing grave danger both iu the AA'est and in the East simply because the fiulfilment of vows, coinpacts. and treaties has not been seriously attempted. The League only throws this moral turpitude into more j terrible relief by reason of the lofty I ideals upon belief in which it was established. “The duty of the Churches is clear. Behind all the complex problems of the world they are bound to bear witness to the moral foundations of international conduct. It is time for them to speak out. It is the duty of the Churches in Britain to say unitedly and determinedly to their Government that without the keeping of pledges there can be no peace; that, while Britain has done as much pro rata as other nations in the direction of disarmament, she has not as yet risen to the moral height of leadership that is demanded of her; that. I except that leadership is assumed, and unless her pledges to disarm are substantially fulfilled by a radical cut in armaments, the Churches, which have officially repudiated war as a ! method of settling international disjputes and have declarer] that they reIgard it as incompatible with the mind i and will of Christ, will hold that the I cause of peace has been betrayed. “This letter has been written at the request of a group of religious leaders who hold themselves in readiness to organise energetic opposition to anv policies which would make war (inevitable by failure to implement j solemn promises and obligations.”