NEED FOR THE LEAGUE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 296, 13 November 1937, Page 11

NEED FOR THE LEAGUE

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. LUNCH CLUB ADDRESS. Rev A. Blnkemore gave an address on “The League of Nations” at the weekly meeting of the Palmerston North Citizens’ Lunch Club yesterday. The theme was not exactly a popular one, said the speaker, owing to the League having of late very lamentably failed in dealing with major world crises. It was, however, a very necessary theme. We could not close our eyes to the League’s idealism, although most people felt sad and disappointed in the League having proved its impotence, and were apt to call the whole affair a dream of idealists. However, the speaker asserted, the League was related, to the hard facts of life. AVlio could point to the success of the bad old ways of secret diplomacy and resort to arms ? One perhaps might think that military methods were most effective, but war inevitably left more problems in its wake than it solved, both for victor and vanquished. We as an Empire must recognise that from our own experience. Victory did not prove the moral rightness of the victor, and we were to-day living in a moral world, despite what some might say. Force wns not a method of establishing morality. If humanity was to succeed spiritually as well as materially, we must find out means to settle our troubles other than by force.

The speaker showed how attempts at force in British history had failed in the end. Force was onjy a temporary measure and was governed by fear, hut its results were not lasting, he said.

One of the hopes against a military catastrophe, continued the speaker, was that the nations were working cooperatively in many ways, such as by the international postal service, the Labour movement, and the humanitarian work of tho League in the overcoming of disease and dealing with the pioblems that applied to our common life. It was surely possible that in like manner the causes that led to war could be dealt with. Internationalism was a necessity in all realms of culture and knowledge. Some, like H. G. Wells, had dreamt of a world State, but tho speaker did not think this would ever come to pass. Still we could develop the spirit of international sympathy and understanding. It might cause us to wonder, unwillingly perhaps, as to whether we had the moral right to hold such largo tracts of territory when other countries had dire needs for expansion. War would destroy civilisation and must be prevented. Tho only alternative to the League wns nationalism, which would bring disaster. '“lf we let the League of Nations die, we might as well write over the doors of our civilisation : Tchnbod’ — ‘The Glory hath departed’,” said Mr Blnkemore. The League was not just the idealistic thing we thought it to be. Asserting, as a member of tho local council of the League of Nations Union, that lip service was not enouch. the speaker concluded with an appeal to those present to become members oi this union, for the extension of the ideals of the League.