PEACE ARMY AT HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21120, 1 March 1932, Page 9

PEACE ARMY AT HOME.

ORIGINATORS EXPLAIN. NUMEROUS VOLUNTEERS. (Received February 29, 5.5 p.m.) i . LONDON. Feb. 28. Two of the originators of the Peace Army scheme, Miss Maude Hoyden and Dr. H. It. Sheppard, Dean of Canterbury, explained their proposal to a congregation mostly composed of women in the Guildhouse, Eccleston Square, London, where Miss Kovden is the preacher. That the older people should be the first volunteers was suggested by Miss Hoyden. She announced that already 320 had joined 'the organisation, including several former soldiers. Dr. Sheppard assured the congregation that the Peace Army was a very big thing. They did not want applause at the present moment, however. What hurt most were laughter and jokes. They wanted prayer. They did not try to persuade people impetuously to come to a decision which might be difficult to hold to later. They were waiting to hear from Geneva to see whether their proposition was of God or not, concluded Dr. Sheppard. A cablegram from London on February 25 stated: Miss Maude Royden, a wellknown preacher, Dr. H. R. Sheppard, Dean of Canterbury, and Dr. Herbert Gray, a Presbyterian minister, in a letter to the press, say:—"We can no longer believe that the cold wisdom of the world is equal to the task of making peace, but our religion compels us to view war as wrong. So we have come to the. conclusion that "-he only effective thing to tJo ia for men and women who believe it their duty to volunteer to place themselves unarmed between combatants. " We have written to the League of Nations offering ourselves for service in a peace army. We know many people in other countries are also willing." The three writers appeal for volunteers, whose names will be transmitted to tho Secretary-General of the League, Sir Erie Drummond, at Geneva.