"STRATFORD EVENING POST." FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1927. A RISKY IDEAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 29, 10 June 1927, Page 4

"STRATFORD EVENING POST." FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1927. A RISKY IDEAL.

"Novei- again" i s the prayer of miliums wiien referring to tue br.eai) War or lyi-i-il/ltf. iSumerous Hus-

sions m various parts of tiio world have taken up .jie work o'f pieachimg "peace,"—peace at any cost. Sonic 01 tljese. movements rest on religious sentiment and emotion as their sum foundation and tlio sp.ritual grounds or their appeals are to bo received with tile utmost respect and appreciation. The name of Christ is invoked as guarantor of the sjacredness ol ! tins call for goodwill and peace among all nations and people. A great deal of the teaching, of course, is but preaching to the already converted. Who indeed, wants war? All the pictures painted in words of its terrors . and fHthiuess never surpass the succint expression of General Sherman that "War is hell."

Besides the religion-inspired movements there are many elements swayed by political motives and more or} less cloaked by the former In a charmingly disarming way they are advocating peace and tbe cessation of all defensive measures in every other country hut their o.vn. Or under the cloak oi religion, tney proless to see n 0 harm in the movements of the Soviet Russia, and the fact that this country is arming itself to the teetu. They protest against the defensive measures under taken by Britain, but condone or ignore the warlike preparations in other countries-

It is a beautiful) idea to say that) the British Umpire shouhj give a. lead in the direction of peace and disarmament, if for no other reason than that it appeals to our racial pride. That we should be the pioneers in a worldwide moral crusade must appeal to the people who have been the forerunners and leaders in so many other fields of human progress. *We want peace for ourselves and for all other nations., but what is the most practical way towards this goal. If the British nation, were to disarm, the Empire would cease to he an empire in just so dong as it took for other nations p send over their fleets and take possession. This is a. hard and, incontrovertible fact. Whilst ready lor high advents- in the way of chasing rainbows the idea of "peace at any price" will never appeal to a rare which has ev)tr had to deal! with stem realitiesWhen examined we find that the proposals of the peace extremists amount to a plea that Britain should disarm' and set the example for all other nations to follow. It is not stated quite so plainly, but is wrapped up in generalities %Q be found in many Societies' Manifestoes, for example:-"Preparations against war inevitably lead to war' . "Christian people should adhere to the principles of peacev even at a risk of loss and humiliation." Both these generalised statemonts were taken from a recent neace maniJe* t 0 issued in New Zealand. Ihe average reader will pause over these proposals, not because he disagrees with the sentiment, bu t because he fails to see their practical application. . If we abolish all armaments, disband our military and naval forces and make a gesture of peace to the. entire world will it help the cause of universal peace or will it merely mean the break up of the British Empire? Would the disarmament of Britain eliminate the jealousies and desire for Empire on the part of other nations? Would it remove the openly expressed project of the Russian Soviet to break up the British Empire? Would it remove from the minds of certain men the determination to secure po«er, «witroL and wealth at any cost? The pare sentimentalists may have faith Hat things would work out alright, but the mass of the British people can see no virtue but rather a danger i„ their impracticable ideas. There is no international police force to maintain a permanent peace andl to prevent the dispoilation of properties and therefore the nations must make their own defence. Our personal and national security depend on the provisions we make for their protection.