CRUMBLING BARRIERS

Taranaki Daily News, 29 March 1933, Page 5

CRUMBLING BARRIERS

SIGNS OF A HOPEFUL DAWN z • INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. STRAIGHTENING OUT THE TANGLE. “Changing international relationships” was the subject of an address by Miss E. Andrews to a large gathering, of business women and girls at New Plymoutn last night under the auspices of the Y.W.C.A. Round Table Club. Miss Andrews, who is, president of the New Ply* mouth branch of the National Council of Women, and who was a New Zealand delegate at the women’s pan-Pacific conference at Honolulu, appealed for a greater understanding of the social and economic problems of the world, paving the way to friendship between the na- , tlons. Miss Andrews said she did not propose to go deeply into the subject of changing world relationships, but to deal with one phase or sign of such changes—the phase or sign that touched them most closely, and that they could easily incorporate in their own lives. There were various signs that led people to believe that a better, more hopeful dawn was in sight- for mankind; indeed, it would be strange if such were not the case, because the general trend of life through the whole range of. history had been always towards a higher plane. Progress had not perhaps been evenly maintained throughout; there had been horrors and catastrophes along the line of march. But if they were careful not to limit their horizon, if they took their own history a thousand years at a stride they could see an appreciable improvement with every stride, from the dawn of life down to the present time. The signs were more marked to-day because of the rapid crumbling of hitherto impassable owing to the spread of religion. She did not mean any particular cult; she meant . the fundamental core of truth to which they could all subscribe, the recognition of brotherhood, with its natural corollaries of responsibility and interdependence. Education, with its gradual uplifting of the masses from a state of passive inertia to intelligent citizenship; and science, with its printing press, that had made each one of them the immediate heir to the accumulated wisdom of all- the mighty men .of old, its innumerable discoveries that had made life less hazardous and burdensome, and particularly those inventions that had given them increased travel facilities and other means of rapid communication. If it were true to say that evil communications corrupted good manners, she was sure it was equally true to say. that rapid communications disrupt old barriers. CONCEPTION OF BROTHERHOOD. Within their own memories all these forces—religion, education and sciencehad combined to create a conception of brotherhood, universal brotherhood, absolutely unimaginable in past ages. A hundred years ago there were no international agreements or organisations of any kind. Contrast that condition of affairs with present-day conditions and they could appreciate the rapid crumbling of barriers to which she referred. To-day they had an International Postal Union, Health Service, Courts of Justice, International Law Office, and many other accredited organisations, plus the greatest attempt- that had ever been made' to bring common sense to bear on world problems, the League of Nations, with, its steady and persistent efforts to secure disarmament, the abolition of slavery, the suppression of the white slave..traffic, control, of-the. manufacture of opium, promotion of health and numberless other activities all directed to- - wards the improvement of the conditions governing mankind. These evidences of a growing acceptance of interdependence were'concrete and encouraging facts. Miss Andrews said she wanted to direct their attention to another healthy sign—the growth of world conferences promoted independently Of' State activities—National Council of Women, Rotary, World Educational Association, etc. A hundred years ago there were no such conferences; in the last decade there were 1840. What was the object of such a multiplicity of conferences? Were they held for fun? Or to provide a pleasant holiday for delegates? No. They, were all held for some serious purpose, and at bedrock that purpose was always concerned with the progress of civilisation. The reason was really very simple—an international conference represented the recognition of the. fact that personal contact and open discussion provided the quickest means known to man of removing misunderstandings and misconceptions, and of attaining unanimity in thought and action. An international conference was merely an extension of the idea of a “personal interview,” which as they knew would'accomplish more in five minutes than would be accomplished by a. year of letter writing. There was a force, an interest, in a personal contact that the printed page lacked. That was why travel was such a powerful educative factor; every experience was a vivid personal one and so made a lasting impression. Apart, too, from, the natural interest of meeting people of other nations, there was- something very stimulating and inspiring in finding a. common earnestness of purpose in diverse races. It gave a feeling of solidarity of almost superhuman strength.

STRAIGHTENING THE TANGLE. Free, straightforward, unbiased discussion would straighten out a tangle more quickly than any other known agent. That was why the phenomenal growth of international conferences was such an encouraging sign. They constituted an antidote to ignorance. A well-known American woman (Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt) once chose as the subject for an address “The Three I’s”—ignorance, inefficiency, indolence. She held that if the first could be abolished the other two would vanish out of existence. Although the number of international conferences had grown to an average of 180 a year, the number of people who could attend such conferences was naturally infinitesimal. But that was no reason why the rest, should sit back and wallow in their ignorance, inefficiency and indolence. The principle that governed an international conference was one they could easily incorporate in their daily lives. They could all read; they were not illiterate. They could all think; they were not feeble-minded. They could all discuss; they were not dumb. Discussion was a great aid to clarity of thought. The old proverb “Two heads are better than one,” certainly held good there. Miss Andrews urged them to get together, to mix freely with people, to talk over a book, to express their thoughts, to air their views, to argue every point In this way they would increase their interest, their knowledge and their efficiency, and .they would have no time to be indolent It only took a few people io promote discussion, and it would provide them with the maximum of interest in their quest for a philosophy of life. . It was not enough to read and think, they might spend ajl their lives reading and thinking and still be of no more use aS a. citizen than a hermit crab. It was not enough to read, think and discuss; it was not enough even to find out a truth. The whole purpose of reading, thinking and discussing was not only to get a t-- grip on truth, but to apply that truth ’ to lif-e- It was the application that was important. The apalicatipn oX _ toowledge—

was, “truth”—was the basis of all progress. They differed from animals in that they were able to review their heritage in the light of added experience. Animals lacked imagination. Bees, for example, had not improved their technique since the days of Homer. Miss Andrews contrasted man’s progress within the same period. The bees were like the man in the parable who wrapped his talent in a napkin, whereas tire talents of man were devoted to the improvement of his heritage. They were all concerned in this improvement. The mere fact of being alive involved every one of them in the struggle for betterment. Whether they were conscious of the fact or not, to the full extent of their power they were either helping or hindering mankind. Each one of them had a strand to weave in the fabric of civilisation, and that strand would be judged by a far more searching and relentless tribunal than any set up by man. It would be judged by their own private conscience, and there would be no “kingdom of heaven within” so far as they were concerned, if that strand showa flaw.

Their strand—or their life—had always impinged directly upon the orbit of other lives they affected. Yesterday it was only their own immediate circle of relatives and friends; to-day the means of communication were so rapid that the whole world was their neighbour, and it behoved them to do all that they could to be good neighbours to the world. The spirit of neighbourliness showed in all international movements. The gathering that night was one of a chain of such gatherings in many countries, where friends and well-wishers of the Y.W.C.A. were meeting to talk of world relationships, to discuss world problems, and to pool their resources of knowledge for the common good. “They have been thinking of us, as we think of them, and wherever they may be we wish them well in their efforts, as we know they wish us well in our, so that they and we may prove ourselves worthy links in the chain of civilisation,” concluded Miss Andrews.

A vote of thanks to Miss Andrews was proposed by Miss W. Rae.