FACING DISASTER

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20422, 12 February 1938, Page 6

FACING DISASTER

WORLD AND. WAR “STUPIDITY OF VERSAILLES’' CHRISTLAN CONCEPT NEEDED (By Telegraph.—Press Association) AUCKLAND, Saturday A keen student of European affairs in the iast ten years, Dr Arthur H. Ryan, lecturer in scholastic philosophy at Queen’s University, Belfast, who arrived on the Rangitiki this morning to take part in the Catholic Centenial celebrations at Auckland, had something outstanding to say concerning the present armament race among the nations. “One of the important points from the aspect of culture and civilisation and still more so from the standpoint of Christianity is the problem of the value of the human individual," he said. “The Christian concept of the intrinsic worth of the human personality has been submerged by statesmen in more than one European country. There is a tendency in Russia and to a lesser but dangerous extent in some quarters in Italy to look upon the individual as subservient to the State in every conceivable way. “Legacy of Bitterness “The achievement of peace is the one hope for the continuance of Western Civilisation. Everybody now realises this but unfortunately the will to peace is sadly lacking in Europe to-day. Among the historical reasons for this one must place in the forefront the stupidity and vindiotiveness of the victorious powers at Versailles. “Although it was alleged the war was fought to end war any child could have told the statesmen that the crippling restrictions and unjust allocations of territory were hound to dislocate international trade and leave behind a legacy of bitterness inevitably antagonising the victims. The result is we now have a sad spectacle of peoples who have achieved enormous advances in science and machinery and who could by those means solve most of their problems vieing with one another in placing scientific gifts at the service of the destruction of human life and porperty. “Nothing hut a return to the Christian concept of strict Justice in international dealings and a return to the Christian belief in brotherhood of man oan save the world from disasters still more appalling than those of 1914-18," added Dr. Ryan.