Social Liberty.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume IX, Issue 22, 1 April 1919, Page 174

Social Liberty.

From a splendid article on this subject m the "Church Standard" we make the following extracts: —

Thrice has England faced a war which threatened to engulf her life and liberty; thrice, by God's grace, she has fought through such a fight to victory, and each time we can see that the cause for /which she contended was greater than any mere contention between rival nations; it was rather an ideal or principle which is vital to the true life of all nations. Thus when the Spanish ibma'da failed, it was the principle of religious liberty that was vindicated, and when Napoleon was defeated, it was the principle of national liberty that proved victorious; and now with, the overthrow of the Kaiser, what principle is specially m the ascendant? Truly religious and national liberty are involved, but a- third type of freedom is more particularly concerned m this last war; we will call it social

liberty, for this term answers to the phrase which we use to describe the present condition of the' ■^world, "social unrest or upheaval; and;;iif we would contrast the latter correctly with "social liberty" we must- call it " social licence. "

The victory of an army and the victory of a moral cause are not one and the same thing; even;ii|thaiariny fights for that cause, theflwo do not conquer at ; the same momeint. As soon as military activity ceases the army has won its final victory, but the cause, although for the time being it had taken a military aspect, accepted a military challenge, and won a military victory, has now to begin a career of conquest m fields of peace and with weapons that are not. the weapons of war, but the invisible forces that have power to convert and control the invisible spirit of man. That is a principle that we need to grasp with both hands, if we may so say, m these dajs of social disorder and distraction.

In this spirit let us face the facts. First let us notice that although religious liberty was won for us by the Elizabethans who withstood Philip of Spain, yet it took England three cen. turies of constant conflict before she finally established what this principle really means m a nations life — ■ religious toleration.

And again, if national liberty was secured when "England saved ■ Europe" from Napoleon, yet the main characteristic of the century that followed was the rise or fall of nations that had won the spirit of freedom, but had to fight before they could win actual freedom. Italy is the . noblest example of such nations. Then come Greece and the other States that were delivered from the Turk.

Germany's ideal was to be a nation free to do exactly as it pleased, instead of one that would make its freedom, and progress a pleasure and a help to the rest of the nations; that is to say, she distorted the principle of national liberty into national licence. But even so she has but raised up champions of the principle that "will apply it consistently throughout the world, acting therein as men who have consecrated themselves, to a«divine cause. That is the essence of the Peace Conference, and its very existence now is a sigh that the cessation of war is not the final act by which any principle for which armies fight comes to its triumph.

.When" we' work out the exact thing upon which public opinion is now concentrated as the next point of the general welfare of mankind which, is to be secured, the term social liberty accurately describes it. For the fact that has been impressed" oil

the conscience of mankind during the last century is : that a man may have religious and national liberty and yet may find himself a slave; for if he is simply a cog m an industrial machine, if he is treated as cattle are treated,, he is not truly free. Labour claims that the wage-earner is still treated m this way by Capital; and if wageearners have fought and died because they felt that the war would make 1 the world ." a better place for the kiddies, "it was this social liberty that they had m mind and that their comrades intend to establish. And now we can expect strikes and distress, confusion and strife while this principle wins its way m the world. And there is but one way of securing it, and at the same time safe-guarding other forms of liberty; and that is for those who already have social freedom to hold out the hand of fellowship to those who are still fighting to secure it for themselves. If liberty is worth more than life to us, so it is to them; and any sacrifice of profits that we are called upon to make, if they are to enjoy a fuller liberty, we ought to offer to them on our own initiative, rather than tamely wait m thoughtless "ease, or like the dog m the manger, snarl and bile as soon as the privileges we prize are m any way threatened. . So we close with a strong appeal to all members of the Church of Christ to think and pray about this great evolution of liberty which we are witnessing. We specially ask this because we know of no other body which inculcates the same spirit of eelf -sacrifice and can speak with such force, if only it can briag all the Christian principles of liberty which"" it professes into living relation with this latest movement of tlu spirit of Liberty. We want the land we battled for To be a land worth while We 're sick of greed and 'ate and strife An' all the mess that's made uv life— ( 'E stopped a bit to smile) I got these thoughts out there becos I've learnt what mateship really was.