THE IDEALS AND WORK OF THE PEACE AND ARBITRATION DEPARTMENT.

White Ribbon, Volume 30, Issue 350, 18 September 1924, Page 1

THE IDEALS AND WORK OF THE PEACE AND ARBITRATION DEPARTMENT.

1 have been asked to write something about the Peace and Arbitration Department, for the benefit of the younger members of our l nion. First of all, I should like to call attention to the words of Frances Willard, when she sent out her first call to all those bands of women who were working in the Temperance Cause to join together and form one great organisation for the special object of freeing the world from the curse of the liquor traffic. In that first call she put forward three great aims, for the attainment of whicn this organisation was founded: liquor traffic; (2), the setting up of International Courts of Arbitration for the settlement of disputes between nations, for the abolition of war; and (3), to work for purity in every form; —Prohibition, Peace, Purity. So we see that the Peace and Arbitration Department represents one of the fudamental principles of our Union, as set forth by its founder, and one of our fir3t duties, as members of the W.C.T.U., is therefore to work in any way open to us for the attainment of the ideal set before us —the ideal of a world free from war and all strife, where the nations shall live together in peace and amity, recognising one another as brothers, the children of one Father; realising that the good of one is the good of all, and that no nation can gain any real benefit through the loss or injury of another.

This is the ideal which we have to keep steadily before us and to work for unceasingly; and I lay stress upon this fact of the ideal because it is our ideals that are the strongest force and the most important element in our life and work. Our work belongs to the present, but our ideals govern the future- —hence

their supreme importance; it is what we are always thinking of and looking forward to, what we are striving for, rather than what we are doing, that determines our future life and action; that which we recognise as the highest good to which we can attain is of far greater importance than what we are now’ actually able to accomplish. The realisation of this truth will be an inspiration to

every worker, and those wiio are young and only now beginning their real life-work, if they keep it ever in mind, will find it a help in every difficulty, and renewed hope in every apparent failure.

Before leaving this thought of the importance of our ideals, there are four points we wmnt to remember in connection with it. (1) That the true ideal is progressive. We do not see the final goal at I he beginning of our work, but it maj' be only the first step. Just as in climbing a mountain, we see first some lower peak and imagine it to be the summit, but when w r c reach it we see other and higher peaks beyond, so is it with our ideals; what we see now is but a small part of the whole, and as we come nearer to its attainment, we invariably find something far greater and nobler beyond, which spurs us on 1.0 greater effort; this w'e

must be* prepared for, and be ever

ready to go forward, not clinging to the lower when once the higher has been seen. (2 ) That every ideal must be worked out in the individual

life before it can become a power in the world. It is only through the individual that any reform can be carried out in the nation; It is individual thought that constitutes the thought of the community, and

before any idea can become a general belief it must be accepted by individual minds —any virtue that we would like to see realised in social or national life must first be cultivated in the individual life. (3) Every ideal must have a spiritual basis. The spiritual is the reality, therefore permanent, the material is merely a passing manifestation; and only that which is founded upon a sense of the reality and power of the Divine Spirit working in all things has in it the necessary elements of per manence and success. (4) Remember that failure is not defeat. Do not be afraid of failure. The only real defeat is when we give up trying; and the very mistakes we make are the results of our ignorance, and it met in the right spirit will become our best teachers. If we can keep those thoughts always before us we shall not be discouraged, even if it seems sometimes as if we had accomplished nothing, but we shall go forward with joy and hopefulness, knowing that in the end we shall reap if we faint not.

In the light of tin**** thoughts let

us see in what ways we can help in the work for peace—how W’e can translate our ideals into action; for

it is only in this way that we can make any progress, or gain the insight that will show us what our next step should be. There are several lines along which such work may be carried on. (1) If ve want to hf*lp to bring peace to the world, we must tirst cultivate it in our own hearts, that so we may radiate it all round us. We should try always to think peace, to speak peace, to live peace; before world peace can come, there must be peace in the community, peace in the home, and as we have already seen, that can only be when we have peace in ourselves. Does this seem to you \ague and unreal, or unpractical? Remember that thought is one of the strongest forces in the world. What we think, we become; and more than that, the things we dwell upon in thought are the things that gradually shape themselves into form, and make the surroundings in which we live. If we believe this, we shall realise how supremely important it is that we should learn to think rightly, and we shall be much more careful to allow no evil thought to enter our minds. Add to this the immense power of united thought, the reaction of one mind upon another, and you will come to realise what a force for good lies in our hands, if only we know how to use it. If we could realise this fully and could learn to use this wonderful power which we possess, it would be possible for the women of the world, united in one purpose, to banish war from the earth, and to usher in the dawn of the glorious day of peace. Here is work in which each one of us may take a part; it is only by individual effort of this kind that this great day can come, and the more there are who will give themselves to this work, the sooner will that time arrive.

(2) The next step will be to use every opportunity for the spread of these ideas amongst those around us, trying to influence others, and to win their interest, their sympathy and co-operation in the work for peace. Think for a moment what is the history of every ideal and every reform. It is first seen ana recognised by the few whose hearts are open to receive it. and who become the pioneers of the movement. It is often a difficult path they have to tread, a path in which they meet with ridi-

cule and misunderstanding, with opposition and it may be even persecution; but gradually, if they are true and faithful to the truth they see, the light that is in their hearts shines out and is seen and recognised by others, perhaps a small minority at first, but growing ever larger, till the minority has become the majority, and the truth that was at first ridiculed as a dream or condemned as a heresy, is accepted as a universal belief.

This is true of every ideal and every reform which has won its way in the worla; for truth must ever win its way against opposition, and it is our attitude towards our ideals and our recognition of their value and power which is one of the main factors in securing its acceptance. We can all do a great deal in this way, by bringing any fresh thought or any interesting fact in connection with the Peace Movement to the notice of others, lending papers or pamphlets to those who perhaps do not know much about the subject; if possible, forming a small group for reading and studying together, thus helping to increase the general interest and to bring the subject into greater prominence.

(3) Another way in which we can help the work is by giving our support to Movements which have for their aim the abolition of war and the establishment of world Peace. There are many such in the world to-day, and it should be our aim to become familiar with them, to understand what they are trying to do, and how it may be possible to give the help that is needed. In many countries now there are organisations whose members refuse to take part in war or support it in any or under any conditions. We may not he able to take that stand, hut we can at least study these movements and try to understand the principles they are endeavouring to put into practice, and the methods they are adopting. We shall then be better able to judge as to how far we can go with them. We should always remember t.»at all do not see things in the same way or look at them from the same standpoint; we shall then 1m- less likely to criticise or condemn those who are trying to reach the same goal as ourselves, but by a different road. There is one special line which is now open to all W.C.T.IJ. mem-

hers: —work in connection with tin League of Nations Union. In ac eordance with the resolution passed by Convention more than a year ago the W.C.T.IJ. has now become affili ated with the League of Nations Union; this should tend to the strengthening of both organisations, and should become a large factor in the furtherance of World Peace, which is one of the principal aims ot both bodies. But the mere fa< t o:‘ affiliation will be of no great moment without the personal interest and co-operation of the indviidual members. The League of Nations is working for the prevention and the final abolition of war, besides giving its aid to many philanthropic and humanitarian reforms; but to gain tliis object it needs the support and help of public opinion, and the best way of giving such help is by increasing the membership of the League of Nations Union. It is therefore hoped that many individual members of the W.C.T.U. will become also members of the L.N.U., by paying an annual subscription of 1/-; this is sufficient to secure membership, while a 5/subscription entitles the member to a copy of “Headway,” the monthly periodical of the League, which gives a full account of its work. Members should feel it their duty to gain as full information as they can of this work, which they will find most interesting, and then to pass it on to others, trying to arouse their interest and getting them also to join. A little regular study of the literature published by the L.N.U. will well repay those who can give even a short time to it; and I would reccommend to all our Y Unions as an introduction to this study a small book entitled “The Fight for Peace.” a short notice of which appears in May “White Ribbon.” The price is only 2/-, a.id I shall be glad to supply a copy to any Union who would like to procure one.

(4 ) There is one other point that I want to put before you, especially those who are teachers, or whose work brings them in any way into touch with children, and there not many women to whom this does not apply. It is the supreme importance of impressing upon the minds of children th‘*se principles of peace and love which make for the happiness and welfare of the world, while they are

young and their characters yet in the process of formation. This has been so often dwelt upon that it should be hardly necessary to do more than mention it. But we can never emphasize too strongly the thought that the future of the world rests with the children; and that what they may make it depend mainly upon the principles which are given them for their guidance in early years. Realising this, we see what a responsibility rests upon those who have anything to do with the training of young children. See that their games and amusements of every kind are of a constructive rather than destructive nature, and try to interest them in the arts of peace lather than the excitements of war; children will be found very responsive to peace ideals when placed before them in an attractive way. -urround them with an atmosphere of peace and love, and teach them to think of all others, to whatever nation they belong, as brothers and sisters whom they should love and help in every possible way, just as ihey would their own every-day companions, and you will be sowing the seeds of a national life which will be free from strife, and from the jealousies and ill-feeling which so often leads to war.

Then there is another way in which we may help to bring about better feelings and more friendly relations between the nations of the world. A great deal of want of friendliness and cordiality amongst them arises from the want of understanding of one another’s lives, thoughts and ideals; a great deal has been done during the last few years to bring people of different countries nearer together, by getting them into individual touch with one another, getting them to know each other; but there remains much more to be done, and we should all try to make use of any opportunity we may have of cultivating the acquaintance of those belonging to a different race, and learning to know and appreciate them. It was for this reason that the “Ministry of Friendship" was inaugurated—that where any of our members know of someone whom they might interest in the life and experiences of another country, they might open up a correspondence with them, which would probably lead to a real friendship; every such

friendship would become an added link between tw-o nations and strengthen the bond between them. In conclusion there is one thing 1 would like to impress upon al young workers: —never miss an opportunity. Whatever chance may be given to you, take it without fear or hesitation; we never can tell what good work may remain undone because you or 1 failed to make use of the opportunity that came to us. From time to time suggestions are given in the White Ribbon for work In which ail can take a part; when you see such a suggestion, do not pass it by as not concerning you, but try to give what help you can, no matter how little it may be; remember that great things may sometimes be done by the united action of individuals who by themselves might be able to accomplish very little. And finally, do not be afraid to act upon your own initiative, but if pny idea comes to you, act upon it; it is the work that grows out of our own set purpose that is the most effective. We may sometimes make mistakes, but if our hearts and lives are consecrated to the service of humanity, which is the service of God, be assured that in His great wisdom and love, even our mistakes will be used in the fulfilment of the Divine purpose, and for our own training, that we may become better instruments for the carrying out of the work He has given us to do. MARIAN JUDSON.