UNITING NATIONS OF WORLD

Chronicle (Levin), 2 December 1947, Page 4

UNITING NATIONS OF WORLD

OPPORTUNITIES FOR VISION AND ENERGY The United Nations Organisation was the very first serious attempt to unite all nations of the world. If that was realised then it would be seen that mankind was not splitting into two worlds, because in actual fact it had never yet been one. These were the comments of Mr. W. Blair Tennent, of Palmerston North, past GoVernor of the 52nd (New Zealand) District of Rotary International, during the course of an inspiring talk to the Levin Rotary Club yesterday on the international situation today and the opportunity it presented for men df vision and energy to work for lasting peace. The world at large seemed to be discouraged at the lack of progress of U.N.O., said the speaker. Many people expressed the opinion that it could do nothing and war was inevitable. He thought that one of the highlights of the address given to Rotarians by their world president, Mr. Kendrick Guemsey, during his recent visit to New Zealand had been his reminder of the difficulties which George Washington had experienced in merging the states of America into the United States —the incident when 13 *of the 15 had walked out of his meeting. It had taken 11 years to unite them, despite the fact that they were all people of one nation and in one country."We are apt to forget that U.N.O. is the first universal society of mankind," continued Mr. Tennent, who also pointed out that the League of Nations was in substance a European league. "This is the first attempt to unite all nations. If we tend to believe, as I think yre often do, that the world is splitting into two," three 'or more worlds, then we are living ln. an age of decay and destruction and defeat. On the contrary, if we believe we are in the beginning of a wholly new and prodigious u'ndertaking to unite all mankind, then this is an age of creation. The pain, anxiety and agony are,. not those of a world that is dying'' but of a pew wbrlci which is being born:" ' *' The task was so enormous that many would say it could not be done, said Mr. Tennent, but- there were others who would not falter because they had a clear vision and stout hearts. They were the ones who would count most in the ultimate. They knew how great the task was and would brace themselves for it. They would not be dismayed if every step was slow and painful. They would be sustained by the knowledge that they were the pioneers who had the hOnour of beginning to do what their children and their children's children could hope to complete.