OVERSEAS OPINIONS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 187, 4 May 1940, Page 15

OVERSEAS OPINIONS

“A Just Cause.” “While persuaded that the cause iu which our country is engage I is a just cause, iu no way condoning the crimes committed by the aggressors, and convinced that justice requires a restoration of the victims of these crimes, it associates Itself witli the declarations often made by His Majesty's Government, that it is no part of the war aims of this country to bring about the destruction of Germany; and it earnestly desires that, life and independence be secured for the German nation, on the sole condition that the German nation Itself respects the right of all other nations, both greet and small, strong and weak, to a similar life and independence. And it trusts that in the interests of European civilization and of humanity, the statesmen of neutral and belligerent countries will' watch eagerly and constantly for opportunities to negotiate a just and , durable peace.”—Resolution by the Assembly of the Church of England.

Dutch Neutrality. “The very great majority of the Dutch nation is behind the Government and the outside world must understand .that in this connexion there is no difference of opinion of any significance in Holland. We act against any'violation of our neutrality in strict accordance with internatioual law, and those who accuse us of doing the contrary will not succeed in turning us from the right course. Although being neutral is an ungrateful task, because it lacks the heroic character of the fighter, yet the Government thinks that Holland fulfils—in the present circumstances and so far as we can look into the future —a duty which - she owes herself in remaining neutral. That Belgium takes the same view is of great satisfaction to us.”—The Dutch Foreign Minister, M. van Kieffens. Our Task.

“We are facing a threat to everything which the workers have gained and to all their hopes for the future. Hitlerism means putting back the clock of human progress, writes Mr. C. R. Attlee, M.P., the Labour Leader, in the “Daily Herald.” “If anyone doubts the value of the things which we have to defend, let him talk with those who have escaped from the Hitler regime. Through the efforts of devoted men and women we in this country have won freedom of speech and conscience, the right to choose and change our rulers and the right of the workers to combine for their own defence. We have built up great Movements —Co-opera-tive, Trade Union, and Friendly Society. We have improved condi tions and established social services. It is our task to defend what we have from enemies within and without.” Unemployment And The New Testament. “The unemployment queue isn’t a modern post-war phenomenon . . . it’s as old as the organization of industry, even agricultural industry, itself. Of course, the market-place was the usual place where men were hired, but perhaps we understand the poignancy of that cry. ‘No man hath hired us’ as well as any generation has had occasion to. Like us, they were the victims of a world situation whic . reacted on the life of every individual. Taxes multiplied at least threefold in the lifetime of Jesus, and the price of living rose steadily. The policital insecurity of the country had its inevitable reflex action on commerce and international trade declined steadily. If the ordinary man in Palestine knew as much as we do about poli-’tal insecurity, and as much as the Jew in Germany knows about personal insecurity, he knew also as much as we do about economic insecurity. Over everything and over Everyman there brooded the shadow of fear. Into this world Jesus came. Life and men were cracking under the sheer pressure which only a coward or a fool could blind his eyes.”—From “Thy Kingdom Come,” by the Rev. Bernard C. Plowright, 8.A., B.D. A Great Ethical Question.

“Are we capable of what is a conversion of the spirit—from the easy ways and random standards of a prosperous community to the belief that ‘a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of his possessions,’ but lies elsewhere? ' Can we rise to the view that the task of a people is not merely to secure itself in peace and comfort, but to bring into the world more justice, more truth, more opportunity for all men, whatever the difficulties and disappointments? Are we willing to share with others the advantages and privileges of our position in the world in order to achieve a true international society? Are we able to define liberty not only as the assertion, of our individual rights, but as the ‘service which is perfect freedom ?’ The coming years will answer. An Englishman in another great war saw a vision of a people ‘not degenerated nor drooping to a filial decay, but casting off the old and wrinkled skin of corruption to outlive these pangs and wax young again, entering the glorious ways of truth and prosperous virtue, destined to become great and honourable in these latter ages. Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation rousing herself, like a long man after sleep and shaking her invincible locks.’ ” “The Earth Our Larder.”

An agricultural experiment in the restoration of soil fertility—adaptable to the one-man garden or the largescale farm and of considerable importance, therefore, in wartime —is described by Mr. George Godwin in “The Earth Our Larder.” The experiment, which in eight years has led to the employment of 60 men on the 300-aere farm where only three or four were formerly employed, and has brought 60 new inhabitants to the village, has been carried out by Captain It. (1. M. Wilson, R.E. (retired), at Stirfleet, Lincolnshire, not far from the Wash. Captain Wilson’s method is based on the fundamental proposition that what is lent by the land to man must be returned to it by him. It is a development of an ancient Chinese method which was used also by the Romans find elaborated by Sir Albert Howard, in India, under whose direction it became known as the Indore Compost System. Briefly the method is to take to the compost or manure pits every scrap of waste material, vegetable and animal, from the farm itself. Every month the compost is turned over, and after three months a humus is obtained which, when applied to the soil, restores its vitality and fecundity byNature’s own process. The elimination of all chemical manuring has been the ideal aimed .at, and now the only purchased manure is a small quantity derived from animal or vegetable wastes, which is added to the market garden compost. Chemical spraying has also been reduced to a minimum because there has been little disease, the high temperature, and humidity of the humus being destructive of injurious fungi and insect life. Produce from the Iceni Farm, as it is called, has received highest points on several occasions in the Royal Horticultural Society’s show*

■ A Time for Faith and Courage. “Why should we be downhearted? Det us hold our heads high and keep our courage strong. It is the_ only I way; and we who are religious-minded have the best right (I sometimes think the only right) to be optimists. We believe in God. We believe in His rule over the world. We believe in Jesus Christ, His Son. We believe in the Church that bears His name. We believe that there are certain Christian foundations of society, certain principles of our Christian civilization—and we believe that these will prevail. Let us therefore give good cheer. Let us have a courageous note.”—Dr. Main, Moderator of the Church of Scotland.

Who Are We Fighting? “To put it about that the Allies desire the annihilation of the German people is a vindictive and malicious invention which can only be put forward for home consumption. On the other hand, the German people must realize that the responsibility for the prolongation of this war and of the suffering that it may bring iu the coming year is theirs, as well as that of the tyrants who stand over them. They must realize that the desire of the Allies for an essentially humane, just, Christian settlement cannot be satisfied by assurances which, experience has proved to be worthless. The methods pursued by the Government of Hitler are a standing threat to the independence of every small State of Europe. They are a constant menace to the moral standards on which the whole of Western civilization is founded.” —Mr. Neville Chamberlain. Defeatism.

“I have read in the last few weeks books by weeping philosophers, English, German and American, predicting the downfall of civilisation. Man is to be thrown on the scrap-heap if he does not immediately conform to some pattern prescribed for him by intellectual dictators. There never was a moment when this particular kind of spiritual defeatism was less timely. Civilisation is, of course, a great and dangerous adventure. Time after time in its relatively brief history it has been challenged by threats from without or Corruption from within. But the response has never failed to be equal to the challenge, and it will not fail now.” -—Mr. J. A. Spender in the “Sunday Times.” Wishbones v. Backbones. ' “We must not be deluded by the present inactivity. Nor should we minimise or underrate the power of a relentless enemy. Indeed: ‘ln cases of defence ’tis best to weigh The enemy more mighty than he seems.’ “We must always be prepared and ready—and realise this is no time for self-satisfaction or sitting still. Wishbones are not a satisfactory substitute for backbones. Let us fully appreciate we are engaged in a critical struggle and be always prepared for heavy and serious attacks, sterner times, and many perils. That is the way to achieve victory.”—Sir Kingsley Wood.

The Future. “Beyond question after this war,” said It'he Archbishop of Canterbury in the House of Lords, “there will be the widest and most far-reaching changes in the social life of this country. The national system of education must partly be fitted to these inevitable changes and partly influence their character and their course. It cannot any longer follow the tradition of that complacent individualism which we inherited from the last century which was content to provide the largest possible number of young people with open chances of getting on, of climbing—to use the once familiar phrase—the educational ladder to success. Still less can it follow the policy of totalitarian States to train youth in Ithe worship of, and obedience to, the State. It has another task, as has been very well said: to make them fit members of a free society. That is a task much more difficult but, I think you will agree, infinitely more noble.”

The Anguish Of Poland. “There can be no question of the present sufferings of Poland. Never has nation before been trampled on with such cold, calculated, and almost scientific brutality as Poland today under German occupation. Great populations are forcibly driven from one part of the country to another, just as if they were inanimate pawns on a chess-board. The whole ethnographic configuration of the country is being totally changed. Germans are proclaimed as being of superior blood, and every Pole is insulted by being asked to render obeisance to the German as if he were a god. The Germans are seeking to disorganize our whole system of education. They want to secure that every Pole shall enter a German school, talk the German language, and be educated in the dicta of the Nazi philosophy. University professors they treat with the utmost brutality and cruelty. The German authorities arrested the Suffragan Bishop of Lodz, Monsignor Tomczak. The Bishop of Lodz, though not arrested, is being maltreated and forced to clean the streets in front of the Cathedral. The Roman Catholic clergy and the Jews in Lodz have been forced to clear the debris left after the demolition of the Polish national monument to Kijscinszko. The Curate of Kalisz has been executed for an alleged concealment of arms and munitions.—Counut Edward Raczynski, the Polish Ambassador, in an address at Edinburgh. The Truly-Educated Mind.

Characterizing our age as one of loud speakers and loose thinkers addicted to cheap substitutes for intelligence, Dr. James Moffatt, the trans-

lator of the Bible into modern English, in an address reported in the “Drew University Gateway,” said:—“The truly-educated mind is never content Io live on echoes. No second-hand acquaintance with any art or science yields a lasting power. There must be a first-hand grip of principles and realities. Nothing can bo so ineffective and wearisome as knowing a little about a lot of things. Nothing is so fruitful and satisfying as knowing one or two things at first hand. To live on the second rate is to lose the springs of sanity and hope and courage. A platitude is not a worn-out truth; it i.s a truth that is not being worn at all: it is a piece of dress reserved for State occasions instead of being girded on for the day’s heroic or commonplace duty in facing the dark spirits of the hour. The great world is tired of Christians who parade faith and love. The simple gospel has to be constantly and faithfully presented in new forms, appealing to the best minds of the day; its revelation requires to be thought out individually and collectively in all its implications. Otherwise, though we may not be weary of well doing, we become weary in it, forgetting that devotion demands the stimulus of fresh ideas, strange as that may seem to those who take devokuw. Iw ma fuaotkmal eixUa.”