POWER FOR WORLD PEACE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 45, 9 March 1937, Page 6

POWER FOR WORLD PEACE

— Pres* ABsocxation.)

"hefc Broadcasting Be a Real Geneva" NEED FOR TOLERANCE

CBy Telegraph

WELLINGTON, This Day. ' "Unless nations aTe prcpared to be humble instead of, proud, I .don't tbink there is much hope fOr the peace. ,of the world," said Mr-J- Shelley, director oi Nutional Broadcasting Soiv;ces, in an audress.tc the Rctary ccrference in Wellington yesterday. ''Let broad.casting be a real Geneva," be declared. ''Broadcasting is an instrument that can be used for trem'endous good " or. tremendous evil. It is just an instrument. We have got to see . that the right . attitude of mind and heart is behind ' that instiitution. At any rate, I regard that as my particular job in New Zealand." The human voice added a little to the written word in the way of getting near to the . people who were speaking, said Mr Shelley. There was a gfeat danger from tbe printed word of jndividual human beings in Oifferent "countries assuming superhuraan proportions. The width of human personal contacts could be very great, but, after all. the voice meant something. The breaking down of that barrier of superiority was the first step in the resumption of proper international relations. Rapidity of coiiveyance of ideas was obviously another . important instrument in the possible cohesion of the world. They had ' instruments given to them by th© engineer& and scientists, and they ..had to learn. how to use them. , . A Form of i'Funk", * 'There are," cohtinued Protessor Shelley,. fat the present " time one. or two . clap-trap- words which , I think we as Rotarians ought . to , analyse, ought to .tjiink; of very .carefuliy. . The . two words which to my. , mind constitute the clap-trap of the world at the pi'esent ,. time . are in Geneva. " Ttealism'— realism, as. far-aa I can see,' as.t'ar as I have ' been- able t'o 'und'erstarid •' tbe people- who "u'se' it'j is-merely- a rather uicely-dressed-hp fo'rin of -the-' word 'funk." ? : •' :

"People who" are ihcapable of facing ideals and incapabie.. of fighting. for them -instantly- say we must- face 'realities. I ■ don't ' say there is '.n'o ' heed to face realities; but the true idealist is the person who ' faces realities: arid makCs such . that' ' it ; does not -raean merely opport'unisml . i. • ; : •« : "The ofber clap^trajp" word uSed: in the wor)d at 'th'e present 'time is 'dbw fence.' • We 'are.,' out' for interh'atiofial peacej 'that is .one of the' pifncipie's of Rotary, Every eountry in the world is putting down huh'dr'eds 'of miliions of pounds in order' t'o ; defend itself -against the • other chap, What is def'ence to. one eountry is offence to tbe •other eountry. I, ;am - not :sa,yinj& that such' defences and sudh :arma'ments .are .not necessaryj that -is1 not iny. business. I •' am 'sayihg' jfchat * if ' it .is left merely there, there. is' „no .hope for the peace of;. the world. - We • have • to have soinetbing more than , this negative attitude. . Crow 'aridCrow!, "Think of the nations now just" sitting behind ' their "bor;ders and showing' their teeth'in the* "way of armament programmes, and just merely growh'ng at one another 'in' Order to keep' the other fellow off.' Surel'y there is' no tiope for, peade along .those lihes. We have; got ' to ' do somethin'g ' elso. Growths of nations come 'from contacts/ not' from separation. It is 'orly,. by getting ' togfethOr, that' we can "understand the other person's poixit of vie'w and- understand ourselv'es. 1 •"To grow and to growl are seemingiy very similar ; if you write them ' together. but, believe me, there is: an T of a difference. There seems to be a slogan of 'less 'talk and mor© armament^j our slogan' ought" to "be 'iess talk and more think.'. ' ' Armaments were' being ;used, es he had said, for nations to growl at, oue another; brpadfcaSting' "cbul'd be used in order to get over to other nations the prqblems that -twerei . facing , tfie people who were speaking^ If the ordinary people could understand -that those chaps were ordinary human beings like tbemselv'es, and had .their own prqblems, they would say, "Well, they think that is the best »v'ay — what can we do to help . them . s.olve their problems ?'> Instead; of. waitiug • unti] we had hit the other, chap. on ihe liead before we said, "I, am my .. brother's keeper," let ,us eay, "I am my b'rothqr's .keeper", first, and - -then there would -be no heed to hit him on the head- ' •

"It; is that -bridge over to the person of the other 'eountry -'that is neeessary." added Professor Shelley. "That, I think. can ;be helped by bi'oadcastuig. It is the . difficulty of trying to see other people as we see oUtsolves, and 'not seeihg ourselves as other people see us. The defenc© o: arniatoents, to my mind, is only hall the problem. Tbe other defence is tbe \positive defence of attack. Every tacticiap knows that. the best uettcd of defence is attack. Unfortunataly tliat defence may be, in the terms of aimaments, but I hope that attack vrill be on the rninds and heatts of the people through t5e irinids and Learts of tbe people oi other nations through broadcasting. "