PEACE—ARE WE TRYING TO EARN IT?

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 17, 13 October 1937, Page 10

PEACE—ARE WE TRYING TO EARN IT?

"LITTLE JOHN,"

Our newspapers to-day are anything but cheerful. China and Japan fighting, and eyen more horrible, Spain killing her own flesh and blood. Gormany aud Italy mixod up in it, and a general air of conspiraey and fear. Yes, the •whole world seents frighteucd. The chief cause of fear if lack of faith. O'i'ten when men have been in battJo and their leader is killed, unless another rises up who ean maintain their faith and confidence they have fied in panie. The world to-day seems to have Iogt sight of its leader and is putting its faith in armaments alone. I do not disagree with rearmament under the presgnt conditions. Although I sympathise with young men who say they will not fight beeause they think it wrong, I say to them, "What have you done to earn peace? What right have you to claim that you deserye peace more than your fathers who fought in the hope of earning it for you?" No, I do feel that wo cannot expeet peace until we are fit to receive it. And are we to-day. We are ready to panic and refuse to fight beeause many of us have ■ no leader. Our leading churchmen and statesmen are continually calling us to a ehange of heart. There does not seem much sign of it at present. The future of the world is in your young cliaps' hands. How aro you propuring yonrselves for this task? I remcmber an old friend of my father's saying to me, i'lt you want a thing badly onough, you will get it." This used to puzzle me a great deal, for there were many thinga I thought I wanted

badly. I wanted a bicyele, a lot' of tools, and all sprts of odds and ends, How could 1 get them, Now I know he meant that I would have to make sacrifices and earn them. WelJ, X wasn't prepared to pay "the price, so X didn't gefc them. So untjl we are prepared to make sacrifices and pay the price of peace we shall not get it, Would any wise man give h|s gon something that he did not doserve or was not ready to'use wiscly? Oi course not, Well, why should we agk foy peace till we are fitted to receive it. What can we do? Each oue of us must overhani ourselves privately aud honestly as Scouts. Do we do our beBt to live our Scout law? How do we use our spare time? Do we rendcr service without thought of rewarfi? Are we really brotheriyf Do we believe in God If we do, how do wc sbow it? How" do we carry out our first law? And there, I think, is the key to peace. We may have to fight again, But whatever happeng let us have confidence and faith in our leader, and we must not shirk our responsibilities. As soon as we are fitted for peace we shall be given it I feel sure. So let us do our bit by really living our Scouting and not just wearing the uniform and getting all the fun we can and then dropping out. — Oheerio.