INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP

Hokitika Guardian, 6 January 1930, Page 2

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP

WORK OF WORLD ALLIANCE

SPEECH BY THE DUKE OF YORK

The Duke of York attended a meeting at 10 Downing Street recently, in support of the world alliance mot'ing International Friendship, through the Churches. In the absence of the Prime Minister, Miss MacDonald presided. She was accompanied by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Lord Davidson and Lady Davidson, Lord and Lady Parmoor, and Lord (Eustance Percy, M. P. Miss MacDonald expressed the I rime .Minister’s regret that his political engagements prevented him from presuing at the meeting. Referring to the work of the World Alliance, she said that all who went through the Great War had, learned to dislike war. It was of no use, however, just saying they disliked war; they must do their utmost to see that war did not happen again. Alluding to the Prime Munster’s recent visit to America, she said that they had succeeded in bringing about a personal understanding and a personal contact between the people on each side of the Atlantic; and §ie thought there was very little chance of misunderstanding arising between this country and the United States. That was one little action towards world peace. She announced that the Prime Minister had received a donation of ’£loo towards the .funds of the W °rlc Alliance from an anonvous donor who desired that his contribution should be used in furthering the works of the alliance among the young ofthe nation.

THE DUKE’S SPEECH. | i The Duke of York, addressing the , neeting, said“ Although 1 regret that . rlliance among the young of the nation. 1 mother important engagement this ‘veiling makes it necessaiy for me to eave here almost immediately, I _ am ion© the less very glad to have this opportunity of saying a few words on lehalf of the World Alliance, which ums, as you know, at awakening the minds of Christian people to their responsibility for the peace of the world ji rough the development of mtermtional friendship. This work has gone steadily on now for some Id years ind it has many important aspects. J only propose to touch on one, which is perhaps the most important of them all. j refer to the work which the alliance is doing to bring young people together and hitting them for the task of promoting. friendship and peace, based on the foundation of the principles of Christianity. I have heard with real pleasure of the two important youth camps which were organised this summer and of tlie success which attended them. I know from personal experience what splendid results such camps can achieve in the promotion o'f friendship and understanding and the removal of class and national prejudices. (Cheers.) Personal contact generally means, if not personal friendship, at least the understanding of the other man’s point of view, and it is only by such understanding and sympathy that the future peace of the world can be ensured. Whether or. not peace or war in the future is to he the means of setting disputes must depend on the way in which' the youth of the world is educated. (Cheers) I feel that it is little use speaking of the horrors of the

last war to those who were too young to remember it They tend to look upon it rather as we look, say, upon the Crimean War It is not the horrors of the past which will influence them so much as a right understanding of the problems and difficulties which face our nation that will achieve the result we all so ardently desire r Jhat is what the Church, through the World Alliance, is aiming to do, and I, for one wish them God-speed in their work. (Cheers.) If it is to succeed it will need the help, both material and moral of all who share those ideals. As you may have heard, an anonyous donor has given a most generous donation, which I personally much appreciate and I hope that many others will follow the fine example he has set. May I, before I leave, ask you to give the ;Al)iance your support in every way you can? (Cheers.) , The Archbishop of Canterbury intervened to express the meeting’s thanks to the Duke of York for his presence and address. The Prince of Wales, lie said, had been described as an Ambassador of Empire, and the Duke of York had been a very good partner with his brother in that work. He wished to speak of the Duke of Work as an Am. bassndor of Good Will. His Royal Highness had promoted good will between employers and employed and between the boys of this country; be bad been the bearer of good will to two great Churches in Scotland now. united and now lie bad given his interest to the cause of good will among nations. THE YOUNGER GENERATION. Lady Parmoor gave an address on the work of the Alliance, which she said, was an effort to focus and bring together all the Christain nations towards kite firiencllsh.ip desired. They sought to heal the wounds of the war and to solve those problems which if they were riot solved quickly might bring about a far more terrible war and end civilisation as they knew it. The World Alliance was- in fact acting as a spiritual ally to the League of Nations. In a reference to the work of the Alliance in America, she said that they ought on every occasioii to stress theidebt poor wounded Europe owed to the United States. Tliore was no country in which

a branch of the Alliance had been more active than in America. The British Council of the Alliance was trying to build up a national Christian conscience of international affairs. itb regard to work among the youngei generation, she pointed out that unless they could show a form of religion that worked an ideal of Christian faith adequate to meet some of the great problems of to-day, they would see a breaking away from organised Christianity. The Archbishop of Canterbury said that there was a real significance in their meeting at 10 Downing Street It mean.t recognition of close connection of the work our statemsen had to do on the broad national sphere and the help which the spiritual forces of all the citizens of the country could give them. Of all our leading statesmen, Mr MacDonald was the one who more fully and passionately than any other had given expression to the will and determination of this and other peoples that

the world must have peace and never lose it again. (Cheers) Deferring to the meetings at Lambeth of multitudes of ministers of religion and sometimes lay. men of different religions and sometimes different lands, he said that in recent years, their friendliness had become somethiJig different to what it had been ill former years. Their friendliness was being definitely turned towards becoming a movement for strengthening the basis of peace. That was where the World Alliance could do something which statemen could not achieve. It Went beyond the region of public affairs treaties, optional clauses, conventions, land thugs of that kind. He echoed all that had been said of the value of the Alliance’s work among the younger people of the nations. It was hopeless to expect young people to be enthusiastic for peace because of the horror of the late war. They had heard verv little of the horrors, because the men who went through the war declined to speak of them; it was a memory which they would fain shut down. They must | put it on another basis. They must never mind what happened in the last war. Peace itself was a glorious tiling and worthy of the enthusiasm and valor the young could put into its establish-