BROTHERHOOD OF MAN.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5324, 10 September 1928, Page 1

BROTHERHOOD OF MAN.

AN INDIFFERENT WORLD. WRONG MENTAL ATTITUDE. The opinion; that the efforts dirept;ed toward i international peace and the brotherhood of man wojuld be fruitless unless the prejudice existing between the white and coloured nations was abolished was expressed by Dean Barnett in an address) to Hamilton! Rotarians at .the weekly luncheon recently. “I would like to say before anything else that I think the dictum that to have peafe you must prepare for war is entirely erroneous,” the Dean declared. “I know of no greater fallacy. The sooner we realise this is npt s.a the sboper. we will reach the foundations of a true apd lasting peace.. We must ensure that the conditions of life of individuals, groups, and nations are all making fojr peace..’’ The speaker said that the ideals for which Rotary sto,od —namely, “Service, before self” and “He profits most who serves best”—were principles which men in all walks of life should strive to fallow. Yet when he was brought face to face with men bn his doorstep who were absolutely down apd out it made him wonder how long it would be before these ideals were realised. In the slums of Portsmouth, England, where his work carried him a few years ag.oi, he was brought in contact with .all conditio,nsj of lif®> most of which were, undesirable., and he was forced to ask himself how Ibng it would be before reforms came about. If they stood’ for the brotherhood of man they would have to grapple with this, problem of the standard of living. At present the. mental attitude of the world was that nothing could sjtop the survival of the fittest. Hardships.- were not fair, but the ywere.’helpless; to assist; it was no use kicking, against it. Couldi this attitude continue indefinitely ? It was their, .duty to tackle, the problem or they would go down in history as men who had; been tried and found! wanting. “Our natural love of prosperity and ease will have to be conquered And subordinated, to a burning passion to help those who are down and o-ut,” Continued the; Dean. “We muis)t give, them a fair, chance of expressing; themselves and making headway in a world which has prevented them from doing so. Rotary affords a, great opportunity of providing in. 1 slome positive way a plan to remove what ha! a been an insuperable barrier.” RACIAL PREJUDICE. .Reverting to the international aspect, Dean Barnett spoke of the racial prejudice; manifested in. Africa, India, an|d China, and said he relieved ,the coloured nations, kad as much right of expressing themselves as the white countries. At present there was opeji animosity between England and Chinja,. They found hundreds of Chinese students educated in English and European universities; carrying back impressions to their, native land which were far frbm conducive to permanent peace between the two, countries. It had to be remembered that the influence of the student® in] China Was far. more extensive than the influence university students had in aur country. It w.as no secret that many of. the|se English-educated Chinese students went back to China, frankly and bitterly anti-British, and sometimes antiChristian. They must make a broad attempt to create a new spirit ,a,nd cooperate for. the greater glory of the brotherhood qf man. The coloured nations were teeming with mHliqns of people who were overflowing the Confines of their own lan|dsi and simply had to drift into Western and Colonial civilisation. Yet in New Zealand, ’Australia, and Canada, to say; nothing of the United States, there were strict laws; tc> prevent the immigration qf foreigners. The logical result of this repression would be that ultimately the white nations would be: dominated by the coloured. He thought perhaps 'his listenters might think him pessimistic, but he presented thq facts f° r what they were worth, hoping that they Would assist any mofwements which developed on the lines of international peace.