PEACE OR WAR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1659, 9 January 1917, Page 3

PEACE OR WAR.

HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. ESTABLISHING A BROTHERHOOD. LECTURE BY ROBERT STOUT.

His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) delivered an interesting address on “Peace or War?” a! Wellington on Monday night, which should he thought,fully read by all New Zealanders. In bis introductory remarks, he stated that this was the third year of tin? greatest war that had ever been waged in the world. The number of men fighting was never so great. Millions of men were engaged in actual conflict and millions were making munitions for the warriors. Machines for the destruction of human life were never so numerous and never so perfected. One of the combatants boasted of fright fulness, and this was new in human warfare, and on it nation claiming to he cultured and posing its containing the most civilised people in the world there had been east a stain of broken treaties, of murder, of rapine, of ‘disregard of international agreements for the conduct of wiir that would he ineffaceable. The only gleam of goodness one might see in this horrid war was t he heroism of the A llies in fighting for liberty and justice. In no wiir in the world’s history had greater heroism been displayed, and wo must feel pride that our sons and daughters as combatants and nurses had shown themselves to be unexcelled. “FAR FROM PERFECTION.” Fir Robert added that in many States peace had been secured and brotherhood established. The human race was far from perfection, but it was going ahead to it brighter social state than we had yet had. Its'march to this better goal would be hindered by social war, by an appeal to force and not to reason. .Those who appealed tp force showed that they lacked the feeling for brotherhood and did nol trust the people. Peace in a State could exist only if there was a reverence for the laws we ourselves had made, and if the feeling for brotherhood prevailed. How could wc obtain peace between nations? Peace was the absence of war. How could nations avoid war? He believed there was only one way of avoiding war, and Unit was to create for nations what some nations had created for their own citizens. The dream of Auguste Comte was a United States of Europe. He proposed that Europe should he divided into small republics, and these republics confederated as the United States of America are confederated. To settle differences between the Slates there must be judicial tribunals, and behind these tribunals a Federal Standing Army, just as behind the tribunals of a State there stood the policemen or the military to enforce the decree's of the Courts. We had seen Ihe uselessness of The Hague Tribunal. It had no power to enforce its decisions, and nations were not bound to appeal to it to settle their differences, it had no .jurisdiction unless both disputants agreed to leave the matter to it to settle. And if they did, and a decision was given, The Hague Tribunal could not enforce its decision. It. was only by the creation of international tribunals such as courls were in a nation, that peace could be established. ON WHOSE SHOULDERS THE BLAME ? It would take some lime, said the lecturer, before the peoples of the world would agree to such a method of settling disputes. But that ’was no reason why those who desired peace should not begin to agitate for such a reform. At first, and perhaps for some lime, those who were dissatisfied with (be decisions of the couri might refuse to obey the court’s decree. There would he lion-pacifists among nations, just as we had amongst ourselves non-paei-fists who would not submit, unless there was force, to the decrees even of our Industrial Courts. Had we not even in New Zealand, where there was a free triennial-elected Parliament and adult suffrage, seen misguided militarists causing riots because they could not get industries under their control? Had we not seen such non pacifist-, some unsocial “Socialists," acting contrary to law? Once ilie blessings of peace were, however, realised, we would not have amongst nations such military ideas. Brotherhood would win adherents, and force be resorted to only by the criminal or non-normal classes. The lecturer then went on to discuss the question as to who was to blame for the war. We had only to read the literature of Germany, he said, to see that Germany wished, and still wishes, world dominance. It might be said if Germany now wanted peace, why should she not get it. Certainly, give her peace if she admitted she was conquered, and was willing to pay indemnities ■ f or her many crimes, and to give guarantees for her future conduct. Hut that was not her attitude. She / did not admit that she was confeKmered, and she denied she committed any crime or did any wrong, w rpjjy “p a y day” for her conduct and and action must come. MUCH MORE TO BE DONE. «<Our duty to my mind is plain,” said Sir Robert, in his closing pas- ’ I s "We must stand shoulder to sloulder with, our kin beyond the *■,!« ns people desiring justice and Vicdom, and striving for brotherbid. W» is oar duty. -There may

be a .few craven souls in our midst who arc pro-German, and who care little for the glory or even the existence of the British Empire. They are so few as not to be worth considering. The great mass of our citizens have done much to help our Empire: they have gone to light for her, and they have out of their a■bundance given her monetary aid. Our young men have done nobly. They have been true heroes. . We shall have, however, to do much more than we have done. We do not yet fully realise that we are at war. Our pleasures have not been lessened. Useless and wasteful expenditure still goes on. We ought to be saving our means to help the oppressed and to help our "Motherland, As Jar as I can ascertain, we have given, up lew. if any, of our pleasures, Oar newspapers arc full of the details, of race meetings, of theatres, of sports, and useless expenditure on various things has not been lessened. Can it llieji he suggested that we have yet risen to the conception of what this world-war is, and that we have done what it is our duty to do for the brotherhood of humanity 1 ;' We ought to sink all our political and other differences, and light for this one aim, the salvation of our Empire and of our people, and for the oppressed amongst the nations, if we do so we shall be doing something for peace, something for justice, something for freedom, and hasten the coming of the day—- “ . . When brotherhood shows stronger Than the narrow hounds which now distract the world. When the cannon roar ami trumpets blare no longer, And the ironclad rusts, and battle Hags are furled. When tilts bars of creed and speech and race which sever Shall be fused in one humanity for ever. 1 ’