THE NEW SPIRIT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 327, 14 September 1932, Page 6

THE NEW SPIRIT

F. W.

CHATTERTON.

(To the Editor.) Sir, — I think probably few of your readers have seen any reference to ihe remarkable speech by the French Prime Minister, M. Herriot at the conclusion of the Lausanne Conference a few weeks ago. The cables at the time as far as I am aware, made no referenoe to any of the speeches that were delivered at the time. It will therefore be of interest to many of' your readers, I think, to have this evidence of the new spirit that animaied the French Prime Minister, as the general feeling in the past has been that the intractableness of France has been one of the main factors that has stood in the way of the satisfactory settlement of international problems. The speech is in absolute agreement with the aspirations of our British statesmen — and gives us hope for the future. — I am, etc.,

Rotorua, beptember 12.

The extract is as follows: — "To passion we have closed the door. To violence we have prefeiTed reason. We have carried out our programme, not with the intention of imposing our will on others, but with a desire to establish collaboration with the idea of curing cruel ills by dint of patience and goodwill. We have tri'ed to understand one another, and we, French, deeply concerned for our nation, have listened with emotion to the recital of the sunerings of the German people, with whom we desire to have cordial relations. To-morrow, perhaps, the old spirit, that which' has caused so much suffering, will try to undermine our work. We appeal to all noble minds and to all loyal hearts in the world to combat this. The humbljst of beings may become for us and for our scarcely-begun task a valuable collaborator. It is for the peoples themselves to help us forward on our way. "The new spirit, thj spirit of Lausanne, must triumph. Afc'er we have so long based our policy on the search for what divides men, that policy must .iow aim at what can bring them togcther. Its highest purp-ose must be ■he development of all the forces of ufe, whether material or spiritual, the ' elief of suffering, the creation of confidence, the allaying of fears. "My dear colleagues, of whatever nation, of whatever opinion, of whativer faith we may be, the French•man now speaking to you desires that this evening, at this moment, we may >e united in one common thought, in ne common soul, anu thai we may .ake into the depths of oue .nscienoes i.e noblest and sweetest words ever -ctered: 'Feace on earth, to mm Oi . .a irom ' Headway," the ' gan oi i League of Nations Union.