A PLEA FOR PEACE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 697, 24 June 1929, Page 14

A PLEA FOR PEACE

CREDULITY OF NATIONS SENSE BETTER THAN STRIFE The need of an exercise of co o mon-sense in international affairs * the subject of an interesting sp**]. in Loudon recently by Senator E , Hughes, formerly Secretary of Stj; in America, now a member of t h Permanent Court of International jJ tice at The Hague. « “Freedom of the Press,” he Sli( ; "gives opportunity, of which some unfortunately take advantage, not simp" to give occasional exhibitions of sui ignity, which defeats its own objec but to indulge in frequent misrepr? sentation of the dominant character, istics of national life by the pc trayal of the sensational, vicious and criminal. The industrious population* of our great cities, which give them character and prosperity, are almcc forgotten. The disproportion in the drawing is so great, the perspective is so distorted, that no one who re&lh knew our countries would be able to recognise them.

“The freedom of the Press, which none of us would limit, is supple mented by the freedom of the films. The credulous believe not only all they hear but all they see. While you may properly object to the comipticn influence of certain abuses of this great educational facility, -we particularly deplore the misrepresentation of our daily lives..

“Then, added to tne freedom of the films, is the freedom of the humorists, with which we could not afford to dispense, for a sense of humour mar save us when even statesmen fai But there is the humour which preserves the balance of fair judgment and there are the constant gibes which tend to undermine the amity which vests on mutual respect. And then there is the freedom in the play of the hypothetical war games, filling the chambers of imagery with a strife which was thought to be unthinkah: and then seems to some to become inevitable.

“We cannot hope to escape these perils. If they cannot be avoided in the domestice sphere within our owt territory, where we torment each other with false rumour and distorted criticism, how can we escape them in international intercourse? But we can fortify ourselves against them. One Security Left

“We have one security, and that vs have reason to believe, is the sufficient guarantee of ultimate salvation, in a richness of resource in which both our countries find the greatest cause of pride—our saving common-sense. It is gratifying to observe that, despite all misrepresentations, our people;, through a multitude of unrecorded contacts, reach so largely a fairly just appraisal of the motives, the character, and the conduct of each othk. We need to apply our common-sc e not merely in making such an > praisal, but in our thought of T future relations. “What a bankruptcy of comr asense is revealed in the careless ; of a disturbance of our peace! It « no disparagement of any institution, or of other relations, to say that AnglcAmerican amity is the corner-stone o, international peace—the essential assumption of any peace programme. Peace Psychology

“We have entered into a pact renouncing war. After making all allowances for accompanying interim tations, there is no escaping the facthat we have exchanged our pledge to seek solution of all controversies exclusively by pacific means. Hanc, made this pledge, the obvious course is to act as though we meant it. Tba. too, is the course dictated by commosense. “What, we need is a state of p™ to match the words of the anti- - treaty. We need to cultivate the pe; chology of peace. This saving co mon-sense I trust will be applied.