DWELL IN PEACE

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 29, 30 January 1931, Page 1

DWELL IN PEACE

And They Shall

by

£ " ._ \ "Fully half of the racial hates and international hostilities. arise from lack of understanding .. ’- is the opinion of Dr. Guy H. Scholefield, O.B.E., Parliamentary Librarian. . In the following interview he reveals the important part radio has played in the establishment of a wider. interracial understanding, and ultimately of a world peace. — 4 , You have asked mé for some _ iMharks on the use of broadcasting as a factor in the promotion of international peace.

LO those, perhaps who nave begun to think of international matters only in the last few years, the thing is possibly self-evident. It is a fact with which thev have

grown up, and which needs no demonstration. There are, I suppose, very few people in New Zealand to-day who -have not had an opportunity through radio of actually hearing speakers’ from the other side of the world express their views. Even the young people of to-day have heard the voices of the great men of our own Empire and of foreign countries. Now, what was the position, say, twenty years ago? Up to the time of the Great War giacilities for the exchange of opinions, or even Yor: hearing the voice of a foreigner, did not exist. Even in Great Britain spéeches by representatives of foreign nations’ were heard only occasionally, and then only by limited : audiences of learned societies, chambers of commerce, and soon. There was no possibility of their being heard by the mass of the ‘people. Even the representatives of the British Dominions were heard only ‘when | they assembled at "Imperial conferences, and then by a small portion of the public. In fact, it is not far wrong to say that the people of one country had no means whatever of knowing what those of another country thought, except through the restricted medium of the Press. Certainly some of the great newspapers and Press organisa*@Ms maintained excellent staffs of foreign co®espondents, and gave the British public a fine conspectus of the outstanding news of the outside world-and in this respect New Zealand was for many years one of the best served countries in the world. But the most enthusiastic champion of the old style of . journalism would not venture to assert that this service could be compared with presentday facilities for exchange of ideas provided through the medium of radio, A Within the last year or two there has been a complete intellectual revolution © _,worked by the transmission of the human oice, It is an amazing reflection that hereas at the beginning of the century the whole of mankind was dumb to any but hearers within the range of the human voice, to-day there is scarcely a spot in the world so remote that its

dwellers cantiot hear instantaneously the voice of one man anywhere who desires to be heard. I have said "one man," which is remarkable. If I had said "any man" it would have been equally true, but it would have been disturbing. The young people of to-day are the first generation in the history of the world, who, wherever they live, can. say. that they have heard ‘the voice of the sovereign of*our great Empire actually addressing his people all over the world and being heard by them; ‘who have heard a great international conference

for the limitation of armaments actually in session; who’ have heard men in distress: calling for help from unchartered solitudes ; who have heard, in their own drawing-room, the accents of foreign statesmen; who have heard faint suggestive propaganda from secret conclaves; who have heard kings.and captains and prelates speaking intimately ‘to their subjects in their own tongues, and at times uttering a few words of English for their own ears. It is a marvel that our own parents could not have conceived and would not believe.

Now it 1s ob-. ° covery which has things possible forces which immense influ-

vious that a dismade ‘such has let loose must have an ence upon the

‘Dr. Scholefield is an eminent New Zealand journalist and author of several authoritative works-on national affairs. A resume of his varied and interesting career appéars elsewhere. During the special international pro‘grammes to be broadcast from 2YA on Wednesday evening, Dr. Scholefield will deliver talks on subjects of. international importance. . world: Is i t to be a good influence’ of ; bad one? It might be Such a power of penetrating -into the homes and the con-

sciousness of the masses mignt be either’ wholly subversive or universally," beneficial, or a mixture: of ‘both. I am convinced that the power of wireless for vood

will far outweigh its possibilities for’evil. Many good people, particularly of the older generation, may be inclined to look askance at it, and to believe that the world woitld have been all the better without it. And they may quote in support of their belief the known fact. that radio is being used here and there for what the call "propaganda" purposes. By’ propaganda, of course, they mean hostile or subversive . suggestions insidiously planted in the mind. It does not really mean that, of course, and no doubt wireless is-employed by State and other agencies every day for pur-~ poses which meet with the complete approval of loyal and philanthropic people. . Ox the other hand, I under Stand that a certain amount of propaganda from Soviet and Communistic sources has been detected during transmission by radio, the object being, of course, to get these: opinions accepted abroad. But even if this is true, I feel certain that the amount of good that is. actually. being’ done through wireless far outweighs any ‘harm that can possibly be done in this enlightened age. The mere dissemination of new ideas and educational programmes in this easy. and acceptable manner will . tend to improve the intellectual standard of mankind, and especially to widen their outlook, so that when questionable . views are put abroad. they will be recognised for what they are, and accepted .or not according as the . listener is disposed towards them. The greatest boon that wireless. contains, in my opinion, is its power. for disseminating international understanding and improving the relations of nations with one another. Fully half .of the racial hates and international hostilities, I am sure, arise from lack of understanding. Nations have grown up in a state of hostility which is almost natural, inasmuch as they have lived entirely within. their own borders and been concerned entirely with their own welfare. The language ‘barrier (Concluded on page 2.),

» "Dwell’ in "Péace" , 6 (Concluded from. page 1.) and lack of any ‘real’ intercourse among: the masses has prevented them from knowing anything of, other people; ndtional patriotism has prevented them from believing anything good of each é6ther; and when disputes have | each other; and when disputes have arisen there has been no means whatever by ‘which the masses could’ understand .the point’ ‘of .view. of .each other. Iam not:optimistie enough to ‘pélieve that wireless has provided -a panacea for all of these evils; but I, do believe that ‘thé international outlook that itis creating will’ go very far to:prevent the ‘re-erection of ‘those mountains of prejudice which: has::governed world relations, in the past. The mere fact of being able: to hear the leaders of other: nations speaking, even if they cannot make. themselves understood in our language, is a human factor which tends- towards friendliness. -.

"By way of diversion, I, may say that. even the language barrier shows signs of falling before this new force. The war in the first place tended powerfully to make Hnglish the universal tongue. It is now studied and spoken in countries which previously scarcely knew of it, and in most Buropean countries the English traveller is now scarcely aware of the tribulations. of his predecessors in-the matter of language. We people of British .stock can thank our stars for this development, for it is notorious that of all people in the world the English make almost the. poorest linguists, and have always shown. themselves hostile to learning other peoples’ tongues. | Fortunately for us we have, come off. better than we deserved in. this problem of Babel... We now find other people learning’. English.in a manner that neither our own virtues nor the intricacies of our language have deserved.. It is, I think, not far wrong to say that-to-day Euglish is the language of radio. No doubt a better and more: easily acquired language could: have been chosen or devised, but force of: circumstances during’ the war

and.the mere weight of iumbers of the English-speaking people in the seven seas have achieved this, to us, desirable. end. That being so, it seems likely- that wireless as "a means for the exchange of views between nations and between people of different nations will become increasingly. potent. The language barrier being overcome, it knows of no divisions of race or nationality; like pure- science it will recognise no barriers between natioris, and as the radio enters home after’ home, and brings: family after family in these new’ countries into closé association with the voice and the opinion of. people abroad, the occasions for international dispute are likely to become less and less.