NO MORE WAR

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 259, 3 December 1929, Page 8

NO MORE WAR

ADDRESS BY AIR F. K1NG. 1 BRANCH BEING FORAIED IN HASTINGS. On Tbursday last, at Hastings, a successful public meeting was beld in tbe Y.AI.C.A. rooms witb the object of fotming a braneh of Ihe No Alore AYar Alovemeut, when Afr Flewelleu King gave a very interesting address 011 "Conscienee or Conscription?" Tbe cliair was occupied by Air Arch Lowe. Air King said : — "I view witb some dismav the task tbat is mine tc-nigbt. It would be a comparatively easy task to speale on war in general, but minc is a specific subject dealing witb oue particular aspect of tlie que.stioii. I bave been led to take it bccause of tbe publicity given to conscienee and conscription by tlie tbree divinity students of Auckland. "1 desire to prove tbat tbeir action was justified and that tbey and all of a like persuasion are not only discliai'ging witb honour tbeir obligations to tlieir own conscienee and convictions but are rendering a unique service to tbe communitv. AVliat do we mean when we speak of conscienee ? "Webster defines conscienee as 'tbe moral sense wbicb determines right and wrong.' An Englisb dictionary says, 'It is an internal knowledge or judgment of rigbt or wrong.' AIORAL RESPONSIBILITi'. "Air Joliu AVilliam Graliam, in bis splendid hook entitled, 'Conscription and Conscienee,' and to whom I berewith acknowledge ray indebtedness for mueli of tbe infonnation tbat I will use in tbis address is much more explicit and olear. Iie says tbat 'conscienee is the faculty by wbicb we discriminate bctween rigbt and wrong in conduct, as taste is tbe faculty by wbicb we discriminate tlie wholesom© from tbe poisonous in food and tlie eye is tbe organ by wliicli we discriminate ligbt from darkness a round us. Io deny its autbority is tberefore to deprivo a man of bis moral responsibiHty. Obedience to conscienee is man's only clvaiice of self-respect or wellbeing.' . . . "In otber words conscienee is God s guide for oue mind and soul._. It is, as it were, our own judge »sitting upon tiie tbrone of our reason. "But tbe question migbt well be asked does conscienee always guide us to rigbt decisions? I bold tliat 110 man bas a rigbt to express an opinion on a subject until be bas examined all tbe facts. AYben be bas done tbat be should abide by bis iindings. "AYhatever is rigbt is best. Tliat is tbe first axiom of faitb in God arid man. "Tbis 'eads me to tlie next important point, liave I tbe ligbt, as an individual, to aet coiitrnry to tbe law of tbe land? 'All tbings avc lawful, but all tbings are liol cxpedient,' says tlic scripturc. It also cnjoins us to 'Sulrmit ourselvcs to principalities and pouers and to evcrv nrdinance of man.' "But not evcrythink tliat is lcgally rigbt is liioraliy right. "\Yd rcalise'tbe rariiy of tbo occasion 011 wbicb a body of eilizeus lind tlieir sense of diit.v 1.o be in conflu:t witb tbe law, and it is witb a sense of g'avity of tbo docisbm tbat tbe Society of Friends must 011 sucb an occasion act contrary to tbe regui.v. tuni, and continuc to issue literature 011 war and peace witbout submitting it to tbe censor. Tt is convinced tbat ;n tbus standing for spirituai liberty it '•> acting in tbe best mtorest of the nation. "It may be argued tbat even if war N Avrong 111 principle. tbo dofenoe 01 our country in times of jieril sliould be our tirst concern. Tbey say tbat pntriotism deinands tbis of us. Patriotism ! llow men luvo tliat word! Trul.v it may Iie said of pntriotism, as a I'anions Frencb writcr onee said of liberty, 'wliat cl'imes hath been vrouabt. in tbv liame.' "IVbat do wo mcan by patriotism ? | l)o we mean, 'Al.v country, rigbt f r wrong.' Tf we do, tben we must figkt for it under all circumstances. _ But is tbis a true definition of patriotism? Is tbei'e not a larger view tbat we may take? Bishop AYalker says tliat 'Cbristianity does not encourage patriotism in opposition to general ber.ignity.' Adam Smith declared tlnt 'Tbe love of our country does not seciu to be derived from tbe love of man.' "Arany of our greatest patriots, in tbe true sense of tbe word, bave been men wbo bave dared to challenge tbe authorities tbat be and bave even given tbeir life for what history bas proved to be true. AVe have tberefore arrived at tbe comclnsions tbat a man to be true to himself and bis fellows must be true to lu's conscienee; tbat before making a decision be must carefullv examine all sides of a question, and baving done tbis. no matter wbat may be the law of the land, if he is snre of bis ground, be must, like ATartin Lutlipr. say, 'Here I stand, T can do no otber.' "Let us uow consider wbat constitutes a conseientious obiector. AATelister defines bim as 'One wbo objects to war on rcligious principle or

for private reason, s; one wbo objects to do military clutv.' "The first plank in tlie platform of tbe consc-ientious objector is tbat be objec-ts to killing bis i'ellow man, 110 matter of what nationality, bclieving as he does in tbe universal brotlierliood of man. "If men'tbink ligbtlv of death, tbey will think lightly of J iie. Tbe con.scientious objector bopes by tbis means be may help in ereating a new stateeraft whieh will bend its cfforts toward s rebuilding a society whose citizens will be 110 longer regarded as material for the enricbment of tbe prosperous few. or tbe exalting of tbe State. He would onlv attribute greatness to tbat nation whose citizens can rightly claim creativ© service from eacb otlier in return for tbe freedom tbey bave been aecorded. "I think tbe foregoing raakes out a good case for tbe conseientious objector. I tberefore lierewith contend that tbe conseientious objector, because of the persecution be is called upon to endure for tbe sake of bis princ-iples, in spite of tbe ridicule and scorn tbat is beaped upon bim by tbose wbo support 'tbe military system and because be is made by tiie State to appear as a man of no worth and is oftimes deprived of bis statns as a, citizen, is wortliy of our admiration ; tbat ho is a citizen above the ordniary witb a noble view of life and tbat be is rendering a service to tbe body politic of incalculable wortb by bis stand for wbat be believes to be true and rigbt. "But tbis involves suffering. Tbe conseientious objector bas to pay the price. Tbe wav to freedom is tlie way of tbe Cross. 'Would tbat time permit me to tcll of tbe sufferings endured by tbe noble armv of conseientious objectors of every land and particularly our own. during tbe Great AYar. Jolin William Graliam lias iiut 011 record tbe sufferings of our British comrades. "Look briefly at tbe record — G2fil resisted tbe Act of Conscription in Great Britain and were arrestcd. 'Ihe number of genuine con.scieutious objectors wbo eitber faced tbe tribunals or otberwise refused to join in the wav is estiniated at 16,100; 30 men liad tbe death sentence imposed u])on tbem ; 73 war resistcrs died after avrest. Tlie stor.v of tbeir sufferings as outlined by Graiiam are almost unbelievablc. "But wbat about Neiv Zcaland? Have we 110 records? AA'liat a wonderful service^ Air H. E. Holland rondered our cause by writing 'Anuageddou or Calvary.' Do we never give a tbought of our men wbo suffered tor us. TV neve are tbe 14 brave fellows wbo were sent to tbe fron.t against tbeir will? Tbe cruel treatinent tbat tbese men were made to suffer was undoubtedly more severe tlian tbat of tbe consc-ien-tious objectors of any otber land. No wonder Graliam states tbat 'Tbe wbole New Zealand storv is a profound disappointment' for tbose wbo bave boped much from democracy and women's suffrage.' "AVhat of the future? Have tbese men suffered for naugbt? "Tt is a disgraceful position tbat we find ourselves in to-day, eleven years after tbe war. T should like to see us organise a Dorninion-wide campaign for tbe repeal of tbe Act. Our people neecl waking up. Have we a uational conscienee Wortb speaking of. We seem to be afraid of tbe powers tbat be. AYe seom to be afraid of tbe suffering. Lct us provn tlie valuc of our admiration of tbeir braverv by gettiug into tbe figbt witb real carnest." After tlie address tlie secretary of tbo Napier Braneh exphiined tbe ob-jcc-ts and conditions of incnibersliip of (Iie movenient, and a discussion followed. A committee was formed aiul Air Arch Lowo was appointed to convcne tlie nest meeting. /