Address by Sir Robert Stout.

The following address on "Peace or War?" was delivered at the Unitarian Church last Sunday evening by Sir Robert Stout, Chief Justice of New Zealand:—

This is the third year of the greatest war that has ever been waged in the world. With the universal development of wealth and of scientific inventions of every kind, war means something to-day that it never meant before. The history of the world has no record of such a war between nations. The number of men fighting was never so great. Millions of men are engaged in actual conflict, and millions are making munitions for the warriors. Machines for the destruction of human life were never so numerous, and never so perfected. One of the combatants boasts of frightfulness, and this is new in human warfare; and on a nation claiming to be cultured, and posing as containing the most civilised people in the world, there has been cast a stain of broken treaties, of murder, of rapine, of disregard of international agreements for the conduct of war that will be ineffaceable. Do I need to give illustra-tions or examples? We have only to remember the report of the able and impartial Commission on Belgian Atrocities, the murders of Nurse Cavell and Captain Fryatt, the treatment of the prisoners of war in Germany, the murders of non-combatants on merchant vessels like the Lusitania the victims of Zeppelin raids on defenceless towns, to realise the atrocious character of Germany s war methods, No nation calling itself civilised has ever sunk so low in ethical conduct.

It even glories in its crimes. The school children of Germany had a holiday granted when the news of the murder of the Lusitania's victims reached Germany! That incident alone was enough to stamp the nation as an unmoral nation.

The only gleam of goodness one may see in this horrid war is the heroism of the Allies in fighting for liberty and justice. In no war in the world's history has greater heroism been displayed, and we must fee! pride that our sons and daughters as combatants and nurses have shown themselves to be unexcelled.

In this great world upheaval, and in the discussion of peace or war, it is surely necessary that we have a clear idea of what the terms mean so that we may realise our duty and responsibility, What, then, do we mean by "war"? What does the word "peace" signify? If we refer to our dictionaries we will find that war is defined as a contest between nations by force of arms. That is not the full meaning of "war." There can be a war that is not a contest between nations. We have heard, and perhaps have seen "civil war." That is a contest by force between citizens of the same State. If force is used and arms are utilised, we call such a contest civil war. There was civil war in the United States for over four years in 1860 to 1865. Whenever some of the people of a State disobey the laws of the State, and attempt by force of arms to coerce the other citizens war has been proclaimed.