Evening star., 1950-12-31
Moral Rearmament
Can Win the World
Buchanan Says in Talk

The vanguard of 500 delegates
from all over the world met in the
opening session of the Moral Re-
armament Conference at the
Hotel Shoreham last night.
DR.. Frank N. D. Buchanan, who
founded the moral rearmament
movement in England in 1929, told
the delegates in a message of
greeting that they represent a
tremendous striking force in the
life of the nations" =.
1--WE claim we are an theology
that can win the world" he said.
"It is superior"
Absolute Standards.
The moral rearmament idea
calls for absolute standards OF
honesty, purity, unSelfishness and
love, on both a personal and ma
tional basis. 1t believes these to
be at the heart of democratic civ
ilization. -
A. R. K. Mackenzie of London,
a British Foreign Office official on
United Nations problems, told the
gathering that the world situation
still was an theological problem
He said there was no doubt of the
need for a firm military defense,
but asserted that ideas were even
more important to meet the chal-
lenge of communism.
I'VE must restore the truth in
world affairs today that God has
a plan for nations" Mr.. Macken-
zie said.
In a personal message to- DR..
Buchanan, DR.. Karl Arnold, Min
ister-president OF North Rhine
Westphalia, Germany, expressed
his regret at not being able to at
tend the conference, and cabled:
"Since I have seen your work
in Germany, I consider the force
of moral rearmament a mighty
factor for the reshaping of the
world that must take place if ca
tastrophe is to be avoided"
Spokesman of % nations taking
part in the conference gave pre-
liminary reports of the results of
moral rearmament in the indus
trial and political life of their ma
tions in last nights session.
A group Oh about As delegates
from France and Germany arrived
for the Today meeting yesterday.
Included in this groups we're six
Germans who had been active
in Communist activities before
adopting the moral rearmament
philosophy
Special delegations also arrived
from Switzerland, Brazil and
Jamaica and a group from Italy
was due today.
Reasons for Joining.
Maj. Gen. S. w. Kirby of Great
Britain, former deputy chief of
staff of the Control Commission
for Germany, said he turned to
moral rearmament because it
was producing an theology able
to change men, cure class war
fare and solve social strife"
A former French minister of
health, Robert Prigent, said that
because France had suffered in
two successive wars "it is not true
that France is always right and
Germany is always wrong" He
asserted that only by "basing our
lives in single idea can we
create united Europe"
1t. Gen. j. Touzet duVigier,
former chief of staff to Gen. de-
Lattre deTassigny, declared that
Europe is repaying Americas ma
terial aid of World War II byI
bringing to these shores the phi
losophy of moral rearmament.
u. S. Urged to Take Lead.
America ought to, and could,
take the lead in the theological
field" Vice Admiral Yngve Elk
strand. Baltic commander of the
Swedish Navy, said. He called on
all free nations to use ''the mighty
force of moral rearmament" in
order to gain peace and security.
Hans Quitting, of Germany, di-
rector of a Ruhr coal mining COM
pany, told how moral rearmament
enabled an entirely new relation
ship to be established between the
workers and management in his
firm.
Mr.. Quitting, who spoke in Ger
man, issued this warning:
The finest army that can be
produced in the West will not
be enough to defeat communism
unless it has a common spiritual
belief and ideolpgy.
An international Business Ma
chine simultaneous translation
service operated for French and