Show J i MORAL ARMAMENT RE REARMAMENT ARMAMENT I II I The Newest Force at Work in the Wo World ld I Is Based on the Oldest Rule of Living l By Frank Parker Stockbridge Released by Western Newspaper Union IKE an army with banners CE EKE marching to war var a company company com om- pany of men men and women from every part of the nation and of the world has lately been moving across the length and breadth of the United States Their banner bears a strange device four straight lines tapering upward to toward toward toward to- to ward infinity crossed with the letters MRA That striking symbol stands for Moral Re I first encountered the new banner banner banner ban ban- ner last spring in Washington and later at a great meeting in Constitution hall hail Senators representatives representatives representatives rep rep- and high officials of the federal government sat on the platform and in the audience and listened while Americans Englishmen Irish Scots Finns Danes Swedes Norwegians Netherlanders Netherlander French Australian Australi- Australi an Canadian Japanese Chinese Burmese Swiss Indian Egyptian Egyptian Egyptian tian and South African men and women told what MRA meant to them personally and to their countries I met this army in action in Madison Square Garden in NewYork New NewYork NewYork York under the same banner I saw the flags of every nation paraded paraded paraded pa pa- by the youth of those nations nations nations na na- na- na young men and women dressed in their national costumes costumes costumes cos cos- singing their stirring call to human brotherhood Bridge Builders Two special trains had brought Canadians to New York to take part After the Canadians had marched out of the hall and the audience had begun to disperse I tried to get up to the platform seeking more information about MRA A thousand others it seemed had the same idea at the same time All around me men and women were asking eager I questions of the hundred or more who had taken a leading part in inthe inthe inthe the evenings evening's ceremonies What t Is MRA IRA Youve got something that I haven't got I heard on every side What is it I want to know more about it Where can canI I get more information about MRA All they had heard from the platform had been a very simple message indeed Only that if everybody lived honestly decently decent decent- ly unselfishly and lovingly there ther would uld be an end to the worlds world's troubles Most of them had heard that simple program of living from their youth up It had been preached at them from pulpits taught them in Sunday school and at home But here they had heard it in a way that made it 1 11 nut W. W nue ut They had not been preached at but had heard a score and more of men and women upstanding clear eyed clear eyed folk some young some with graying hair tell si simply simply sim sim- ply briefly and convincingly how they each individual had learned to live by the ancient accepted code in which everybody believes for the other fellow but an appalling appalling appalling appall appall- ing few adhere to for themselves But here were people of every land intelligent people many of them leaders leaders-in in their respective spheres giving tangible evidence of the fact that their lives had been changed by acceptance of the principles of MRA There was nothing sanctimonious in their manner no cant no ranting ranting ranting rant rant- ing just straightforward recitals of personal relationships readjusted re- re readjusted readjusted re re- adjusted of quarrels and distrust distrust dis dis- distrust trust between employers and workers changed to mutual confidence confidence confidence con con- and respect of racial in in- tolerances and hatreds laid to rest of class antipathies vanishing vanishing vanishing vanish vanish- ing when the speakers had learned to be absolutely honest in all their human relations to discover and admit their own failings before blaming their troubles on someone else to accept accept accept ac ac- ac- ac all other human beings as as brothers under the Father All and to strive as far as was humanly humanly humanly hu hu- manly possible to lead personal t.- t. f lives under the direction of God And they were happy It was tl that at note of happiness unmistakable unmistakable unmistakable able and sincere which impressed everybody who heard them more than what the they said While the 1 rest of us were vainly striving 1 I in the pursuit of happiness these I folk had found it I wanted to know more about MRA How did they do it How did these people j learn this new way of life Could r anybody d dp do it Did you have hav to to join Jom anything How much did it F cost It occurred to me as I approached the platform that nobody had passed the hat I r thought of a thousand questions r the sort of questions which naturally naturally naturally nat nat- occur to a newspaper man trained by bj- temperament and ex- ex 5 v A Call to the N Nations for Moral Armament Re-Armament Hollywood Bowl Calif Cali July 19 1939 The four beams of light behind the platform signify the four standards of MRA Honesty MRA Honesty Unselfishness Purity Love to be suspicious of anything anything anything any any- thing new which he does not understand understand understand un un- un- un especially in a racket- racket minded age to look for the concealed concealed concealed con con- motives behind all human actions Buchman the Dynamo When I finally caught the eye of the alert vigorous-appearing vigorous man who had acted as master of ceremonies though he let others do most of the talking he greeted greet greet- ed me as an old acquaintance He was Dr br Frank N. N D D. D Buchman founder of the Oxford Group the dynamo of Moral Re Re Armament I II want to learn more about MRA and try to write the inside inside inside in side story of it I told him Our next jump is to the Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- coast he replied Come out and join us there So as soon as I could arrange it I hopped a plane at New NewYork NewYork NewYork York one evening and landed in San Francisco the tile next morning I traveled up and down the Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- Pacific coast for a month with the MRA International Team of workers sat in their inner councils councils councils coun coun- learned their inmost secrets which turned out to be no secrets at all and mingled with the thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of Westerners who flocked to the dozens of public meetings me large and small and came around afterwards to seek more light to find guidance to enable them to live the happy unworried unworried unworried ried lives which those who flew the MRA banner enjoyed The Hollywood Bowl holds 3 30 people Forty thousand clamored clamored clamored clam clam- ored for admission a at t the first MRA meeting in California The San Francisco Worlds World's fair on Treasure Island set apart two days in August for special MRA gatherings Monterey Pasadena y x DR FRANK N N. N D. D BUCHMAN a dozen smaller cities in the Golden Gold Gold- en State turned out thousands to hear the message MRA was page front-page news in the daily papers papers pa pa- pers all up and down the coast from Seattle to southern Califor Califor- nia Newspaper reporters who came to scoff returned to their offices offices offices of of- to write sincerely enthusiastic tic articles about the movement and its people The movie colony in Hollywood developed an amazing amazing amazing ing interest The radio carried the story of MRA literally to the four corners of the earth on one day from the Worlds World's fair grounds there was continuous broadcasting broadcast broadcast- ing by short waves with men speaking in their own languages to their compatriots across the seven seas Change Your Own Life The public meetings of MRA with their crowds and their pageantry pageantry pageantry are all for the purpose of stimulating individual ies ics The answer every inquirer receives is in effect precisely the answer which Peter and the theother theother other Apostles gave Each one I must first change his own life by the grace of God and there here ere is a trained willing worker ready to teach him or her how to seek and obtain the Divine guidance to bring about the change There is nothing new about this It is merely a return to the fundamental tal principles of Christianity and the ways of the first apostles And that I learned is the foundation foundation foundation foun foun- dation of MRA It is not a new creed or a new religion No one joins anything any any- thing It is not an organization but a fellowship of minded like-minded people It is not an effort to take people awa away from their church relations but rather to put more people into the churches and to help those now in the churches to live in their daily lives the teachings of the church I met Catholics Protestants of every denomination Jews even some Buddhists and dans as well as many with no church affiliation among the hundreds of active workers and the thousands associated in the fellowship How many people are therE who have accepted the MRA way vay of life I asked Dr Buchman We uVe have no record he re replied replied replied re- re plied but the number is in the millions We Ve work in 60 nations and in each country they know that the number is growing Are there many backsliders Do they all stick One of the other workers answered an an- There were twelve disciples disciples dis dis- dis- dis and one went wrong That's 8 8 per cent We Ve have not heard of a higher higler percentage than that No Racial Distinctions I flew from San Francisco to Hollywood with Mitsui brother of the head of Japans Japan's leading g industrial family ly l He tol told me that mat not only himself but nut many other influential Japanese were living the new life of MRA I met a considerable number of Chinese men and women who are giving their whole time to the promulgation of the teachings teachings teachings teach teach- ings of MRA among their peo peo- pie Titled men and women from froma a dozen European nations were working side by side in the International International International In In- Team on level terms with dockyard laborers sl slum m dwellers from East London manual manu manu- al workers from Scandinavia school teachers from Burma and people from all aU walks of life in America In MRA there are no racial class social or national distinctions Its Us foundation stone is belief in the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God I rode back from Hollywood to San Francisco with Bill Rowell and Tod Sloan some of the workingmen workingmen workingmen work- work ingmen who had been sent over overby overby overby by the sacrificial giving of their labor friends Bill told me how the Hon Miles youngson young youngson son of a British peer had hadi come cometo cometo cometo to his house because Bill was the most notorious revolutionary trouble-maker trouble in the crowded slums of East London and lived with him for three weeks sleeping sleeping sleep sleep- ing on chairs because there were not enough beds until Bill had discovered the basic principle of MRA that the troubles of the world begin with ourselves When one changes his own life he begins begins begins be be- gins to change the world Bill changed his neighbors were changed and now the London police police po po- police lice do not have to double their night patrol in West Ham The city council found a new spirit hundreds of families found a new unity and the power to change others In Hollywood I met and got to know well such devoted workers for Moral Re-Armament Re as George Eastman former president president dent of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce one of those whose staff of employ employees es are demonstrating demonstrating demonstrating demon demon- the vital relation of MRA to the world of John Jukes president of the Vancouver ver Stock exchange Gen C. C R. R P. P Winser of Great Britain whose record in the Boer and World wars is well weB known Ruth St. St Denis the celebrated dancer Mildred Powell city councillor of Seattle Rev Samuel M M. M Shoemaker Shoemaker Shoemaker Shoe Shoe- maker rector of Calvary church New York Wilber B B. B Huston whom many will remember as having won the first Edison prize scholarship H H. W. W Bunny Austin well-known well British Davis cup player and Marion Clayton Clayton Clayton Clay Clay- ton motion picture actress How It Began It has all come about because Frank Buchman a Pennsylvanian an met some men in Oxford university university university uni uni- in 1921 and was able to show them the way to put their lives under Gods God's guidance Some of them went out from Oxford to carry the message of this new way of life to young men in South Africa They in turn sent some of their number to other countries The movement snow snow- balled Leaders of many nations saw in it the solution of national problems joined and encouraged it I have seen thousands of letters letters letters let let- telegrams and cables from national leaders and heads of governments acclaiming MRA as the greatest force for good their nations had ever known President Roosevelt Herbert Hoover almost every governor scores of senators hundreds of representatives in congress thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of other Americans in public public public pub pub- lic life have joined in endorsement endorsement endorsement endorse endorse- ment of the efforts of MRA to bring back into American life the spiritual values and outlook upon which our nation was founded On Frank Buchman's sixtieth birthday 45 members of th T n 1 1 t t. ka k bUY a testimonial dinner in appreciation appreciation appreciation of what MRA under his leadership had done for the na na- na- na tion Frank Buchman is still the acknowledged acknowledged ac ac- ac- ac leader of the movement movement movement move move- ment which he started though he has dozens of able lieutenants ready to take over He has no title He draws no salary nor does anybody else working with him a bachelor he has not had hada a home an office or even a desk of his own for 15 years He lives in suitcases mobilized like hundreds hundreds hun hun- hundreds of others in the MRA teams ready to jump to the ends of the earth at a moments moment's notice Source of Income Where does the money come from Many have asked if there is not an angel langeI somewhere inthe inthe in inthe the background putting up funds I was convinced before I came came- back from California that there is no such angel no pool of funds to be dipped into at will When the call to service comes those I Iwho who have share with those who I have not Nobody active in the I work of MRA is allowed to suffer suffer suf suf- fer for lack of immediate material materi materi- al necessities but there is far more giving than receiving Most of the International Team crossed the oceans in third-class third and tourist and traveled across the continent in tourist trains or busses Others as occasion demanded demanded demanded de de- de- de used airplanes and stopped at hotels according to their means I have been a newspaper man for 50 years and have covered all the great social and revolutionary revolutionary movements of my time Take it from a veteran reporter who knows his way about there has not been a movement which held so much hope for the future of the world and its peoples as MRA does not since the Great Teacher laid down its fundamental tal precepts 2000 years ago It is leading more people than ever before to apply those precepts in their daily lives and to find happiness happiness happi happi- happiness ness in their practice |