| Description | Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury delivered this address to the National Council of Women in 1934. She begins her address by referring to the birth of Saint Bernard who devoted his life 'to the service of his fellow-men'. She relates Saint Bernard's efforts to overcome the 'terrible devils' envy, greed, suspicion and murder with 'earnest prayer' to the European political situation in 1934 when countries were attempting to 'challenge' the threat of war by encouraging disarmament.
Taylor Cadbury examines the issue of disarmament, providing an overview of political efforts to encourage an international policy, remarking that these had culminated in 'no concrete results'. She blames 'the failure of human endeavour' and 'the pressure of conflicting interests' across countries for this lack of resolution. She also provides an account of recent disarmament campaigns, commenting on the significance of 'the unofficial movement for disarmament' which had been led by international groups of women and emphasises the centrality of such work to the National Council of Women. |