World Unity/Volume 9/Issue 5/Text

[Page 289]

WORLD UNITY

INTERPRETING THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE

JOHN HERMAN RANDALL, Editor HORACE HOL.ey, Managing Editor

CONTENTS

Vol. IX FEBRUARY, 1932 No. 5 Sacred Gifts Frontispiece Must the Geneva Conference Fail? Editorial The Message of the World’s Teachers Hugh McCurdy Woodward Orient and Occident. ITI. Hans Kohn Nicholas Roerich’s Plan of World Peace Frances R. Grant Cecil Disarmament Congress Amy Woods This Praying World John William Kitching Why East and West Are Different. IV. Grover Clark The Stupidity of the Sword John Herman Randall, Jr. Evolution of Human Affairs Paul Hinner The Novel of the War Years. IV. Evelyn Newman The Right to Live Clifford L. Lord The American Peace Movement Russell M. Cooper

Round Table

WorLb UNITY MaGaAZINE is published by Wortp UNITY PUBLISHING CorPoRA- TION, 4 East 12th Sereet, New York City: Mary RuMsgy Movius, president; HORACE HOLLEY, vice-president; FLORENCE MORTON, treasurer; JOHN HERMAN RANDALL, secretary. Published monthly, 25 cents a copy, $2.50 a year in the United States and in all other countries (postage included). THe Worip Unity PUBLISHING CORPORATION and its editors welcome correspondence on articles related to the aims and purposes of the magazine. Printed in U. S. A. Contents copyrighted 1932 by WoripD UNITY PUBLISHING CORPORATION. �[Page 290]qoso0y BUJOYIIN Aq aur SLAID GaAUIVS

�[Page 291]MUST THE GENEVA CONFERENCE FAIL? CHD

EDITORIAL

during the last six months against the success of the Disarma-

ment Conference which meets in Geneva on February second.

Even the most optimistic admit that only a miracle can save it from tragic failure. Beginning with Mr. MacDonald's visit to this country and the public statement given to the world at that time, hope has burned high that under the combined and aggressive leadership of England and the United States, something at last would be accomplished at the forthcomi::;, Conference.

The grim facts still face us that the world’s expenditures on all arms is now nearly five billion dollars yearly, an increase of 70% over that previous to the Great War, and this in the presence of the prolonged world economic depression. It is still true, to quote President Hoover, “Of all proposals for the economic rehabilita- tion of the world, I know of none which compares in necessity or importance with the successful result of the Disarmament Confer- ence.” And yet the once bright hopes have undeniably changed to skepticism, and our own Congress opposed the appropriation of $450,000 to defray the expenses of our delegates to Geneva on the ground that it was useless expenditure since the Conference was already doomed to failure.

What has darkened the world’s hopes? Japan’s steady inroads upon Manchuria, and the apparent helplessness of the League, .ided by the United States, to control the situation; the tragic turn of events in India since Gandhi’s return from England and the al- most inevitable bloodshed and violence that seem imminent; Presi-

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dent Hoover's decision on the occasion of Premier Laval’s visit that this Government would refuse the desired participation in guarantees for world peace; the rapidly growing power of the Hitlerites in Germany; Chancellor Bruening’s formal notice served on the Allies that Germany was through paying reparations; France, visibly angered, prepared to adopt an iron-fisted nationalistic policy of its own; the action of Congress that no revision of the Allied indebtedness would be considered, in spite of the realiza- tion in Washington that these debts will never be paid; England's virtual endorsement of Japan’s conquest of Manchuria and accep- tance of Tokyo’s promise to share money-making opportunitics there as sufficient; and, most discouraging to lovers of peace in this country, the reported instructions to our American delegation that they were to present no program, but sit back and let the other countries lead in whatever is to be done. It is these things that have changed the whole atmosphere in which the Conference will con- vene, from hope to almost despair.

It is possible, however, to take the view that these conditions. bad and discouraging as they are, only constitute the real reason: why the Conference should be held just now, and why it should take real and decided action. If we are witnessing moral, economic and political deterioration, the armament system is largely to blame.

For the past six months the peace organizations have been holding meetings throughout the country in the interest of dis- armament. Hundreds of thousands have been addressed in public meetings and millions by radio broadcasting. Literature on the subject has been widely distributed. Debates, forums, pulpits, and conferences have been feiterating the message of World Peace. The minds of multitudes have been awakened and they are ready to go a long way on this question. .

The Governments are making a mistake if they think the people are not ready for disarmament. They are ready. The Gov- ernments led their peoples into war. They can also lead them into peace if they will.

J. H.R. �[Page 293]THE COMMON MESSAGE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT TEACHERS

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AND THE MESSAGE

by HuGH McCurpy Woopwarp Department of Philosophy of Education, Brigham Young University

Chapter I—(Concluded)

ideals and moral standards, the alert mind naturally asks: “Is there a philosophy existent which will help man solve these vital problems? If so, where is it to be found? Is there a philosophy which has stood the pragmatic test over any con- siderable period of the world’s history and which is capable of ap- pealing to the best thought of this technical and scientific age?”

The assumption that there is such a philosophy is the motiva- tion behind this little volume. The philosophy in question is a sum- mary of the common message of the world’s most outstanding teachers. The author offers this presentation to the reading public as a humble attempt at a brief statement of the fundamental essence of that message.

The teachers referred to have all been great leaders in human thought. Their teachings have inspired millions and have been the basis of creeds, cults, isms, philosophies and world religions. Un- like thousands of other teachers, they have not disappeared after a brief period of notoriety. Their influence persists and grows in importance over centuries of time in the minds of millions. Named in order of the time of their supposed appearance among men, they are: The Indian Christ, Krishna of early Hinduism; Lao Tze of China, the inspiration of Taoism; Zarathustra or Zoroaster, the

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teacher of the Zoroastrian system of philosophy and the prophet of the Parsi faith; Guatama Buddha, the founder of the world’s most populous religion; Confucius, the master moralist of China, and Jesus of Nazareth, the inspiration of Christianity. :

Age alone is, of course, no guarantee that a philosophy is true. It can, however, be urged with some degree of certainty that philos- ophies which have been the inspiration of millions and which have served as the basis of institutions, religions, and civilizations of the most enlightened peoples of history, must have something in them worthy of careful study.

Two reasons have determined the choice of the teachers listed above: First, the fundamental nature of the philosophies they pro- claim, and second, the great similarity which exists between these philosophies. During the last few years many students have become impressed with the striking similarity which exists between these six world philosophies. Alfred W. Martin, author of “Compara- tive Religion and the Religion of the Future,” after describing the bibles and sacred literature, supposed to contain the teachings of these men, says: ‘Such was the material available for the science of comparative religion which, proceeding by the orderly method of observation and classification, brought to light a succession of sur- prising and significant revelations, culminating in the supreme rev- elation of a oneness of religions which transcends their differences.”

H. G. Wells in his “Outline of History,” speaking of the simil- arity in these great religions, mentions the fact that there are many things in the teachings of Jesus which the “ordinary respectable citizen could not accept without the most revolutionary changes in his way of living.” "Yet" says he, “there was nothing that a fol- lower of the actual teachings of Gautama Sakya might not receive very readily, nothing to prevent a primitive Buddhist from being also a Nazarene, and nothing to prevent a personal disciple of Jesus from accepting all the recorded teachings of Buddha.” Continuing, Mr. Wells states: ‘“This essential identity is the most important his- torical aspect of these great world religions.”

For a number of years the author has been deeply impressed with the striking resemblance in the teachings of these masters. As �[Page 295]THE TWENTIBTH CENTURY AND THE MESSAGE 295

his interest and research in the sacred literature of these religions have deepened, he has become more and more convinced that their ability to endure is due to a great common message of truth con- cerning life’s most vital problems—a common message which runs through and forms the basis of them all.

Why this striking similarity should exist between teachers so widely separated in time and location is indeed one of the interest- ing facts of human life. It is a fact not easy to explain. Is it a mat- ter of common origin of these philosophies? Is it due to a search for truth on the part of great minds delving into the mysteries of their own souls, bringing all to a common understanding of life's most vital principles? Or as some would ask, are these common principles the results of man’s findings through countless ages of experimentation? It is not the purpose of this book to account for this phenomenon. All that is attempted in this presentation is to set forth from the literature of these religions the fundamental principles common to them all, and to discuss these principles in the light of present day needs.

Throughout the book these men are referred to as masters, master minds, the world’s great teachers, and as masters of wisdom. These titles are used not because what has been said thus far has proved these men worthy of the same, but because they are so con- sidered by the thousands and millions who honor and worship them.

In this day of moral skepticism and moral doubt when every system of thought is subject to the most searching investigation, is it not a timely question to ask ourselves, what it is in these philoso- phies which has enabled them to appeal to the reason and imagina- tion of millions and has caused them to endure so well the test of time?

It will not be questioned that this age is in need of a philos- ophy which can unify the divergent mental life and bring order to the many conflicting interests. It would indeed be worth our search if, in the philosophies of these men, we should find a great common message for this twentieth century—a message that will bring solace and comfort to the troubled mind that today is found every- �[Page 296]296 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

where in the world asking: Where is the way of life? Is one life any better than another? Is there such a thing as good? Among the dissolving structures which have been erected to guide man, in the past, is there one left upon which my soul can rest its faith and build its life?

Do these masters have a message which will appeal to the con- science and reason of men trained in an age of scientific research and daring individualism? Do they have a message for those who have knocked down all their idols and now move listlessly about saying with the author of Ecclesiastes," All is vanity.” Is it possible that these masters have a common message that will still act as a guiding star to those honest, earnest, sincere souls who deserve the title of “True Scientists,” those courageous minds seeking to know the laws of the physical universe, the mysteries of the spirituai world and the conditions in the moral and social order?

Can it be that these masters who have brought so much com- fort to suffering humanity have a message that will help this world in its desperate attempt to understand itself? In an hour when all the elements of all civilizations seem to be thrown into a melting pot, do these masters of wisdom speak principles that if applicd would bring organization to the hopelessly unorganized mass? In a time when sign boards pointing the way of life are as many and difterent as trees in a forest, do their teachings still represent the “way,” the “path,” and the “plan”?

It is the thesis of this work that there is such a message. Through its short chapters the reader is invited to listen to the world’s great teachers upon a number of the most vital problems which now agitate the minds of men.

It is interesting to note that none of these men organized what could be called a church, but upon various interpretations of their philosophies thousands of creeds have been erected. One of the interesting phenomena of the world is the way different groups ot people adjust differently to the same philosophy. It would be very difficult for a stranger to study the philosophy of Jesus by observ: ing the practices and doctrines of the two hundred and some odd creeds which have claimed him as their inspiration. In these creeds �[Page 297]THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AND THE MESSAGE 297

it is possible to find everything from the lowest paganism to the highest rational philosophy all claiming to follow him. It is the same with all of these men. Buddhism is very different in Japan from Buddhism in Siam. In certain groups in Japan, Buddha has been made the savior of the world. His grace is sufficient to save all men. The only thing necessary is to believe that he has this sav- ing grace. In Siam he is thought of as a great enlightened soul who has found the way of life, but who is essentially the same as all other men.

All of these men have been made into gods. Three of them, Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus have become the saviors of mankind. Two of them, Krishna and Jesus, have been heralded as “the lamb slain before the foundation of the world.” Many churches and cults have grown out of their teachings. The creeds which have developed from the philosophies of these six men number many hundred. Each has a sacred literature which is supposed to repre- sent his teachings. The philosophy of Krishna is included in the tour Vedas. The New Testament has become the sacred literature of the philosophy of Jesus. The Nikayas are supposed to include the original teachings of Buddha. The five Chinese classics, the teachings of Confucius; the Zenda-vesta, or more properly the Avesta, the teachings of Zoroaster; and the Tao Teh King contains the writings of Lao Tze. Two of them, Krishna and Jesus, are sup- posed to have been born of virgins. Stories of a miraculous con- ception are told in connection with them all.

Thousands upon thousands of monuments have been erected tu them, Elaborate ritualistic systems have been formulated as a means of conveying what is supposed to be their teachings. Power- tul priesthoods have been organized and function on the claim of representing their message. Interpretations of their teachings range ‘rom the most extreme doctrines of obedience to authority to the highest ideal of freedom and responsibility; from the most sordid cnslavement of the human mind, represented in the doctrine of in- ‘allability, to the theory of the dependability of the enlightened conscience of the individual.

It is strange that so many varied and divergent systems could �[Page 298]298 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

come from the teachings of the same men, but it is nevertheless quite natutal when one considers the wide range of intelligence which has adjusted to the teachings. It would seem that the more advanced the followers, the more these men are looked upon as great souls who have found the way of life and who are saying to the rest of mankind, “If you will do the works that I do, the things I do you can do.” To this group the masters are men who have found divinity in their own souls by obedience to the constructive laws of their own nature. While on the other hand, it would appear that the lower the scale of intelligence of the worshiper the more these men are set up as unique personalities belonging to a difterent order. By these undeveloped groups, these teachers are made into gods and supergods. They become an inspiration by representing something entirely different, while with the more scientifically minded groups they become an inspiration by revealing to man the possibilities in his own soul.

It should be understood that there is no thought on the part ot the author of making all these great systems identical. They ditter in many ways. There is a striking individualism on the part of the teachers. They differ greatly in personality. Their methods of de livering their message vary from the retiring inactivity of Lao Tze to the daring vigor of the holy Nazarene. Jesus taught by parables. Buddha used more symbolism, while the Chinese philosophers made use of many proverbs. They stressed differently various parts of their message. The environment and times in which they taught were wholly different. There was a wide variation in the intellec- tual levels to which they addressed themselves. In some cases the systems and creeds which have developed out of their teachings scarcely resemble one another. This is equally true of the creeds that have developed from the teachings of the same man.

While it is easy to recognize a difference in the matter of em- phasis, personality and method of presentation, there is running through all their teachings, like a golden thread, a great common message setting forth the fundamental life principles which con- stitute the “path,” the “way” and the “plan” of the “Good Life.”

(To be continued) �[Page 299]ORIENT AND OCCIDENT by HANS KOHN

Doctor Juris, Unwersity of Prague

(Continued)

II. THE POLITICAL PROBLEM

HE development of the state in countries under foreign con-

| trol, like India, Egypt or Irak, has taken another and less

violent course. Reforms have set in earlier here, but have

never attained that boldness and far-reaching effect which

is noticeable in Turkey, perhaps. But the more protracted ripening

of tendencies towards the reformation of the state in the colonial

provinces and protectorates of European powers (in which respect

the British system has guaranteed a freer scope for development

than the others) had this advantage, that the political reforms did

not proceed so greatly in advance of the cultural and the social, but

were supported and carried forward by the latter. For cultural and

social transformation processes strike far more deeply into the tra- ditional structure of oriental life than political changes do.

III. THE CULTURAL PROBLEM

Religion and Nation

“Everything that medieval man did was hedged about by ec- clesiastical and religious ideas and demands. One can hardly te- alize today what this meant. Everything without any exception, was accomplished in accordance with these same ideas and de- mands: play-time and music, art and science, work and public ac- tivity.” (Waldemar Mitscherlich). Until lately this statement was altogether true of oriental man also. The process whick is going

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on in the Orient at present is gradually substituting a national con- sciousness in the place of religion as the driving force of political and public activity. In this way the Orient is approaching the Occi- dent in its social ideology. The process is still in the course of development in the Orient, in many places both tendencies are still struggling with each other for mastery; but in so far as it is possible to lay stress on a single element in the complexity of great historical processes in which many factors are constantly working together, similar incidents in the process in all oriental countries show that they have entered or are entering the era of nationalism. Out of a religious culture as the basis of life the nation arises as the vehicle of activity. The title which a Chinese author has chosen for a book describing the origin of modern China, How a Civilization Became a Nation, can be applied in the same way to India and to the coun- tries of Islam. Within the boundaries of the state or within the boundaries of the uniform national consciousness, if the uniform nation is divided up into several states by the politics of Europeai powers, the new principle unites citizens who have hitherto been widely separated by religious oppositions (and this always means, in the Orient, social and political oppositions as well). On the other hand, it is breaking up the unity of Islam just as it has broken up the unity of Christendom in Europe, even though a new feeling of homogeneity, based upon the acknowledgment of a common adversary and of the necessity of political solidarity, is taking the place of the old religiously-grounded Pan-Islamism in the Orient. 5. Khuda Bukhsh, one of the leading Mohammedans of India, cites with assent the words of Wilson Cash: “The youth of Islam thinks today more in political than in religious terms. He is often much more interested in the growth of his nation than in the propagation of Islam. Today the solidarity of Islam is not a question of the caliphate or the sheriat, but almost exclusively a matter of political unification in the face of the West.”

The Turkish national covenant of January 28, 1920, in entire accordance with national opinion, expressly gave up, in the first article, all claim to those parts of the Ottoman Empire in which a majority of the inhabitants were Arabs, thereby giving up Mecca �[Page 301]ORIENT AND OCCIDENT 301

and Medina. The possession of these cities for a Mohammedan government and for the caliphate was of the greatest importance— an importance which Abdul Hamid had accentuated still more by the building of the Hejaz railway. In the same month the Indian delegation of the caliphate, calling on the Viceroy of India in be- half of Turkey, insisted that the caliph must retain control of the three holy cities of Islam, Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, since otherwise peace would be unacceptable to every devout Moham- medan. Through a succession of laws since then Turkey has ac- complished the cumplete secularization and nationalization of her government. Egypt did not go so far. In fact, a proposai of 4 Mo- hammedan scholar there, with a similar end in view, raised a storm of indignation in orthodox circles. But it is highly significant, in this connection, to note that the opposition between the Moham- medan majority of the country and the Christian-Coptic Egyptians, which was still very keen before the World War, has entirely dis- appeared. Copts have taken a leading part in the Egyptian national movement since 1918. The delegation of the Wafd ministry, which left for London in March, 1930, to conclude the British-Egyptian treaty—a delegation which had to fulfill the highest political mis- sion the people could bestow—was composed of two Mohamme- dans and two Copts. One of the Copts, who has been foreign minister in every Wafd government, is the son of the late Boutros Ghali Pascha, the Coptic prime minister mortally hateful to Egyp- tian nationalists, who fell a victim to the assault of a Mohammedan student in rg910. In Syria, Palestine and Transjordania the national movement has united Mohammedans and Christians. Here the Christian intelligentsia often heads the radical wing of the nation- alists. The Syrian national leader, Faris el Khuri of Damascus, could not be elected to the constituent national assembly in 1928 because he is a Protestant. When the French mandate authorities (intent upon maintaining the traditional lines of religious demar- cation and preventing the rise of a modern national consciousness, and having for this reason set up special representation for the dif- tcrent religions at the election) fixed the representation from Da- mascus, with ten Mohammedan members, one Greek-Orthodox, �[Page 302]302 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

one Greek Catholic and one Jew, the Mohammedans in Damascus announced that they would give up their seats in favor of Faris el Khuri. The French high commissioner refused to permit this. In the same year a member of the Arabian Academy of Damascus, Said Abdallah Muhlis, published a work to show that Mohamme- dans and Christians have always lived together amicably in Islamic countries, and that their friendly intercourse was first disturbed through European intervention. The Arab kingdom of Iraq, as a sign of nationalism, has seen the bridging of the century-old, bitter opposition between Sunnites and Shiites. The Shiites came forth as advocates of independence for the country and were themselves ready to join the Sunnite Turks on this ground. In India national. ism seeks to unite Hindus and Mohammedans and to combat the ancient caste prejudice. In China and in India native Christians take an active part in the national movement. In Japan the national Shinto religion is encouraged in the interests of the government, in opposition to Buddhism. Renaissance movements in religion, like Wahabism in Islam, and Arya Samaj and the doctrine of Rama- krishna in India, awakened or strengthened nationalism. Reform movements in religion sought to bring religious activity into har- mony with modern thought, often rationalizing religion in the process, by reaching back to the original tradition and opposing subsequent excrescences. The modern age began to be critically opposed to religion. But as it overthrew the old gods it set up for itself, in the same measure, new ones in nationalism. The new gods brought their new ritual, national hymns, colors and emblems, an interest in the people’s past, their traditions, folk-songs and native art, and a new inspiration for the future. New creative and new destructive forces were awakened by their coming.

For oriental man, just as for medieval man, the field of relig ious activity was the fundamental social determinant which, on tre whole, made him what he was. During the Nineteenth Century 4 critical attitude towards religion set in. This enlightenment spread throughout the upper classes of oriental society in all countrics. with results similar to those Bernhard Grocthuysen has pointed out in connection with the rise of the new middle-class philosophy and �[Page 303]ORIENT AND OCCIDENT 303

attitude towards life in France in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. In the meantime the great masses of the people remained untouched by this process, just as they did at the beginning of the French Revolution, when the Archbishop of Toulouse, as a mem- ber of the national assembly, could say that in France there were “still entire classes who have not a single presentiment of all the tendencies at work among them to destroy orthodoxy.” In view of this, the point at issue among the enlightened classes of the Orient is not a crisis in Islamism, in Hinduism or in Confucianism, and an approach to Christianity, but a crisis in religion itself. Out of such a crisis, on the analogy of what happened in Europe, a reformed Islamism or Hinduism will result, which certainly will no longer extend its influence into all public and private depart- ments of life, but will withdraw to those restricted private spheres which religion formed for itself in Europe in the Nineteenth Century.

The critical attitude towards religion led also to a revaluation of traditional points of view and standards of living, and frequent- ly to an adoption of European customs. On the other hand there were European scholars who brought to light once more the old civilizations of the Nile Valley, Mesopotamia and India, and taught even the backward descendants of those civilizations to recognize their value. Fifty years ago the significance of being an l_gvptian, even this name itself, was unknown to Egypt's present inhabitants. The fellahin characterized themselves as Mohamme- dans. Now the national Egyptian government has decided to erect “a monument at the tomb of its great leader Zaghlul, not in the style of Islamic Egypt but in the style of the ancient Pharaohs. The word

Turk,” fifty years ago in the Ottoman Empire a term of contempt tor uneducated peasants, has become a title of respect. The younger ecneration in Turkey, like the younger generation in Persia, is at- tempting to revive pre-Islamic names and traditions. Thus the per- nication of modern thought, coming from the West and repeating in the Orient a process which has already run its.course in the Oc- cident, is having a double effect: it is Europeanizing, but it is also «Wakening at the same time the selfconsciousness of the Orient �[Page 304]304 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

and the knowledge of its opposition to Europe.

The Mission of the West

The penetration of the West into the Orient takes place in successive stages. In the first stage, single individuals of the East who are intellectually active are affected by the spiritual and ma- terial wealth of the West, and by the power of western activity. and sct out to interpret and adapt these things to their countrymen. without so much as suspecting that their acceptance must result in reorganization processes striking deep into the heart of socicty. The first Oriental to turn to the Occident was the great Hindu, Ram Mohan Roy, who founded the first Hindu college in Calcutta in 1816. This college was the first seat of European education in the Orient ever established by natives. In the secluded world of the Orient Ram Mohan Roy opened a window towards Europe. Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan, who started the Anglo-Oriental college in Aligarh for the Mohammedans of India, did not follow him unti! after 1850. This first generation of “westernists” in the Orient was filled with liberal European ideas and willingly acknowledged the cultural superiority of Europe. Their ideal was to produce, through education and reforms, a society in the Orient similarly advanced. These ‘westernists” harmonized in many ways similar tendencies amongst the Russians during the past century. The Russians, too. had since the Napoleonic wars their “modernists” like Turgenvet trying to Europeanize the Czar’s Empire. Against them were ranged the “‘easternists,” who were partly disposed towards the old tradition and orthodoxy, and made a vain attempt to bolster up the old spirit and social order and the authority of orthodox re- ligion, and were in part ethically romantic, like Gandhi, but were nevertheless influenced by European critics of the western or ler and culture, such as Tolstoi, Ruskin or Thoreau. Criticism of the “easternists’” was an eftective counterpoise against the too strong enthusiasm for the West which characterized the first ingenuous modern rationalist in the Orient. But the westernists of a later generation, who were quite ready to appropriate for themselves Europe's technique and culture, but who deduced from them the �[Page 305]ORIENT AND OCCIDENT 305

doctrine of national self-assertion against Europe, soon gained the upper hand. In China the attempt was made to retain the Chinese culture and take over only European military organization and technique. But it was soon evident that this attempt (which could succeed in Japan and Siam, in much simpler circumstances, and would have succeeded in China, perhaps, if the Taiping dynasty had not been overthrown with the aid of the English) could not be carried out without a revolution in political and social spheres— a revolution requiring a further and further surrender of ancient Chinese cultural endowments until, out of this complete revolu- tion, the synthetic reorganization of Chinese civilization could begin to develop.

The westernists of the first generation had been almost de- tenseless under the pressure of European ideas. “So overwhelming was the weight of western thought that in the second developmental stage of the new Turkish literature (about 1876) the remnants of oriental esthetics were not only rejected altogether, but the phil- osophy of the Turkish-Moslem world was so largely discredited that the Turkish literature of the period was hardly anything more than a copy of contemporary French literature in the Turkish lan- guage.” (Richard Hartmann). In this stage a western literature W.ls arising in the Orient, new styles of art were being formulated, the press was receiving*an impetus, and the invention of the art of printing was generally coming into its own for the first time. All this was being intensified and was beginning to permeate the misses and to create for itself an ever wider field of influence and activity as the later generations of westernists assumed the lead under the slogan of nationalism Now the imperialistic powers rely in many ways upon the last representatives of the first liberal gen- crition of westernists and upon the reactionary and conservative cicements at the same time. This contrast in the cultural sphere re- curs in the social sphere, where its true meaning will be revealed. Also, the imperialistic powers seek to turn nationalism to their own advantage wherever it exists and to play off national and religious minorities against the majority. The Republic of Lebanon, for cxample, owes its existence to these tendencies. Arnold J. Toynbee, �[Page 306]306 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

one of the best European authorities on recent world politics in the Islamic Orient, calls special attention to these tendencies in the mandate areas formerly Turkish; but what he says applies just as well to all countries in which European imperialism has control or is seeking to gain it: “A mandate government which could count on neither the consent of the majority of the governed in the man- date area nor the willingness of its own citizens to sacrifice life and money for the carrying out of the mandate, was certainly under a strong temptation to further its strategic aims by making use of local minorities which were loyal to it because they were foreign to the majority of their countrymen. Nevertheless, this policy was almost sure to be a short-sighted one; for even if it lightened the military burdens of the mandate government for the time being, it still threatened, in the long run, to perpetuate the emnity between the groups living together within the mandated area, and so made the problem of administration more difficult than ever.” The ad- vance of the imperialistic powers is awakening nationalism as a natural reaction among a constantly increasing number of oriental peoples. Resistance is growing in the East. At the same time the hold of the West is likewise weakening. The thesis of the absolute superiority of western ways of living and thinking is becoming un- tenable for the West itself. It is opening its mind to the beauty and wisdom of eastern philosophy, and the political consciousness of some of its younger generation is beginning to condemn impe- rialism.

(To be continued) �[Page 307]NICHOLAS ROERICH’S PLAN FOR — WORLD PEACE by FRANCES R. GRANT

Vice-President, Roerich Muscum

International Pour le Pacte Roerich at Bruges, there ap-

peared a story in the New York Times, relating that all

the Flemish matrons of that city of many memories were assiduously sitting up nights sewing strips of red and white bunt- ing into American Flags in honor to Nicholas Roerich and the country from which the plan of the Roerich Banner of Peace for the protection of the world’s art treasures had emanated. Never, according to the Times correspondent, since the day when Amer- ican soldiers landed in Europe, had there been such an array of American flags in this Flemish city, nor was it so deeply drawn towards America.

Thus, the city of the Van Dycks and Memlings, paid its tribute to that great spirit, Nicholas Roerich, whose indefatigable labors tor World Peace through Culture have re-stated themselves once again in the Banner of Peace plan, which reinvests with new force the title already given him as one of the supremely great leaders of world peace today.

In the Bruges Conference, which gathered together four hun- dred delegates from cultural and learned bodies of many countries, and from government officials, many results which assume epochal importance in this plan of Peace through Culture might be men- tioned—notably the formation of a permanent body comprising some of Europe's great cultural leaders to further the adoption of

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(: the eve of the International Conference of the Union �[Page 308]308 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

this movement. But for the moment I have especially pointed out the incident of the flags, because its simple earnestness seems to mc to touch some very deep and essential principle between the rela- tion of man to man and nation to nation—the contagion of good will based upon a common appreciation of beauty and culture.

It is this basic principle of peace and culture which forms the premise of Nicholas Roerich’s plan, and which constitutes for him a solvent of our international relationships. Because in the search for Peace, Roerich looks for prophylaxes; culture, in its broadest and most superb sense, alone, can transmute the human conscious: ness, and this transmutation is the only guarantee for human unity. For forty-three years Roerich has been urging the practical and im- mediate application of a conviction which science has recently ex- pressed when Sir James Jean says that “the material world is prob- ably derivative from consciousness, not consciousness from the material world.”

At this moment, Roerich’s Peace Plan for international under. standing through culture and beauty, allows for special analysis for several reasons. For one thing, this month sees the celebration of the Decade of the Institutions founded by Roerich in America. And secondly, it sees the issuance of his book, “Realm of Light’ which pronounces, in its most forceful manner, this conviction, sounded with the corroboration of forty-three years of experience.

To see the true evolution of Roerich’s plan, one might go back over Roerich’s entire forty-three years of artistic and educational life. In doing so, one would be immediately cognizant of the fact that Roerich never theorizes, he immediately makes practical ap- plication of his ideals, in measures which are aimed to transmute disintegrating forces into uniting ones.

In the Roerich Museum, with its multiple facets, there is a synthesis of this entire plan, which indicates the wide directions which Roerich’s service to Peace touches, and the conscious aim of reaching and permeating all factors of life.

Hence, it has always seemed to me profoundly logical and bearing significantly on this peace plan, that Roerich’s first founda- tion in the Roerich Museum should have been the Master Institute �[Page 309]NICHOLAS ROERICH'S PLAN FOR WORLD PEACE 309

for uniting the teaching of all the arts. Aiming to fuse people through culture, who would themselves be cognizant of essential unity. In the Master Institute, he at once sought to dissolve the arbitrary barriers set up between the arts, very often by the artists themselves. “Art is one-—indivisible. Art is the manifestation of the coming synthesis.” This is his call to the creator and to the student, those future creators of beauty, whom he aims to unite in 4 Legion.

From the individual, Roerich passes to the masses in the second licld of work touched by his plan, the International Art Center of Roerich Museum, which seeks to create a common kinship through the interchange of art, and through exhibitions which have not only presented artists of this country, but have brought to America the creative products of countries heretofore often cul- turally inexistent in the American consciousness. A service no less necessary has been carried on by the International Art Center, in acquainting other countries of Europe, Asia and Latin America of the aspirations of America in the fields of culture. This interchange has been carried on not only here in the International Art Center, but the latter has cooperated with the museums, the public schools, the public libraries, even prisons, in these itinerary exhibitions. Hence, even the social misfit has not been overlooked in Roerich’s plan for these exhibitions, because as he says: “Bring art to the prisons—and you will have no more prisons.”

In his present work at Urusvati, Himalayan Research Institute of Roerich Museum, in Naggar, the Western Himalayas, this es- sential unity—now of the arts and sciences, and of the various branches of science—provides the eloquent vehicle of his ideal. Urusvati, the Himalayan Research Institute is of course to be re- uirded as an essential and inevitable outgrowth of the Roerich (central Asiatic Expedition, made by Roerich through Ladak, Chinese Turkestan, Mongolia, and Tibet. This Roerich Expedition with its record of sacrifices, is one of the most stupendous searches not only for the origins of human life and human culture, but es- pecially tor the unities of human origins. One of the most telling utterances in Roerich’s record of the Expedition, “Altai Hima- �[Page 310]310 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

laya,”” on discovering the Megalithic monuments of Central Asia, so analagous to Stone Henge and Carnac, are the lines: “It is a thrilling thing to hold the end of an enchanted cord in Great Britain and find the beginning of it in Central Asia.” To him one of the greatest features of these remains, together with the remark- able remnants of migratory evidences which he discovered, is their revelation of the interweaving of all nations and racial life. Every- where in the results of his trip, one is aware of his repeated em- phasis and concern to find the threads which connect human tra- ditions, whether they be of East or West, because in this way he is able to link the foundations and to indicate how arbitrary, in truth, are the barriers erected by prejudice and intolerance.

It is this same unity, which permeates the plan for Urusvati, Himalayan Research Institute in the Himalayas. There, Professor Roerich, deeply inspired by the endless possibilities of scientific research offered by Asia, founded the Himalayan Research Insti- tute, donating its headquarters in the Kulu Valley. Vital to its aims of advancing the outposts of knowledge, is the creation of an In- stitute where scientists of a// nations, and in every branch of sctence can, in a common concérn for the well-being of mankind, create and construct side by side. After three years of work, this institute indicates its splendid growth. With Professor Roerich, its Prest- dent-Founder, and Dr. George Roerich, eminent Orientalist as its Director, already American, British, Hindu and Tibetan scientists are working there together to explore the fields of medicine, of cancer, of biology, astro-chemistry, ar "haeology. Already numer- ous American and European scientific bodies have profited from its collections of flora and other material; and national and cultural walls have been razed in a common work.

The Roerich Society, which completes the unit, forges an ex- tended chain of unification. This Society, aimed to spread Pro- fessor Roerich’s ideas for Culture and Peace, now has forty-eight branches in twenty countries—a true fraternity of Culture.

These many facets of the Roerich Museum have their corollary in Nicholas Roerich’s plan for the Banner of Peace. After several years since its first promulgation by Professor Roerich, the plan �[Page 311]NICHOLAS ROERICH S PLAN FOR WORLD PEACE 311

shows its dynamism and vitality of application. Since its inception, the Roerich Peace Pact and Banner of Peace have been unani- mously endorsed by the International Museums’ Committee of the League of Nations, by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of America, by His Holiness Pope Pius XI, by such members of the international Peace Court as its President, Dr. M. Adatci, Dr. Bus- tumante, Baron Michel de Taube and others, as well as by H. H. King Albert of Belgium, and the adherence of numerous ¢ities of Belgium, France, Italy, Latvia, as well as the Academie Frangaise, and numerous other cultural bodies. Thus the project of inter- national vigilance for Culture has already made its appeal among widely different spheres.

One thing, however, should be emphasized in the Roerich plan for the Banner of Peace—it is not a project designed primarily as a protective measure for war, but a measure against war. Wri- ters, in expressing themselves concerning the Roerich Banner of Peace and Peace Pact, have emphasized it as a factor in preventing the destruction of the world treasures of art in times of war. It is truc that this constitutes one phase of the plan—one which is, of necessity, especially brought out in the Roerich Peace Pact and which concerns itself with the application of the project in war- trme—thus the Pact outlines that the Banner of Peace should wave over monuments, cathedrals, universities, museums, to signalize their inviolability during moments of peace, and as with the Red Cross, identify these monuments as neutral territory.

This aspect of Nicholas Roerich’s plan, cannot be regarded apart from its great prophylactic aims. Roerich’s plan is highly constructive. In addition to signalizing as neutral all monuments ot the world’s culture, it aims to catalogue, to preserve in descrip- tive and photographic record for posterity, complete data regard- ing the world’s cultural treasures, also to inaugurate peace educa- tion in the schools through greater international cultural apprecia- tion. It aims to gather the forces of culture through the world in a common vigilance, against the destruction of the records of human genius—to unite men in a Legion of Culture. In other words to make those forces who realize the disaster to world, culture, which �[Page 312]312 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

war brings in its wake, a united force in a common cause of safc- guarding the steps of cultural evolution.

This plan has been a concern of Professor Roerich for years, and the history of its roots, as spoken by Nicholas Roerich is highly interesting. In an interview regarding the origin of the Banner of Peace, Professor Roerich says: “The idea of protection of cultur.! treasures of humanity preoccupied me since the very beginning of my activities. Already in 1904 addressing the Society of Architect artists in St. Petersberg, I outlined this idea, calling attention to the tragic condition of many state architectural monuments. My exten- sive travels to ancient monasteries and historical cities, also the archaeological excavations in such important places as Novgorod and other regions linked with most ancient traditions gave me rich material to affirm the undeferrable necessity for urgent measures to protect cultural treasures. Afterwards in 1914, after the destruc- tion of the Library of Louvain I made a similar report to the late Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Peter. Both reports met with great sympathy and only such extraordinary havoc as the war pre- vented its immediate development. Then as President of the [x- hibition of Allied Nations where Flemish, French, British arts and those of other allied nations were beautifully represented, 1 again had happy opportunity to propound this idea and was convinced that sooner or later the protection of cultural treasures would be- come a sacred reality in the world.

“With new ardor these thoughts preoccupied me when we were compelled to witness no longer the vandalism of warfare, but vandalism in times of peace. For an untrained eye it is even im: possible to imagine how many unrepeatable cultural treasures are exposed to danger and to perish without leaving a trace. One of our foremost duties is to apply all our efforts to direct the public attention to their real treasures. Each day brings news of some new destructions. We are already imbued with the idea that precious monuments must not be removed and should be safeguarded on their own sites, the more so because today possibilities of locomo- tion make even the remotest places accessible. I am deeply con- vinced that universal attention will be paid to the cultural treasures, �[Page 313]NICHOLAS ROERICH S PLAN FOR WORLD PEACE 313

and as its symbol, the universally uniting Banner will offer a pro- found and absolute service to the cultural development of peoples.”

This plan is outlined in highly dramatic and powerful form in Professor Roerich’s latest work, “Realm of Light,” in his sixty ad- dresses to various Roerich Societies as well as to various other or- ganizations. We see that his idea of “Peace through Culture” is by no means a nebulous phrase. It is a very definite credo of human construction. How definite it is, is beautifully touched on in an address to the Young Men’s Buddhist Association of Colombo when he says of Peace that it signifies ‘‘an unceasing construction,’ and of Culture, that it means ‘“‘an eternal cognizance and better- ment of life through the foundations of glorious progress. ’

Thus laboring in the current of evolution is the plan of Pro- tessor Roerich for World Peace through Culture. These ten years have already seen a chain forming around the world. The Legion of Culture to which Roerich calls, is no longer a visionary body. It exists, it pursues its labor, its results must inevitably be witnessed. Because the contagion of peace can be spread in ardent and pas- sionate enthusiasm for beauty. For America these ten years of tireless achievement by Nicholas Roerich once again signalize an invincible, a tireless leadership in this Peace quest for international culture. His call to its service sounds out again in his article ‘‘Ban- ner of Peace,” when he says: “Verily, the protection of treasures of Culture belongs among those all-unifying foundations which per- mit us to gather in friendship without petty feelings of envy and malice.

“We are tired of destructions and negations. Positive creative- ness is the fundamental quality of the human spirit. In our life everything that uplifts and ennobles our spirit must hold the dom- inant place. The milestones of the glorious path must from child- ood impel our spirit to the beautiful future. Be assured it is not

« truism to speak about the undeferrable and urgent strivings of } ” cuiture, �[Page 314]CECIL DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE PARIS, NOVEMBER 26-27, 1931 by AMY Woops

Vice-Chairman, United States Section

Women's International Lecaue for Peace and Freedom

week has received so muchi sensational publicity that I am

hurrving this letter back to the United States to tell, as best

I may, some of the outstanding features of the speeches and to explain undercurrents which have not appeared in the press. This may help to place peace workers in a better position to counter random criticism that may be current for some time to come.

The purpose of the Congress was to bring together the leaders of the great political, social, religious and cultural organizations of many nations and so to give expression to the feeling of the peoples in all lands in favor of a substantial reduction of armaments by in- ternational agreement.

The invitation received wide spread response from people of highest authority in the peace field throughout the world. Many made a supreme effort to be present. Mr. Houghton formerly American Ambassador to Germany after the war came expressly to Paris to speak at the evening meeting and sailed for home the following day. Frederick Libby was here less than a week. There were 1,043 delegates registered from 30 countries representing 362 organizations.

I personally attended all four sessions of the Congress and several other meetings at which the substance of the proceedings was discussed.

The Public meeting at the Trocadéro Friday evening did not begin well. It was obvious, the moment that Monsieur Herriot came

314

TT International Disarmament Congress held in Paris last �[Page 315]CECIL DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE 315

to the front of the platform that a frame up was in prospect. The house had beén sold out several days before. My delegate’s ticket took me to the gallery and to the center of the confusion. In the high arched boxes above were crowds of boys too young to have experienced war and bent solely upon carrying out a premeditated rough house. Their shouting showed no personal ire or conviction. The fighting ran intermittently from box to box and occasionally took fire in the general audience in the balcony, but for the most part, there was no sign of hostility around me than that which the boys created themselves. There was no fear expressed in any part of the house—only disgusted attempts to stop the shouting so that the speakers might be heard. Most of the delegates filled the stage and the front rows of the floor. They were able to hear much that the speakers said. In the balcony no one could catch a word. Only the listeners tuning in over radios from every country got the full sense of the speeches distinctly against a background of almost continuous din. The next morning a Parisian householder told me that she and her husband sitting in their own home heard every word including Borah’s speech from Washington which reached the hall in an impossible jumble of sounds.

Monsieur Herriot and Monsieur Jouvenal found it impossible to silence their compatriots, but only the message from the Mutilés ct Anciens Combattants and the speech of Mr. Houghton were ab- solutely prohibited. In fact the speech of Joos of Germany was the icast interfered with.

The police were there in numbers but made no effort to bring about order and they obviously assisted the rowdies to rush the stage after M. Jouvenal had finished the last speech on the program.

Saturday Paris was desolé—and the responsibility of the dis- order was laid upon Coty the rich perfumer, who with his millions controls several papers and heads the bitterest right wing of the nationalists. His is a small noisy group. Although he is able to plaster Paris with posters under the name of L’ami du peuple his tollowers have been unable to return even one delegate to the Chamber of Deputies.

Lord Cecil with his British traditions behind him, urged that �[Page 316]316 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

this meeting be opened freely to the public, while the French mem- bers of the congress committee favored distribution of seats through the peace organizations that are sufficiently numerous and varied in Paris so that the hall might easily have been filled with an entire audience that would have given a courteous hearing.

The Congress having been turned into more or less political channels tried to keep the middle ground and so failed to get the support of either the right wing nationalists or the left wing in- ternationalists.

Perhaps as the Hittlerites awoke the world disagreeably to the need for immediate action on disarmament, so this episode in Paris will give France timely warning that nationalism is a two edged weapon too dangerous to use. �[Page 317]THIS PRAYING WORLD by JOHN WILLIAM KITCHING

Author of “ Azrubaal and Lamorna,”’ etc.

HII

Babylon

“I, thy servant, full of sighs, cry unto thee.

Thou acceptest the fervent prayer of him who is burdened with sin.

Thou lookest upon a man and that man lives

O potentate of the world, mistress of mankind!

Merciful one, to whom it is good to turn, who accepteth supplication!

Besides thee there is no god who guideth aright.

Look with true favor upon me and accept my supplication

Declare ‘how long’ (I am to wait), and let thy liver be pacified.

When, O my mistress, will thy face be turned?

Like the doves do I moan, in sighs do I abound.”

This prayer belongs to the same period of time namely 2000

» but is a Babylonian prayer.

• deep note of penitence runs throughout its entire length

«which is very appealing.

The “liver” was supposed to be the seat of the Soul. This

raver of penitence was probably offered to Ishtar the fierce god-

css of the Babylonians.

IV

Chaldea “O Eternal Ruler! Lord of the Universe!

317 �[Page 318]318 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

Grant that the name (i.e. life) of the King whom thou lovest,

Whose name thou hast mentioned (i.e. called to the thronc) may flourish as seems good to thee

Guide him on the right path

I am the ruler who obeys thee, the creation of thy hand,

It is thou who hast created me,

And thou hast entrusted to me sovereignty over mankind

According to thy mercy, O Lord, which thou bestowest upon all,

Cause me to love thy supreme rule.

Implant the fear of thy divinity in my heart,

Grant to me whatsoever may seem good before thee,

Since it is thou that dost control my life.”

The above is a prayer of Nebuchadnezzar to the god Marduk, on his ascension to the throne of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar, the great King of the Chaldeans, was the son of Nabopalasser and after the death of his father (604 B.C.), he ceigned over Babylonia until his own death, in §62 B.C. During the latter part of his father’s life he was sent against the Egyptian gencral, Necho, whom he defeated at Carchemish (605° <.). He returned to his own Kingdom in 604, besieged Jerusalem in 597. destroying the city and exiling nearly 4,000 Jews (586) ; subdued Tyre after a siege of thirteen years; and later invaded and plun- dered Egypt. It is, however, rather as a builder than as a warrior that Nebuchadnezzar is remembered.

In the variety, extent, magnificence and completeness of his buildings he excels all other rulers of that land. He restored to Babylon its former glory, so ruthlessly destroyed by Sennacherib and so added to it as to make it renowned throughout the world.

“The prayers of Nebuchadnezzar represent perhaps, the best that has been attained in this branch of religious literature. Re- turning to the above dedication prayer to Marduk, addressed by the King on the occasion of his mounting the throne, one cannot fail to be struck by the high sense of the importance of his station with which the King is inspired. Sovereignty is not a right that he �[Page 319]THIS PRAYING WORLD 319

can claim—it is a trust granted to him by Marduk. He holds his great office not for purposes of self-glorification but for the benefit of his subjects. In profound humility he confesses that what he has, he owes entirely to Marduk. He asks to be guided so that he may follow the path of righteousness. Neither riches nor power constitute his ambition, but to have the fear of his lord in his heart.” (Jastrow, Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, Pp. 298-299). “Upon completing the restoration of a temple to Nin Karrak or Gula in Sippar,” he prays,— “Nin Karrak, lofty goddess, look with favor upon the work of my hands. Mercy towards me be the command of thy lips. Long life, abundance of strength. Health and joy, grant to me as a gift. In the presence of Shamash and Marduk cause my deeds to be regarded with favor. Command grace for me.” A prayer of Nebuchadnezzar addressed to Shamash, upon re- storing the great temple of Sippar, E-babbara, runs,— “O Shamash, great lord, upon entering joyfully into thy glorious temple E-babbara, Look with favor upon my precious handiwork, . Mercy towards me be thy command; Through thy righteous order, may I have abundance of strength Long life, and a firm throne, grant to me May my rule last forever! With a righteous sceptre of blissful rulership, With a legitimate staff, bringing salvation to mankind adorn my sovereignty forever With strong weapons for the prey, protect my soldiers; Then O Shamash, by oracle and dream, answer me correctly! _ By thy supreme command, which is unchangeable, May my weapons advance and strike and overthrow the weapons of the enemies.”

(To be continued) �[Page 320]WHY EAST AND WEST ARE DIFFERENT by GROVER CLARK

Consultant on Far Eastern Affairs

(Continued)

HUS great value came to be attached to human life as such. ] among the hunters. The idea took deep root that the flame of life should be kept burning at any price just as long as possible, without reference to the comfort of the individual , or to the consideration of whether the individual thus kept alive might not be a social burden rather than an asset even if he did partially recover. In the main, this unquestionably worked out to the benefit of the group when the groups were small, and when the means for keeping people alive were few so that the radically unfit would die in any case. But it is by no means so certain that the modern West has been wise in continuing to put this idea so universally and so painstakingly into practice, now that the West itself is getting filled up with people. Many signs indicate that a change of attitude is coming.

XI

“East is East and West is West,” and, as things stand today, they are fundamentally difterent—not because of inborn capacities which make one race superior or inferior to another but because ot fundamental differences in the conditions under which for thou- sands of years the ancestors of the present-day peoples of the East and West lived. Nor do these differences indicate that, per se, either way of life is better than the other. There is no final criterion by which to judge.

But East and West are meeting. We today are well along in

the most recent of the great waves of expansion of the hunting 320 �[Page 321]WHY EAST AND WEST ARE DIFFERENT 321

peoples out of the North of the Eurasian continent. In many de- tails, this expansion of which we of the modern West are a part differs from its predecessors. Yet fundamentally history is repeat- ing itself.

Driven out of the North by pressure of expanding populations, and lured on by tales of ease and splendor in the agricultural lands to the South, hordes of crude but energetic hunting peoples have moved down in conquering waves on to these more peaceful re- gions. They have conquered, and destroyed much in the conquer- ing. But their unexpended energies, working on the resources of their new lands, produced brilliant developments of civilization. Each great wave brought such a re-creation after the period of de- struction—re-creation which lifted civilization to a new and higher level. In each case, however, the creative period was followed by stagnation when the energy bred of the forests had been dis- sipated in the fields. Then came a new wave out of the North, repeating the process.

Several times this process has been repeated, back into the dimmest beginnings of history and before. The civilizations of Crete and Sumeria and Egypt, of the Chow Dynasty in China, of the Rig Veddha period in India-—they came into being when the barbarian hunters of one thousand-year-long wave out of the North began to civilize themselves. Greece and Rome were the products ot another such wave; and the Hans and Tangs in China.

Then came stagnation, and a new wave. The Vandals and Huns, the Vikings and Normans, the ravaging hordes of Tambur- laine and Ghenghis and Kublai Khan, the Manchus and the Mo- guls, the discoverers and settlers of the American continents in these modern days, the merchants and missionaries adventuring into the Far East—these, and those that have followed, have been wavelets on the surface of the most recent of the great waves of expansion out of the North of Europe and Asia.

This wave, like its predecessors, has brought much destruction, and no little re-creation. Today the destructive phase, which began in Eusope with the Renaissance, is well along but still, probably, hot at its apogee. Civilization has been raised to a new level, higher �[Page 322]322 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

than anything which has gone before.

So far, history has been repeating itself in essentials, though this wave of expansion, in numbers involved, in territory covered, in destruction done, in constructive results already achieved, has been on a far larger scale than any of its predecessors.

It is interesting to speculate whether history will go on repeat- ing itself. Is ‘the decline of the West’ at hand? Have we come to the beginning of “the passing of the great race”? Will the energy of this drive burn itself out in due course, and civilization settle down into another long period of stagnation caused by the condi- tions which produced stagnation following the conquest of agri- cultural lands by hunters in the past?

If so, this final stage will be nothing more than the rounding out of another cycle of stagnation, destructive conquest, re-creation lifting civilization to a higher level—and stagnation again. History will repeat itself fully.

This is a very real possibility. Even in the relatively modern West, wherever conditions of comparative long settlement and congested population have developed—i.e., wherever the funda- mental conditions of the typical agricultural lands have appeared— the typically agricultural relation of the single person to the group, with all that is part of the situation out of which that relation grows, also has developed. Indications are many, in the West today, that the filling up of the lands with people has brought marked changes in fundamental attitudes toward life, toward so- ciety and toward the individual—changes away from those of the hunters toward those of the agriculturists.

For all the brilliant development of modern science and the Machine Age, it is by no means certain that history will not con- tinue to repeat itself, and mankind once more settle back into a period of stagnation.

But what then? There are no more barbarian hunters to sweep down out of the North, break up the stagnation of the thickly- settled lands, and start a new cycle of progress.

Mankind therefore would seem doomed, in the long future, to an unbroken tranquility of stagnation, with a few living in de- �[Page 323]WHY EAST AND WEST ARE DIFFERENT 323

genetating luxury and the rn any toiling hopelessly through their valueless lives.

Except for one factor: this turn of the age-long cycle in which we are today sharing, has seen modern scientific development bring into play certain fundamentally new forces in the relation of men to each other and to the world in which they live. Has mankind, through this means, reached the point where it can see its own road with sufficient clarity and control its own destiny with sufficient ef- fectiveness to direct its future development into a new and straight and continuously rising course?

It is interesting to speculate. Meanwhile, we today are vitally concerned with understanding the reasons for the differences be- tween the East and the West so that, understanding, we may the

better control and direct our future. (Concluded) �[Page 324]THE STUPIDITY OF THE SWORD

by JOHN HERMAN RANDALL, JR. Department of Philosophy, Columbia University

E are familiar these days with the contention that war W: wrong: the moral pacifists have been numerous and convincing. We are still more familiar with the dis. covery that it is brutal and destructive: sentimental pacifism is widespread in these piping days of peace, as sentimental militariasm was rife amidst the alarums of battle. We have come to feel that war is, or should be—we are not quite sure which essentially inhuman. But the inhumanity of war is apt to suggest to us the latest war movie or war novel, full of blood and stench and dirt and vermin. It is therefore highly stimulating to come upon a book which insists that the basic inhumanity of war is not immorality, nor yet again its cruelty, but its stupidity; that the sword renders them that take it, and them that put their faith in the taking of it, and the civilizations in which it is eagerly grasped. increasingly weak in brains. In a general way we have long sus: pected that soldiers, and especially brass hats, are not highly in- tellectual men. We have, however, been prone to credit them with a certain degree of intelligence, a certain low cunning within their own mystery: they may know nothing else, but at least they know the art of warfare. Now comes Mr. Esmé Wingfeld-Stratford, in his They That Take the Sword,’ to tell us that we have been all wrong, that soldiers are as stupid within the profession of arms as they manifestly are in the other walks of life, and to cite chapter and verse to prove it. Mr. Wingfield-Stratford knows whereof he speaks. He comes

from a line of British soldiers; his father was a Brigadier-General,

1—Esmé Wingfield-Stratford, They That Take the Sword. Wm. Morrow & Co. xviii, 424 pp. $4.0”. 424 �[Page 325]' THE STUPIDITY OF THE SWORD 325

his brother a Major, he himself served as Captain. He is thus by birthright a member of the English noblesse de l’épée. He belongs by education as well; he went through the proper cursus honorum at Eton and King’s College, Cambridge. But then by some strange chance he turned to the London School of Economics, and he has of late blossomed forth as a social historian of wide horizons and deep erudition. He knows the military profession and the military mind from within, and he knows the record of its dubious achieve- ments in history. He writes with a fine passion, and yet with no appeal to the emotions. He is thus eminently qualified to undertake a biting analysis of the Hero as Soldier.

His book is not well organized, and especially at the begin- ning is rather discursively written. He draws upon his wide learn- ing to illustrate the basic thesis that war is a disease of civilization, not a vestigial organ, that it is a disease whose malignancy increases with every increase in man’s command over the blind forces of nature. Within the framework of this general contention he gathers many afguments common to minds reflecting upon the conse- quences of strife and international anarchy. His originality con- sists in his demonstration that war is a disease that attacks the brain of civilization even more than it attacks the heart or pocket-book, and that the most beautiful symptoms are revealed in the brain of the professional soldier. One gains the impression that Shaw's generals err by understatement when compared with a military staff athe flesh.

‘fr, Wingfield-Stratford first endeavors to scotch the Vic- tu. a myth of the primitive cave-man. Man is not by nature war- like; fighting is acquired only with the blessings of civilization. The duel is a later development, originally a rite of religion or the law-courts. So too is the blood-feud, tolerated only for a brief ‘tage in human development.

Nor does even civilization necessarily bring warfare with it. i gvpt developed a peaceful civilization, with but a few interludes of madness. It was in Mesopotamia that war first flourished and infected human life; Enneatum appears as the first military leader on record, Sumerian king of Lagash. Caught up in a chain of causes �[Page 326]326 “WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

bevond its control, the ancient Near East succumbed to the disease. It ran its inevitable course and killed the states that could not resist the contagion, What it does to communities that cease to struggle against it is manifest in Assyria, in Sparta, in Prussia. There is displaved the qintessence of militarism; there everything has been sacrificed to military power: wealth, art, knowledge, the good life. And there such single-minded devotion to battle defeats itself; they that take the sword perish by the sword, Even cultures originally noble, like the Roman, or the Athenian, began to disintegrate when attacked by the swollen dropsy of mili- tury conquest. Only the Peruvian Empire of the Incas managed to expand without cracking under the strains and stresses of extended dominion, and that because they conquered not by the sword but by the torch of civilization.

After brief treatments of the destructiveness of war and of the stereotypes by which men are led to fight, Mr. Wingfield-Strat- ford strikes his stride when he approaches the military profes: sional, With telling effect he sketches the portrait of the soldicr, his soul and his mind, and analyzes the claims of the great con- quering heroes to possess even a military genius. There is some: thing to be said tor the completely mercenary captain, at the head of his hired troops, like the Chinese who wrote the Book of War in the 5th century B.C., the condottieri of the quattrocento, or the skilled specialists of the 18th century. If force is to be the arbiter one settlement is as good as another, and a small and expert body of trained artists at arms can reach a decision with less destruction than a horde of patriotic and willing cannon-fodder. War under such auspices may be a luxury, but it is mot ruinous. The profes- sional hireling will not risk his own neck nor the lives of valuable plavers unnecessarily; bribery is safer than bloodshed, and no hired captain will venture the ruin of the treasury of his employer by pro- longed struggle. Such war is a kind of international football match; its decisions are as rational as though whole nations cut each others’ throats. Such polite pastimes, unfortunately, are ruined when bar- barians appear who disregard the rules of the game, like the French armies that poured into Italy under Charles VIII and desolaied �[Page 327]THE STUPIDITY OF THE SWORD 327

the land, or when religious fervor inflames one side, as in the ar- mics of the Revolution. Since ’93 commanders have forsaken skill and strategy for reliance upon sheer numbers of willing victims, and the art of war has correspondingly degenerated. It is as though the audience in the Yale Bowl started a general melée.

Clausewitz defined war as an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfil our will. The soldier, accordingly, is one who applies force @ owtrance and to order, without regard to right of reason, Such a man finds that his profession has certain psycho- ogical effects. Free rein is given within permitted channels to his lust for power, and his ferocity is intensified by the rigid repression of necessary discipline. Ruthlessness is the concomitant of military enciency. Sadism and other unbridled sexuality mark the profes- sion of arms. Almost inevitably the soldier becomes a typical Freu- lian case. Nor does his intelligence fare better. The soldier must oifey without reasoning why. Although a certain limited amount of initiative may be encouraged, he is at bottom part of a machine, and the habit of uniformity and standardized reaction is his great- «t virtue. Constant submission to authority, and reliance on force rither than reason, is the most effective method of stunting the nund ever devised. Small wonder, then, that the military profession .s the most conservative and convention-bound in the world. One mav learn to command by obeying, but one does not learn to think, even on military lines. The greatest commanders have been ama- tcurs, royal captains who escaped the lower ranks, or else students “ke Foch released from active service. The traditional training of the soldier on the parade-ground or in artificial manoeuvres based on vanished conditions utterly unfits any man for modern warfare. The penalty of soldiering is stupidity.

So true is this that Mr. Wingfield-Stratford can find little of xenius in even the most famous conquerors. Victory has usually come from the ineptitude of opponents; Alexander, Hannibal, Cacsar, Frederick, Napoleon, all won their reputations against poor soldiers, and displayed astonishing fallibility when faced by their equals. Increasingly a commander can win great victories without betraying great talent, for under modern mass-warfare the �[Page 328]328 WORLD UNITY, MAGAZINE

palm goes to the national resources rather than to skill. One does not have to be able in order to command a great army, like Xerxes. Genuine military craftsmanship, indeed, may be associated with defeat as often as with victory; it was most apparent in the blood- less wars of the professionals. The Prince of Parma, Turenne and de Saxe, Prince Eugene, and above all Marlborough, were far more faultless technicians than Frederick, Napoleon, Foch, or Ludendortft.

So consistently have armies fought by rule that a single new weapon or new idea has bewildered oponents and turned the scale for gencrations. For the true soldier, any horrors of defeat are preferable to the birth-throes of a new idea. Each innovation has awakened the intense moral indignation of the profession: to alter the rules is so unchristian! The unreceptivity of the military mind to technological innovation has alone preserved our scientific civili- zation from suicide. But there is a Gresham’s Law in arms as in currency, and the most debased coin drives out the better in the long run. Skill always gives way to brute power.

After a brief historical survey, in which it is pointed out how Christendom is the only mature civilization that has not only failed to progress in unity, cooperation and the subordination of conflict, but has actually degenerated since the Middle Ages, Mr. Wing: ficld-Stratton turns to the modern Warfare that since the Revolution has replaced professional skill with patriotic butchery. With re- morseless logic he chronicles the decay of the art. War has gotten out of even the soldier's control. He has called for ever more power, more cannon-fodder, more support in morale and deceptive propaganda. He has been utterly blind to the consequences ot making his armies so unwieldly they can only be driven to slaugh- ter, utterly unprepared for each new weapon forced upon him. The scientific and technological revolution in fighting has founc him even more unable to earn than the civilian. He has put his faith in the shock of the cavalry charge, though cavalry has been antiquated since Frederick. He has seen no need to improve rifles and artillery. He has driven men to the shambles with growing recklessness in infantry charges that modern weapons have made �[Page 329]THE STUPIDITY OF THE SWORD 329

wholly useless. Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, Gravelotte, Sedan, Ver- dun. the Somme—each set a new record in stupid and futile butch- crv. The only defense of the sacrifice of four hundred thousand men in Flanders is the terrible statement of the Chief of the British General Staff, “I confess I stick to it because I see nothing better, and because my instinct prompts me to stick to it, than because of any good argument by which I can support it.”

In 1898 the Polish banker Bloch predicted with great accuracy the inevitable stalemate of modern warfare, and the ordeal by ex- haustion. Soldiers laughed at him, but he was right. His one error was in assuming that the military command would have the com- mon sense not to persist in driving their men out of the trenches into massacre. But for years they did, because the chiefs could think of nothing better to do, and felt they must be doing some- thing. In 1911 Norman Angell prdJicted with equal accuracy the economic effects of the struggle of endurance. He too thought that rcason could conquer stupidity.

Like an Aeschylean trilogy the Great War moved forward. Hardly a flash of military talent relieved the tragedy of errors. Automatically the mobilizations proceeded, till all Europe, was at utms. The soldier had his chance—and reveled in incompetence.

It any one had predicted that the event would reveal a lower depth of mental ineptitude than had been touched even by Fla- minius and Vatro in the Punic or by Mack and Whitelock in the ‘\apoleonic Wars, he would have been scouted as an anti-militarist cone mad. Yet this was what actually happened, only without any ilannibal or Napoleon arising to provide a contrast.” The French sult vied with the German in muddle-headed incompetence.

Never had the intellectual bankruptcy of the military mind been more signally revealed. Throughout the whole course of the op- ciitions, from the crossing of the frontier to the incomplete but .'timately decisive allied victory on the Marne, not only is it im- possible to detect the remotest spark of anythimg that could be tied genius—that would perhaps be too much to expect—but idom the most ordinary competence or commonsense of leader-

suip.”” Then set in the wearing down of the home front, relieved e �[Page 330]330 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

only by the shambles of utterly futile attacks and drives, “the most

ointless and unintelligent slaughter in the whole history of war.” Mr. Wingfield-Stratford has no patience with those who see the outcome as a military victory against German arms. “War between modern armies is in tact decided not by arms, but by exhaustion, and when the breaking point comes it matters little in what way the collapse happens to be precipitated.” And after the armistice— even a gang of brigands would scorn to hold somebody to ransom by starving his children, and continue to starve them while the gang Icisurely disputed over the amount and distribution of the suin to be exacted. But the Allied blockade was good military logic

Since the war it has been the same familiar story, threatening the suicide of civilization. Future war will differ from past war as a cancer from fever. There may be little novelty in the conclusion that every modern war is essentially civil war, but the fact is in- escapable. Yet—there are the Fascists, the Communists, the Nazis! Mr. Wingficld-Stratford is driven to the reluctant conclusion that the hope of civilization lies not in youth, as receptive as ever to the dream of military glory and liberation by force, but in maturity. Not in youthful enthusiasm, but in mature wisdom and intelli- gence, lies the hope of victory over stupidity.

In intelligence—and something more. There must be a new philosophy, a new religion, a new spirit, if civilization is to be saved. “It is not enough to frame laws and treaties, leagues anc covenants, indispensable though these things may be. War is « spirit, and it is only by a change of spirit that we can hope to master it. Every revolution of environment demands a corresponding revolution of the inner man—the choice is always between adapta tion and death. The Kingdom of God is within us. Beyond our national and racial boundaries, there is the possibility of a wide: communion; and however deep and tender the love that we cherisi tor our country, there is in us the capacity for a patriotism unre stricted by frontiers, that of a spiritual kingdom whose coming 15° peace, a patriotism that does not destroy or supersede the older loves, but harmonizes them like notes in one transcendant melody.

Liberalism is in total eclipse. Official Christianity revealee

�[Page 331]THE STUPIDITY OF THE SWORD 331

itself in the Great War as a stench and an abomination. The forces of peace are gathering strength, but as'yet they have found neither a religion nor a philosophy to bind them together. First of all there must be light, clear insight, candid self-examination. Then there must be a genuine religion of spiritual unity, world-wide in scope as mankind is now one. Fascism, Bolshevism, have worked won- ders because they have discovered that the community is a spiritual unity. Alas, they have stopped at the fronticr.

“There is no reason why mankind should not build up its spiritual organization in entire independence of the existing state machinery. It would seem that the time is ripe for the birth of a new world-order, like that of early Christianity, not hostile to, but apart from, the existing state systems. Such a world order as we cnvisage would have the eftect of providing the League of Nations with a soul. About this spiritual revolution there is nothing of sentimentality or of emotionalism in the bad sense. The true ra- tionalist is he who wishes to see the affairs of mankind ordered on rational principles, but this will never be accomplished except by a change of spirit. A spiritual revlution, indeed, is needed to make the world safe for science, and science safe for the world.”

“The spirit of mankind is nothing but the spirit of every one of us. A spiritual revolution must be individual before it can be- come world-wide. To reform the world, we shall begin best by reforming ourselves. It is only ignorance of the facts that prevents millions of thinking people today from breaking, like Bunyan’s man in rags, into a lamentable cry. ‘What shall I do?’ There is something that every one of us can do. He can devote himself, with all his heart and mind and soul and strength, to cultivating the right spirit, a spirit inspired by love and guided by reason, in himself first of all, and afterwards in others. Such a spirit, even though it be at first kindled only in a few isolated individuals, will assuredly prove infectious; mind will take fire from mind, spirit trom spirit, until, with irresistible force the new movement sweeps through and transforms the world. If this spirit is once abroad, means will not be lacking for its organization. The hour will pro- duce the men—it is of such quickening that genius is born.” �[Page 332]THE PATH OF HISTORY by PAUL HINNER

EVOLUTION OF HUMAN AFFAIRS

HE outline of the order of development of human affairs as

embodied in the science of sociology prior to the World

War was proven erroneous through its inability to perceive

and to point out the forces which led to the great conflict. Besides that it had failed to recognize the organic entity of the dif- ferent civilizations and the alternating domination of their human components by spiritual and materialistic desires. In the following pages an attempt will be made to remedy this deficiency, and to show that the development of human affairs is interwoven with the development of the planets and of organic life and therefore is a part of the process of evolution. In order to do justice to the sub- ject it is necessary to review history from a strictly neutral stand- point and to record all conclusions without fear or favor of any of the national or social sub-divisions of the human race.

The relation of mankind to the universe as far as it is of im- mediate concern is summed up in the formula: “The state of de- velopment of the planets and of all life on them is relative to the position of the planets in the solar system.” Out of the slow re- cession of the earth from the sun grew the conditions necessary for the existence of organic life. In the early stages of their develop- ment the living beings were governed only by the impulse for selt- preservation and propagation. Later the impressions from the outer world caused the development of a desire for knowledge and ex- perience. This desire lifted some of the forms of organic life to a higher level and mankind rose out of this group to leadership, 4532 �[Page 333]THE PATH OF HISTORY . 333

because in it the desire was strongest and led in the most favorable direction. In the course of time the progressing evolution and the accumulating knowledge and experience in turn led to the develop- ment of selfconsciousness, will and the ability to think, reason, imagine, and to draw conclusions. Simultaneously with this mental progress emotional sensibilities developed which caused man to feel elated in consequence of certain actions and to suffer remorse on account of others. These mental and emotional faculties in their combination amounted to a spiritual sense through which the hu- man race became perceptive of and subject to forces of nature which are not recorded by the material senses.

The organs and faculties for thought and emotion must there- fore be considered the receiving apparatus for the influence of spiritual forces and intuition, the first impression of this influence. The evolution of a social order was the consequence of this contact with spiritual forces. The course of this social development, how- ever, is less well known than the material development, because tor the latter the conditions of the planets, the structure of the earth and the abundance of fossils furnish a fairly good record, while for the former only the written history of the human race is available. This evolution of a social order has up to now taken place through an unconscious reacting of different parts of the human race to new principles of conduct.

The development of the solar system, the slow recession of the carth from the sun, the change of the conditions for the existence of organic life and the succession of different principles which regulate the conduct of mankind in the progressive material and spiritual transformation are parts of a great process of life which animates the universe and all are therefore relative to each other. This process of life becomes visible to mankind as a chain of cause ind effect, a wavelike penetration of matter by the material and

‘spiritual forces of nature, a dissolving of obsolete forms of life and « reassembling of their components in new and superior combiaa- tions. Many details of nature become perceptible only in the form of contrasts: “Light and darkness, heat and cold, joy and sorrow, etc.” Nature as a whole in like manner appears as matter and mind �[Page 334]334 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

and becomes in this way tangible to mankind, because each part is the contrast of the other. Matter is energy in its lowest form while mind is energy of the highest order. Both are opposite extremes of nature, similar as heat and cold are opposite extremes of tempera- ture. They are at once a duality and also a unit; a form of relation- ship, which has another similarity in husband and wife. Matter and mind must therefore be considered as equivalent parts of nature which are mutually conditional for the evolution of selfconscious life. This evolution consists of a continuous improvement of suc- cessive, living organisms, in physical, mental and moral respects.

Material forces in the meaning here used are: Temperature, light, gravity, magnetism, etc. Spiritual forces are ideas and prin- ciples which become active in and through the formation of matter to living beings. For instance: Justice, love of knowledge, honesty, patriotism, tolerance, democracy, economy, etc. When the spiritual forces are present iia too large or too small a measure, they become harmful or destructive to the forms of life which stand under their influence. In order to be beneficial and constructive, they must pre- serve a certain relativity to the progressive unfolding of life. Too much democracy suppresses talent and destroys leadership, too Much economy turns into avarice and fosters disregard for the wel- fare of others. On the other hand the amount of justice which pre- vails in the affairs of mankind today is insufficient for the well- being of large masses of the human race on account of its lack in economic affairs, but it would have been harmful to society and to progress 1,000 years ago through being excessive. Through scif- consciousness, reason and will, humanity has been endowed with the faculty of determining within certain limits the measure of the spiritual forces necessary for the promotion of its affairs, in a similar way as it can regulate the amount of heat or light desired for comfort. However, as the whole always dominates its subordinate parts, mankind can realize its desires only as long as they remain within the confines and direction of the process of life.

In order to obtain certain objects, nature in many instances as- sembics the living beings into groups or massbeings: Meadows, forests, colonies of ants and bees, atolls of coral, shoals of fish, �[Page 335]THE PATH OF HISTORY 335

herds of mammals and many others. Naturally the massbeing plays a larger and more important rdle in the plan of nature than the individual beings. In many instances only the massbeing can fulfill the conditions of life of the individuals which compose it. Like- wise can only large groups successfully perform certain functions in the process of life. The attracting and storing of moisture by the forests and the fructification and usefulness of the grains through growing in masses are instances. Every massbeing is a unit in itself and governs the conduct of its individuals through prin- ciples which best serve to promote their welfare under the prevail- ing conditions, as through that in turn the fulfillment of its own purpose is made possible in the largest measure. Mankind also torms massbeings; but the human massbeing is not the family, nor the nation or race, but the epoch of civilization. Up to now this term has been used only in the sense of meaning a period of time. To cover the new conception of the epoch of civilization it must be lyoadened to mean a collective being in which large numbers of individuals are united through spiritual forces to a unit of uniform aspirations and culture.

Although history has not been recorded from this standpoint, an unbiased review of it reveals clearly a row of such epochs. Up to now these have been denoted generally with a geographic or racial name: Egypt, Babylon, India, Phoenicia, Greece, Rome, the Mayas and Incas. As a consequence of the wide extent of the later civilizations and the diversity of the embraced people it is more practical to name them after their fundamental principle. The epoch which succeeded ancient Rome and which spread over Eu- rope and America and forcibly imposed its rule on the larger part of the world up to the present time, must therefore be called the cpoch of aggressive individualism. It brought all parts of the human race into contact with each other, abolished slavery and made political equality the governing principle.

The epoch which during the same period governed the devel- opment of the affairs of mankind in the Orient must in distinction from the former epoch, be called the civilization of passive indi- vidualism. It abolished slavery and established political equality �[Page 336]336 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

within its range of influence by peaceful means, but on account of its passive view of life did not contribute to the exploring and de- velopment of unknown parts of the world. Every epoch is a living entity and has a definite span of life. The nations which compose it are subdivisions and the citizens of these nations the cells of its body. The religious, political and economic instititions are its or- gans; they supplement each other and fulfill all functions which are required for the growth and existence of a being of this order. Religion is the directive force and determines the conduct of the individuals through moral principles which assure spiritual unity and the elevation of morals and culture above the former level. The political organs collect the power which develops in all parts of the body and apply it wherever the growth of the epoch and thie attaining of its object make this necessary. The economic institu- tions procure the required nourishment and distribute it with the aid of the currency to all cells of the body. The currency is the blood in the body of the epoch of civilization and its uninterrupted circulation is a necessity for a healthy growth and a normal life. In the formative period of a new civilization the human material stratifies into separate layers according to the devotion and useful- ness to the new governing principle. These layers gradually harden into classes and during the decline in consequence of the increasing selfishness become hostile to each other.

Just the same as individual beings are subject to sickness and disease, so are the epochs of civilization subject to internal and external disturbances and deviations from the natural course of development. These diseases are caused by spiritual indolence and mental perversion, misuse of power for selfish purposes by groups or individuals, lack of cohesion and harmony between national or social subdivisions of the epoch, etc. They take the form of periods of decadence,inational and racial animosities, states of anarchy or disturbances in the functions of the affected organs. Violence in the form of wars, revolutions or local insurrections is generally their consequence and also their cure. The conditions leading to the Reformation and the French Revolution and the mania for the burning of supposed witches were such diseases. Unusual occur- �[Page 337]THE PATH OF HISTORY 337

rences like the great migration of races and the World War, are the events which accompany the dying of an old civilization, and the birth of a new one. If in any civilization, conditions develop which stifle the desire of the human components for further know- ledge and experience it becomes dormant and is absorbed by an- other epoch or later revived through new principles to further ac- tivity. With the slow recession of the planets from the sun as a mechanical force behind the progressive development of all forms of life, this process becomes inexorable in all its phases and the massbeings must in like manner as the individual beings, grow to maturity, decline with age and die, even against their own will, so that they may be replaced by a successor corresponding in a larger measure to the new position and condition of the planet.

In the decline of an obsolete epoch, the lower stratas of its human material are oppressed by the increasing selfishness of the upper stratas in a measure which prevents them from rising to a higher level of culture and well-being. However, the ensuing physical and mental sufferings increase their capacity for reacting to spiritual forces. They perceive the new governing principle and the growth of the conception of right and wrong, which during the decline of the epoch had come to a standstill, is reanimated in them. This causes them to strive for an extension of justice beyond its former scope. Through that the oppressed rise to a higher moral plane than their oppressors and in consequence gain the ascendency because moral superiority is the first requisite of constructive lead- ership. Their ideals are in the course of time consolidated by gifted leaders and become a new religion. The growth of Christianity among the oppressed masses of decaying Rome, is an example. The ideal of equality of the individuals as embodied in the Christian religion was readily accepted by the multitude of slaves and other suffering stratas of the Roman population. This spiritual and moral growth expresses itself in idealistic views and unselfish devotion to the cause of the new justice. The common ideal binds the individ- uals together to a living unit which absorbs in its growth other parts of the human race and in this way becomes the body of a new cpoch of civilization in which the ideals of the formerly oppressed �[Page 338]338 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

classes are the guiding spirit. While the epoch is in the ascendency, spiritual interests and the desire to serve the new ideal over-balance the selfish-materialistic interests in the majority of individuals. En- quiries about the relation of mankind to the universe and the forces which dominate the process of life take place and waves of enthu- siasm stir the masses to unselfish deeds and great accomplishments. The spreading of three great religions in China in the first part of the Christian era, the propagation of Christianity and Islam in the 8th and oth centurics and the holding of many councils by the Christian church to clarify its docturine are instances. After the epoch has completed its growth and passed the zenith, the selfish desires and the love of material possessions increase until they out- weigh the spiritual desires. This again brings about an expansion of the methods and means for satisfying the growing materialistic demands. However, as the selfishness continues to increase and the love of material possessions tends to go to extremes, a point iS finally reached at which the spiritual forces binding the human beings together to a massbeing are nullified and the dissolution of their civilization is the natural result.

The desire of the majority of individuals to possess more ma- terial goods than are necessary for their well-being in a normal state of life, leads naturally to the oppression of those that are placed at a disadvantage in consequence of their lower position in the social structure. However, the oppressed are not less selfish than the oppressors. This has been demonstrated whenever one of them rose into a higher strata of society, but the suffering from the oppression tends to lessen their selfishness, to make them more sympathetic and just towards their fellowmen and to ennoble their character. On account of their inability to obtain material posses- sions, they are also less dominated by them than their oppressors and therefore more receptive to the influence of spiritual forces.

In harmony with this course of development, the religious organs are first in importance at the beginning of the epoch, when the object of the new civilization and the line of conduct for attain- ing it, have to be defined. Later the political organs gain the as- cendency and direct affairs until the object has been attained. Then �[Page 339]THE PATH OF HISTORY 339

the decline begins and the selfish materialistic tendencies of the individuals give the leading réle to the economic organs. At this stage opposing currents of selfishness which are expressed in the conduct of groups of individuals and which become consolidated in the policies of the governments of the different countries, lead to conflicts which weaken the epoch and bring about its dissolution. The degree of violence with which the dissolution takes place is rclative to the amount of selfishness which prevails at the time. Human selfishness is a destructive force, which after reaching a "max in the dissolution of an old civilization, recedes again be- tore the constructive forces of the process of life and a new civili- zation comes into being. The rdle of the human emotions in the successive stages of this process can not yet be clearly determined, but they seem to give volume and power to the different currents of development.

The penetration of mankind by the forces active in the process of life, varies in degree from the unconscious to the conscious. The accumulating knowledge widens the perception of the human race of its position in the process of life and enables it to adjust itself to this process with an ever increasing measure ot facility. Up to now this adjustment has taken place mostly unconsciously and the actions of many historical persons as well as of whole nations can only be understood if they are considered as the unconscious ad- justing and service to the process of life. For instance: Yinghis Khan turned Islam and Christianity westward and the exploring and opening of the Western Hemisphere by the European nations was the natural result, but he was not aware of the extent of his accomplishments. Persons of historic prominence are the medium through which forces inherent in the process of life are translated into action and accomplish a definite part of the development of human affairs. Through the perception of the organic entity of the cpoch of civilization, selfconsciousness is enlarged because man- kind sees itself concentrated to a higher form of life: “The collec- tive being” and is now enabled to adjust itself knowingly and voluntarily to the new situation created by the natural flow of evo- ution, by adopting a collective mode of conduct. This progressive �[Page 340]340 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

development of human affairs through successive or parallel epochs of civilization represents the materialization of the principles which are relative to the position and condition of the planet. The burden of this process has passed successively in the form of leadcr- ship from one part of the human race to another whenever a change of principle took place. The race foremost in human affairs at a given time, must therefore not fall into the error of assuming that it holds the position of leadership indefinitely, but it must recog: nize that in the course of time a change of principle will again take place and another part of the human race will be inspired to carry the new principle to victory.

An outstanding feature in the record of history is the impor- tant réle which religion has played in every epoch of civilization. This fact cannot be ignored if a clear and accurate understanding of the development of human affairs is desired. It is not logical to condemn or deny parts of the process of life for the sole reason that they don’t fit into our conception of this process. Religion has been the directive force in every epoch of civilization and has ii: ways formulated the governing principle in terms which were com- mensurable to the mental level of its adherents. It represents the human conception of the forces active in the process of life and specifies the corresponding line of conduct. This conception was up to now mostly depicted in symbolic form as the limited know- ledge did not permit a more precise interpretation. Religious sym- bolism in some instances has even depicted subconscious percep: tions of truth. The totemism of the Alaska Indians is such an ex- ample. It corresponds to biologic principles, of which however, the Indians had no knowledge. In consequence of the accumulating knowledge and experience this necessity for symbolism has dimin- ished until now the mental state of the major part of the human race will accept only visible and understood reality of nature and life as the basis for a future religion. The diminishing of the in- fluence of religion is the first indication of the decline of a civiliza- tion. It shows that human knowledge has increased since the found: ing of that religion and that the old conception of life is below the new mental level. The affected parts of mankind, lacking direct!0a �[Page 341]THE PATH OF HISTORY 341

appropriate to the new conceptions, follow their own selfish in- clinations. A tendency to ignore the obsolete moral restrictions and to seek satisfaction in the accumulation of material possessions de- velops in the individuals and the dissolution of their civilization is the natural result. Religion therefore must be considered as the expression of a force of nature, through which the development of man affairs is kept in harmony with the process of life on the pianet. The moral force which induces us to think and act in con- tormity with the process of life, that is our religion and not the intexible formula of faith to which we adhere for selfish reasons rout of mental laziness.

The known major religions have all originated on the ma- terialism of a declining civilization and spread from there to other parts of the human race. This unused human material became then the foundation for a new epoch of civilization. Buddhism orig- inated on the stagnant materialism of India but became later the spiritual guide of a new civilization in China. The Roman religion was derived from inspirations originating in declining Greece. Christianity took root and flourished on the materialistic cadaver of ancient Rome and spread from there over Europe, America and other parts of the world. In this way the continuity of the process ot the cultural elevation of mankind was maintained. Human af- tuirs at the present time contain many features which indicate that tis process is still in operation and that a new religion and a new civilization are gradually taking shape.

(To te continued) �[Page 342]THE NOVEL OF THE WAR YEARS by

EVELYN NEWMAN Professor of English, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida

IV

ROPAGANDA Of a like kind but frequently redeemed by more Pr expression characterizes the work of Andreas Latzko.

Menschen im Krieg by this Austrian writer was published

in 1918, at a time when violence of thought was more ex. cusable than it is today. The stories of the book form a series.

Off to the War

It is late autumn of the second year of war. The place is a garden of a war hospital. Long lines of trains packed with singing, shouting men are going to the front. Others are returning slowly, filled with the bleeding sufferers for the hospital. In this tale, the wives and mothers and sweethearts of the men are blamed for sending off their loved ones so gaily. There is a gruesome picture of three men hobbling along—three men who have but two legs among them.

The Baptism of Fire

The character of Lieutenant Weixler, always harsh, alway: punishing his men, thinking of nothing but killing the enemy, : depicted as too brutal for a lad of twenty. He forced his company of Reservists straight across open fields, hoping by such an act to win for himself a medal for distinguished service. In contrast to this “fighting cock” is the kind civilian Captain to whom nothing is more repulsive than the singing of praises of war sacrifice such as the famous motto: “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.” .

442 �[Page 343]THE NOVEL OF THE WAR YEARS 343

The Victor

This describes General X. He is unlimited master of hundreds of thousands of human lives. He will not ‘“deign to hope for peace.” He ordered the playing of military music in the open square before the Court House to inspire school children with patriotic ardor and to make a good fellowship between the citizens of the town and the staff of officers billeted there. He refused, however, to allow the sick and wounded soldiers from the hospital to foregather in the square for the enjoyment of the concert. The sight of their mutilation and suffering would subdue the gaiety. He wanted the people to think of war as a gay holiday pastime instead of the hideous oe that it really was.

My Comrade: A Diary

The story of a man who is haunted by one he had killed in battle. Always inside his eyelids he sees his victim’s dying agony. “Can a man live at a distance from his crucified self when the whole world resounds with the horrors? Can one forget the taunt of ‘Man Salad’ thrown at an officer?” This is a madman’s story giving the horrors that drove him mad.

Hero’s Death

A symbolic story of the dying lieutenant who received his mor- tal wound by the blow of a phonograph record dashed on his head from a shrapnel explosion. This record is used as a symbol of the soldiers ‘“They all have phonograph heads’—'that is what a mili- tary training and war do to a man’—“All the men had records in their necks. Their heads had been unscrewed and replaced by records singing national airs.”

Home Again

John Bogdan, terribly mutilated about the face, returned to his home village in Hungary. Not even the wife of the station- guard, a woman who had been his friend from childhood, recog- nized him. His handsome fiancée was working up in the castle in a shell factory run by “the gentleman of the castle.” This noble gen- tleman earned his hundred pounds a day as Director of the factory �[Page 344]344 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

atid, incidentally, had made Bogdan’s sweetheart his mistress. Bog- dan killed him and was in turn killed by the forester—a servant of the noble.

The later work of both Barbusse and Dorgelés shows a certain falling off in artistic quality. Dorgelés in his Le Cabaret de la Belle Femme (1928) has, however, stories of attistic power, though no single one of them is much more than a reinforcement of his state- ments in Les Croix de Bois. There is humor in Les Poissons Rouges, telling as it does of a big mine which was an attraction for the sight- seeing officers ~ivilians, great and near-great. The destruction of this mine was ~ off from day to day because the General wanted to keep his cem.. of attraction. Lousteau, with a wit reminding us of Sulphart, said: “The only thing missing was the Germans.” Then the Germans got into the mine, blowing up the sap and com- ing out in the French second line.

“We must get back the wood,” cried the General. At last he heard that half of it had been taken. “Only half,—the rest must be recovered at once.” A third battalion reserve is moved up, and at dawn they had retaken the entrance to the mine. The decimated regiment stopped. “It is a pity. I am convinced that with a little good will they could have taken the rest,” said the General.

As a reward the decimated regiment was moved back to Head: quarters where they were allow ed to enjoy themselves by wandcr- ing about in the park of the chateau. One day the General found them fishing in his pet gold-fish pond: “Oh, my poor little fish, mv poor little fish!” In a fury this friend of the fish, the angry General, was going to take the names of all the men for punishment. Sud- denly tching sight of their stripes, he recalled that they were the men who had attacked in the mine incident and whose battalion had lost so terribly: “Ah, yes, it was hard, very hard. I thought you would retake the whole wood—well, you did what you could. This time I won't punish you.”

Le Cabaret de la Belle Femme, the sketch which gives the book its name, tells of an old cabaret on the front, in Champagne be- tween Berry and Rheims. A halt had been made after a battle at Courcy. On an evening of September 1914, an officer asks for �[Page 345]THE NOVEL OF THE WAR YEARS 345

twenty men for a patrol. No one volunteers until he explains that it is to occupy the cabaret on the route to Laon, under the nose of the Germans. The mere mention of the name seemed “a promise of warm happiness, of plentiful food and gaiety.” The men re- sponded excitedly: “Present! Me!—Me!”’ “They start off led not by Sergeant Prévost but by illusion, love.” On arriving, they found a heap of bricks with a broken tileless roof beneath which were old bottles, “‘perhaps the belle femme too.” They spent a wretched night, cold and wet, watching the “hostile shadow in which the Germans wandered.” The teller of the story (it is written in the first person) says: ‘The episode has remained in my mind as the symbol of the war. We left feeling almost joyous, believing in adventure ... We returned, deceived, after days and months and vears—all of the same grey—having seen nothing but ruins be- neath which there was, perhaps, something.”

The book by M. Dorgelés which exceeds in power and beauty ail else that he has done is Le Réveil des Morts (1923). Because of its material, however, it must be discussed in the section devoted to post-war fiction.

Of M. Duhamel a last word may be added here. He has con- tinued to find real gold in the vein of humanity which he struck during the war. He has transferred his method of analysis as well as his sympathetic art from the wounded soldier to all the wounded of life, les hommes abandonnés, through any cause, perhaps through their own fault entirely. He sees the unfortunate, the un- happy, the lost ones of this modern machine age. His philosophy is not lacking all hope. Harking back to Rousseau, more perhaps akin to Edward Carpenter's Toward Democracy, he believes that the simple life, the real instead of the mere external, must be sought and held fast. He has the passion and sincerity that win respect. He ic 2 sustaining force and example for the younger generation of post-war writers.

(To be continued) �[Page 346]YOUTH DEMANDS PEACE THE RIGHT To LIVE

by CLiFFoRD L. Lorp

Undergraduate, Amherst College

"T HE Rights of Man”—how Americans of all generations

since 1783 have prided themselves on the sacred rights of the first Ten Amendments of the Constitution, the right of free speech, press, assembly and religion! How the right to vote has been hailed, in theory at least, as a sacred prerogative of every man and woman! How today the right of man to slake his thirst as he pleases is being vaunted and paraded! How much one hears of the right of every man to have gainful employment and a living wage! Yet back of all these there lies one indispensable right, one which by its very nature takes precedence over these others, one which lies at the basis of all prerogatives— the right to live. Although more inalienable, more sacred than any other right of mankind, this is not provided for in the Con- stitution nor is it guaranteed by any sman-made statute. In its place. man has been given the right to “die for his country”—an ironical phrase. Could not his country use him better, were he alive? This right to exist seems so self-evidently the basic prerogative of man that it is rather startling to find men high up in government. circles in Washington predicting, unequivocally if uncomfortably. war within five years,—to find on all sides blank and overwhelm: ing fog of pessimism about the Gene Conference, to find $616,000,000 naval building programs even being thought of, to find channels being closed to any further reduction of inter-allicd debts. It is disconcerting to see a key government through near- sightedness or the representations of vested interests, refuse to �[Page 347]YOUTH DEMANDS PEACE 347

employ the one effective instrument of non-violent diplomacy, the bovcott, to restore order in the Far East, to see newsreels of some of the great battles of the war featured on the same program with pacifist speeches by MacDonald, Lloyd George and Baldwin. It is alarming to read about Japanese attacks on American officials in China, to see the jingo press and the yellow sheets stirred to re- newed activity, to see Congressional refusal, however politic, to participate in the Reparations Conference, to see movies of foreign otlicials hooted at by theatergoers. It is ridiculous to read the army pamphlets justifying war in the eyes of God by quoting from the Bible, “....and underneath are the everlasting arms;” to find the world, not by any means recovered from a war to end war bristling with all the makings of another. It seems increasingly obvious that is suicidal course, fully appreciated two thousand years ago when at least one voice said, “He who liveth by the sword perisheth by the sword,” yet still the high folly goes on.

War is deplored by all parties; disarmament and international comraderie are praised by speechmakers and leaders of all nations, vet with the utmost duplicity, possibly coupled paradoxically cnough with sincere regret, these same men sanction armament programs, foster propaganda, prepare for the next war. And the power to declare war lies in the hands of these same few men. We who have to bear the burden have no say in the matter. In a gov- ernment of the people, by the people and for the people, men are still regarded in a military sense as so much cannon fodder, as potential fertilizers for the poppics of future Flanders Fields. Against this youth protests!

The slave, knowing that at any time he might be sold down the river, must have had this same helpless feeling, this sensation of the futility of his position. A trapped mouse, dimly sensing the hopelessness of escape yet struggling to get away, might share the mute resentment of youth at the war system. The inhabitants of the death house at Sing Sing must have that sense of impending

ure doom which comes with the imminence of war. Facing a cold, ‘aipassible barrier such as the existence of the war system creates,

. 7 . . . y s warping hfe and its ticher meanings, man, a tésel at neatt, revolts, �[Page 348]348 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

The author of “The Revolt of Modern Youth” only told half the story, for this coming generation demands that it be given its duc right to live out its allotted span, not secking a cowardly road, not looking for a soft way out, but protesting vigorously against a usc- less waste of its precious existence, demanding with all its mind. body and soul the right to live.

It is this complete and unmitigated disgust with the whole war system, this feeling of despair at the results into which diplo- matic blunders can lead an unwilling nation, this mad desire to gamble with anything rather than another war, this conviction that life is a thing too sacred to be trifled with, that is accountable in part for the growing revolt of youth against all things military, and the proportionate increase in the rolls of pacifist organizations. In a recent poll in one of the most famous of the small colleges of the East, nearly half of the student body said unequivocally that they would not fight under any circumstances in another war. To- gether with the growing number of students enrolled in the War Resister’s League, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and other kindred organizations, this testifies with startling emphasis the cur- rent attitude of young America on this question. The gabelles and the tailles of another day have their counterparts in the drafts and conscriptions of today, and that fine spirit of independence which is so lauded to the skies on Fourth of July is asserting itself in the true patriotism of those who feel that they will best serve the interests of their country if they refuse, at whatever personal Cost, to participate in a catastrophe which would set back civilization some fifty or a hundred years and cause untold suftering and misery among thcir fellow compatriots. It is not any yellow streak which leads men to take this decision. The number who would today face the firing squad before they would join the strange and mottled array of duped idealists and belligerent chauvinists which comprise a war time army, testifies to a spirit and courage which will take more than bugles or whiffs of grapeshot to stop.

War must go by the boards as less barbaric institutions have gone before it. Slavery fled before the onslaught of an outraged civilization. Narcotics have long been banned by indignant legis- �[Page 349]YOUTH DEMANDS PEACE 349

lators. Yet war remains, though its former glorious tradition is shattered beyond repair. It is attacked from every conceivable angle; it is denounced by individual and group alike; it remains to scourge the nations of the world, to kill off the flower of its man- hood, to leave a blackened trail of kicking, screaming corpses, of shattered homes and widows brought early to their graves. It can- not be a voice crying in a wilderness which says, “war must go!”

The dream of a warless world is not utopian. There are sub- stitutes for war on every hand. Economic strife is at the basis of almost every recent war; the boycott is demonstrably the most po- ‘tent weapon at a people’s command; yet still we have huge armies and navies—peace to their ashes—and still we hear cries of “war within five years.”

Men by the thousand and tens of thousands died between 1914 and 1918 in a war to end war. We, sadder and wiser, know now that war can never end war. The war system has failed utterly and completely. It has never succeeded and this generation discards what does not succeed. The peace system must not be allowed to go by default.

It is to the challenge of this situation that youth today is rising. The men and women who are pupils in grammar school yearned to have been born a hundred years before, that they might tie them- selves up with some great movement such as the reformers of the 1860's represented, now ate beginning to see that a far greater ght is on their hands, that a far greater reward awaits the Gar- risons and the Lincolns of tomorrow who will peacefully tow the navies of the world to their final Scapa Flow, who will give each soldier his horse and sword for the spring plowing.

Ours is a proud heritage, a sacred trust in this fight against war, for untold thousands have died for us, to make our world safe tor democracy, to remove from us for all time the blight of nations known as war. “To us from failing hands these throw the torch, be ours to hold it high!” And now it is for us the living to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—to attack war and hit it hard. We want to Jive in a word from which strife will not bc absent—God forbid—but in a world in which mangled corpses �[Page 350]390 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

and organized murder will be a thing of the savage past, where r:en may live, in fulfillment of their one unalienable right. We want to strive, but not to kill; die of mortality, not gunfire.

As it has responded time and again to an appeal of sacrifice for a great cause, young America responded in 1917 to give its all in a war to end war. That America of idealism and sacrifice is not dead. Now it throbs to the idealism and practicality of peace. It was duped and drugged into the last war by the most hypocritical and base of all propaganda—that which by appealing to men’s highest idealism made them throw themselves recklessly and will- ingly into No Man’s Land. It will not be so easily deceived again. It will work for peace, for disarmament, for international good. will. If war comes, it will flood the jails to overflowing with ob- jectors. For a warless world, young America will again give every ounce of its blood, this time without gunpowder, until it takes its destined place with the militant minorities which have made his- tory, and has made a contribution second to none in the advance: ment of the world, guaranteeing to man for all time the sacred

right of existence. For this we will die again!

• The fifth contribution to a symposium conducted by undergraduates of Amherst College under the

editorship of Henry Schmidt, Jr. �[Page 351]THE AMERICAN PEACE MOVEMENT

CURRENT PLANS AND ACTIVITIES by Russe_L M. Cooprr

Graduate School, Columbia University

N Tuesday, February second, the eyes of the world will

center upon Geneva. The great disarmament Conference

toward which men have been looking ever since 1919 will

at last be in session. As we stand at the very eve of the first meeting and contemplate the chances of success and the awful consequences which would attend its failure, the outlook appears scrious, indeed. Very few conferences in modern times have been so tremendously important or so confronted with baffling diffi- culties.

The armament problem does not exist in a vacuum. It is in- timately tied up with all the factors making for international unrest and insecurity, and nations can be expected to really disarm only when political and economic conflicts also seem on the road to solution. The outlook, therefore, is none too propitious. Japan still occupies Manchuria with armed forces, the reparations and war debts tangle is as knotted as ever, the United States still officially holds aloof from the World Court and the League of Nations, and with such discordant factors France demands that she be made secure. It is not surprising, therefore, that the opening of the con- terence finds many of the staunchest advocates of disarmament unusually gloomy.

While most of the peace organizations are fully aware of these ureat difficulties confronting disarmament, their dominant mood is clearly one of determined hope and not of despair. A statement, recently issued by the Policy Committee of the National Council

-§1 �[Page 352]352 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

for Prevention wt ‘Was. clearly sets forth the attitude of that or- ganization. It pointgeout that despite the obstacles, many facts point toward success. The pressing financial necessity for curbing gov- ernment expenses weighs heavily upon most statesmen. The small neutral states are strongly for disarmament, and the possible im- portance of their influence has been demonstrated during the re- cent reparations conference at Basle. There is the political necessity for some measure of disarmament which will satisfy the German Nationalists. 3

Furthermore, it is realized that this conference is not like other conferences, able to meet and fail and then try again. If this con. ference fails, there may be no other opportunity for reduction of armaments for a generation, and during that generation there would almost undoubtedly come war. The full realization of the tremendous responsibility resting upon their shoulders will compel the delegates to make heroic efforts for success, just as burning necessity drove the American Constitutional Convention on to victory.

Of all nations, the United States is in the best position to as- sume leadership at Geneva. She has the most to gain from disarma- ment, and the less to lose. Other nations are unquestionably watch- ing to see what position she will take. Mussolini, for example. declares that if the Americans go strongly for arms limitation, the conference will agree upon important limitation of armaments; and that if, on the other hand, the Americans are indifferent, aad not aggressive for limiting arinaments, the conference will do little if anything in the way of reduction.

The peace organizations in this country have from the first sought to bring pressure upon the government to assume its natural leadership for disarmament. One concrete result of this campaign is the appointment of Miss Mary E. Woolley, an ardent peace ad- vocate, as a member of the American delegation. If this agitation is continued with unabated vigor, the government of the United States may be encouraged to take a bold and courageous lead such

that offered to the Washington Conference in 1921. Peace u.zanizations generally, therefore, are girding themselves for a �[Page 353]THE AMERICAN PEACE MOVEMENT 353

great campaign of public education which will bring continued and effective pressure upon the government.

Such was the spirit which pervaded the Seventh Conference on the Cause and Cure of War, which met in Washington, January 18 to 22. Eleven national women’s societies, having a combined membership of about five million women, sent delegates to this meeting. Mr. James G. McDonald, Miss Carrie Chapman Catt, Mr. George Soule, and Professor James T. Shotwell were among the speakers who featured the program. The women discussed not only disarmament, but also the world’s economic situation, the imple- mentation of the Kellogg Pact, and the question of whether the trend of the times is toward peace or war. The Conference is send- ing to Geneva a delegation of four women armed with a petition containing the names of nearly a million American women urging drastic reduction of armaments. Similar petitions from 45 dif- ferent countries will be presented to the Geneva Conference dur- ing its Opening sessions.

The agitation that the present Senate ratify the World Court Protocols continues to gather strength. One of the newest organi- zations to enter the lists is the National Committee of Republican Women for the World Court. The Committee, headed by Mrs. Arthur L. Livermore, has forthy-three members including outstand- ing Republican women of many states. It plans to send a message to thousands of Republican women throughout the country urging that, as an outstanding party objective, they “press for the ratifica- tion this winter of the three World Court treaties which will com- pel the entry of the United States into the World Court.”

The National Council for Prevention of War is continuing its campaign for adherence to the Court by urging its followers to press their respective senators for an early vote upon the issue. The Council announced its program:in a recent statement, declaring that: “World Court meetings and resolutions from now on will be in order, reaching a climax in the period that will follow the oreign Relations Committee's report.”

The National World Court Committee, headed by John F. O'Ryan, Everett Colby, and Prof. Philip C. Jessup, has submitted �[Page 354]354 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

to the Senate some very convincing proof that a large section of American public opinion favors adherence to the Court. The Com- mittee lists thirty-seven national organizations which, since January 1, 1930, have recommended favorable action on the three Court pro- tocols. These include the American Bar Association, the American Federation of Labor, the American Federation of Teachers, the Federal Council of Churches, and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. The Committee then gives the result of a nation- wide poll of railroad and insurance officials, lawyers, and educa- tors which shows that 5,819 are in favor of immediate ratification, while only 83 are opposed. The names of these 5,819 individuals, which form an impressive roster of American leadership, have been classified by states and published for the benefit of the Senate.

In the student realm, the peace movement has made several decided advances. A national-wide straw vote among students, conducted by the Intercollegiate Disarmament Council, revealed that 92% of the 24,245 students voting were in favor of armament reduction, and 63% urged that the United States disarm without waiting for other nations. Though there was little sectional dif- ference in the results, it is interesting to note that the inland states were as much or more liberal than the supposedly internationally- minded East. Those urging that the United States take the initia- tive in disarrmament were: New England, 60%; Central States 62%; Middle Atlantic, 63%; South, 719%; Rocky Mountain, 72%; and Pacific Coast, 78%.

The National Student Federation has recently published the first issue of the World Student Mirror, a monthly newspaper di- signed to develop “an intelligent student opinion on questions of national and international importance.” This first issue contains a survey of student activities in China, South America, and the United States, and if succeeding numbers are of the same high calibre, the paper should do much to stimulate student interest upon public questions. Once the student population is awakened and vocalized, it will make a valuable addition to the ranks of the American Peace Movement. �[Page 355]ROUND TABLE

The effect of Grover Clark’s “Why East and West Are Differ- ent.” concluded in this issue, has been to translate the terms of the problem into values readily understood by the rational intelligence. The missionary term “heathen” which western people first ascribed to Orientals, made the problem insoluble by considering the East essentially inferior to the West. As the term “heathen” began to assume substance from the incapacity of traders to understand the bases of Oriental character, we arrived inevitably at a composite mass picture containing traits supplied by Bret Harte, Kipling, detective story writers, and returned missionaries, at once helpless and appealing and yet also mysterious and sinister. The back- ground to this caricature, supplied by Chinese art, Hind) phil- osophy, Moslim architecture and Fitzgerald's neurotic interpretation of a mystical Sufi poem, added glamor to a romantic ancient East but not reality to the living East.

In discovering a rational factor in the contrast of hunter and agricultural societies, Mr. Clark has humanized the entire situation once and for all, and it is hoped that his contribution to the basic problem of current civilization will be widely appreciated.

There seems to be some risk at present that thoughtful western- ers, in their reaction against economic and political failure at home, may go too far in accepting all Oriental philosophy and practice as necessarily “spiritual.” A wide gulf separates the realms of mental and spiritual action. The non-violence of Gandhi, for example, which arouses so much sympathy in America, is not less a form of warfare because it substitutes the psychological for the material weapon. In the same way, much Oriental philosophy is atheistic in essence even while it appears to refine and enhance the “inner” life beyond the limits of western practice. It is entirely possible to

355 �[Page 356]356 WORLD UNITY MAGAZINE

have an attitude of gentle courtesy toward one’s fellows, and in- clude their destinies in one’s philosophic formula, and still be re- mote from them in the real world of spiritual oneness. At a certain point of indifference, the mental formula is difficult to distinguish from high religious morality.

The thesis established by Hans Kohn in his series “Orient and Occident,”’ that Oriental peoples can only cooperate effectively with the nations of the West by passing through the eras of economic and political determinism, strongly reinforces and supplements Grover Clark's idea. World peace will only come when it is de- served-—when the nations have paid the price. No real price was paid by the adoption of the League of Nations, because the League has not in any way minimized the exciusive sovereignty claimed by the member States.

Part of the cost of peace is freedom for the East to assume the difficult responsibility of representative government, and its adop- tion of western economic technique upon terms compatible with its own highest evolution.

Had the League been able to enforce peace upon the world in 1919, it would have been a peace perpetuating every injustice within each national society. The progress of disruption compels us to extend our conception of peace from a mere arrangement of governments to a process of transformation affecting all phases of human existence. The time has come for peace workers to abandon such blind alleys as Disarmament Conferences, and focus their in- fluence upon the attainment of the real objective, a World State. �[Page 357]A DISCIPLINED AND EDUCATED DEMOCRACY

Letters from World Unity Readers—VHI

I like World Unity because it shows the result of much study and a desire to perpetuate its name in the best way.

I like your Statement of Purpose because it gives you a wider scope than if you had set down specific lines of detailed administrative action as imperative, before you had spent a year or tc reconnoitering.

You have shown me what general unanimity there is among your contributors, to base their future building on a disciplined and educated Democracy.

Rufus Jones's article in March (1931), is a fine summary of educa- tional aims, and confirms me in my belief that Kindergarten training is imperative in order to provide sound foundations for Primary, Secondary and University acquisitions.

I should like opinions on three questions which seem to me to be fundamental needs of a successful Democracy:

1. Freedom of contrace between employers and employed. (Under it, Britain and the U. S. developed great enterprises, while legal wage awards have played havoc in New Zealand).

2. Half the State revenue to be raised by a Direct Tax on all in- comes. Voting permit to be on reverse side of Tax receipt. Thus the voter recognizes his share in all public expenditure, and begins to insist upon value for his money.

3. No payment to be made from State treasury to any able-bodied citizen unless he has done some service for it.

WILLIAM B. MATHESON

Seatoun Wellington, N. Z.

357 �[Page 358]TWELFTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

of the

PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

February 18, 19, 20, 1932 Baltimore, Maryland

Plans for the Twelfth Annual Conference of the Progressive Education Association include a notable list of speakers with topics bearing on the im- portant relation of education to the changing social order. In addition there will be a series of Group Discussions under competent leaders covering a wide range of practical subjects. Exhibits of children’s work and materials helpful in teach- ing will feature the convention.

Reduced railroad rates will be offered to members of the Association and their families. No admission fees will be charged to members, Join the Asso- ciation, receive the benefits of reduced railroad rates and free admission to the sessions. Your membership will also entitle you to a year’s subscription to PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION and all the services of the Association.

For hotel reservations, write direct to Mr. William H. Parker, Managing Director of the Emerson Hotel, Baltimore, Md., headquarters for the Conference.

Make hotel reservations now. Join the Association and notify us of your intention to attend. Urge your friends to go. Send for copies of the preliminary program.

Annual membership in the Association is $3.00. Two years’ membership - $5.00.

PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 716 JacKSON PLACE

Wasninecten, D. C. �[Page 359]BOOKS FOR WORLD UNITY READERS A WORLD COMMUNITY, by John Herman Randall

HE book for those who seek to grasp the world movement as a whole, with the inter-relations of economic, political, industrial and social factors, and a careful analysis of the trends making for international organization. It has been included in the reading list issued by the National Committee on the Cause and Cure of War.

er ee en ee = ee ee

NATIONALISM AND INTERNATIONALISM by Herbert Adams Gibbons

N THIS book, Dr. Gibbons has infused his historical scholarship with a I lifetime of persona! experience and participation in international affairs. The result is a study accurate enough for the classroom and interesting enough for the average reader.

“Nationalism and Internationalism” traces the evolution of political force from its first expression in the movement toward modern nationalism, through the nineteenth century, to its present expression in international- ism as the true outcome of national ideals.

ee es we

' SEVEN GREAT BIBLES, by Alfred W. Martin

ERE, at last, are the essential truths about Hinduism, Buddhism,

Zorastrianism, Confucianism, Taoism, Muhammadanism, Judaism and Christianity that demonstrate the underlying unity and harmony in the texts from which these religions derive—a very history of the soul of sian illumined from age to age by inspired teachers pointing the path to ~: therhood and peace.

These three books have been published in the World Unity Library initiated and sponsored by this magazine. Per copy, $2.00. Any one title, with annual subscription to World Unity Magazine, $4.00; subscription and two books, $5.75; subscription and all three books, $7.50.

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