January 11, 1934, Pages 1, 4

Three Hundred Students and Faculty
Attend College Anti-War Conference

Name Committee to Work
   During Spring Term;
        To Publish Bulletin

          More than three hundred students as well as faculty members and guest speakers attended the exciting Friday night session of the Brooklyn College Anti-War conference at the First Presbyterian church. After the formal opening of the convention by Henry Aron, chairman of the Arrangements Committee, a presiding committee consisting of Mary Levine, Herbert Halpern, and Joseph Fleischer and a secretary, Dorothy Sapin were elected from the floor. Miss Levine, chairman of the evening then introduced the Rev. Dr. Philips Packer Elliot of the First Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Elliot Opens Parley

          Dr. Elliot opened the conference in the name of his church, and all churches and synagogues, which have always opposed war and bloodshed. "War," he said, "comes when things slip out of control." That is also the reason for such occurrences as the Hitler regime. It is caused by anger, malice and prejudice and comes as a response to bugles, parades, and flags.

          "There comes a time," continued Dr. Elliot, "in every man's life, when he is sick of easy chairs, classrooms and offices and he wants instead blood, steel and mud. It is up to society to furnish a peaceful equivalent for war in order to satisfy this desire."

Dr. Walker Represents Liberals

          Rev. Dr. John D. Walker of the Church of the Pilgrims in presenting the liberal viewpoint definitely declared himself opposed to war.

          "I have done with war. I will not take part in a war," stated Dr. Walker.

          He spoke of the failure of the League of Nations as due to the fact that the nations have put their faith in force, they have not disarmed. Gigantic preparedness projects are now being executed. He urged us to strike at preparedness, for it meant war. He quoted Lloyd George as saying, "Thus great armaments caused war."

          "We must expose war," continued Dr. Walker, "to the world as the mass production of death by machines of death."

          Supporting his arguments with statistics, he also showed how the $186,000,000,000 spent on the last war could have been used in a colossal housing plan, as well as to furnish every city of over 250,000 population in the United States, with a $5,000,000 University and a $5,000,000 hospital.

University Man Speaks

          At the Saturday morning session at the Joralemon Gym, with Herbert Halpern presiding, Dr. Mark Granbart of the Columbia University Zoology Department spoke on the part Columbia University played in the last war, when classrooms and offices were turned into munitions plants and barracks.

          "In order to eliminate war," said Dr. Granbart, "you must eliminate the economic roots of war."

          Sanford Salander, a New York University student told of the New York University Anti-War Conference, and begged delegates to eliminate all their party differences and fight on only one basis against war.

          A Continuations Committee of eleven was elected to continue the work of the conference into the following semester.

Denounces Pacifist Talk

          Sidney Bloomfield, director of the Workers' School, in discussing the Communist platform in regards to war, denounced all pacifist talk, by the church as well as the weak-kneed attitude of the Socialists, as being just much bunk used to lull the minds of masses to the evils of the existing system.

          "Wars," continued Mr, Bloomfield, "caused by economic rivalry between imperialist nations are inevitable under a system like capitalism."

          He advocated an international fraternity of workers as the only means of conserving peace. We must utilize war as a means of overthrowing the capitalist's government and establish a proletariat state.

          The socialist speaker, Mr. Sam H. Friedman, did not present any arguments which were different from Mr. Bloomfield's. He stated that war, cannot be done away with unless we remove the cause of war, Capitalism.

          After the symposium a resolutions committee was elected from the floor. The committee consisted of Lawrence Farrant, chairman and Adolph Appleman, Henry Aron, Leonard Blacker, Jerome R. Cohen, Theodore Draper, Beatrice Gomber, and Anna Klutch.

          The delegates then went to the seminars where the topics Education, War, Fascism and War, Labor and War and International Relations and War, were discussed from 10 to 12:30. After a two hour recess the seminars reconvened to discuss and pass resolutions.

          At 6:30 the delegates met in the Joralemon gym, and the report of the Resolutions Committee was read and voted upon. These resolutions are to be resubmitted at a larger gathering of students where a more diversified and representative student body will have an opportunity of voting on them.

          A Continuations Committee was elected to continue the work of the Conference into the next semester. This committee will be augmented by representatives from school organizations and will be instrumental in the publication of an Anti-War Bulletin and the issuing of an official report concerning the activities of the Anti-War Conference.

          The Combinations Committee consists of Dr. Asch, Dr. Selsam, Gus Arkin, Leonard Blocker, Harold Draper, Beatrice Gomberg, Helen Lakchin, Stella Levine, David Schreiber, Miriam Whiter, and Daniel Welfert.

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