March 29, 1935, Page 1
INTERCOLLEGIATE CONFERENCE AGAINST WAR
AND FASCISM SUPPORTS ANTI-WAR STRIKE;
COUNCIL ENDORSES STRIKE FOR
APRIL 12
This headline covered three articles, all of which
follow (click to see page layout of the
Spotlight).
Discussion of Strike and Walk-
out Preparations Form Major
Work of Conference
385 DELEGATES ATTEND
Elect Continuations Committee
Of Nine Representatives
From Three Colleges
The delegates to
the Brooklyn Inter-collegiate Conference against War and Fascism voted
almost unanimously to support the April 12 strike against war. The
discussion of the strike and preparations for the walkout formed it
major part of the work of the conference and included the resolutions
adopted at Saturday's session in the Lawrence gymnasium.
The Continuations
committee elected from the delegates at the conference, consisting of
three representatives from Brooklyn College, three from Seth Low Junior
College, and three from Long Island University, was given the task of
preparing for the strike. The Brooklyn College representatives are:
Nelson Seitel, editor of Pioneer, Sivia Friedman, Women's
Student Council, and Beatrice Gomberg, chairman, Anti-war League.
The Continuations
committee was instructed by the 385 delegates to ask the Board of
Higher Education to dismiss classes at the time when the demonstration
is slated to take place. The Committee is also to ask the Association
of Instructors, Tutors and Fellows, the Student Councils, the
newspapers, and the clubs of the College to support the strike.
The Conference
opened Friday evening at the First Presbyterian Church with an
introductory address by Beatrice Lemberg, chairman of the Arrangements
committee, and a welcoming address by Rev. John Elliott; of the First
Presbyterian Church.
Miss Gomberg urged
the delegates to "formulate a program that is agreeable to all
delegates sincerely opposed to war, a program that can be accepted by
the most radical and most conservative students."
In his speech to
the delegates, Rev. Elliot urged the slogan "Peace at any Price." He
said, "In the past, the church failed miserably in war time. But
churchmen are now girding themselves to work for fraternity during war
as well as during peace time. Peace is not a means, but an end. Peace
is ultimate and basic, not relative"
The delegates
elected a Resolutions committee after the two speeches. The Brooklyn
College members were: Arthur Lerner, Nelson Seitel, Beatrice Gomberg,
Sol Modell, Leo Rifkin, ,Harriet Ullman, and Donald Axelrod. The other
four members were students at Long Island University and Seth Low
Junior College.
The general session
was adjourned after the election of a Credentials committee and the
four seminars began.
The Seminar on War,
Fascism and Education was attended by more than 230 delegates and
visitors. Joseph Cohen, a Brooklyn student, was student leader of the
seminar.
Mr. Cohen analyzed
the role of the college administration in the time of war. He cited the
120,000 students now taking military training in schools as proof of
the existence of war machines in the schools. Mr, Cohen quoted Dean
Paul Klapper of City College, who said, "The educational institutions
now exist to rationalize and perpetuate the existing system."
In concluding, Mr.
Cohen said, "While the student struggle against war must be of a
particular type, we must recognize the necessity for a fundamental
alliance with the working class, the only group which can make war
impossible."
Mr. Solomon E. Asch
of the Brooklyn College Philosophy department spoke on the necessity of
changing the attitude of men towards war.
Man is not a
fighting animal," said Dr. Asch. ''Altitudes toward war are learned.
They. may be unlearned."
In the seminar on
War, Fascism and International Relations, Dr Herbert H. Morais of the
Brooklyn History, department discussed "the political alignments in
Europe and the forces behind them."
Dr. Morais spoke of
the possible alignments in the next war. He suggested that because of
the plan to establish an economic unit in Central Europe, Germany would
declare war on Soviet Russia. France, opposed to Germany's encroachment
on her territory, would side with Russia, said Dr. Morais, England,
carrying out her policy of watchful waiting and .maintenance of the
balance of power, seems to be siding with France.
However, in order
for war to actually take place, Dr. Morais concluded, there must be
adequate preparation on the part of the aggressive power and Germany is
not yet prepared.
Abe Auerbach,
student at Long Island University, at the same seminar, characterized
fascism as a movement whose sole purpose is :the forceful suppression
of all organized resentment against the existing form of government."
Discussing the
Prevention of War, Mr. Forrest, M..Keen of Long Island University said,
"War prevention has two aspects. They are war resistance and building a
peace structure: The building of a peace structure is based on the idea
of a long time attack ons the fundamental causes of war. This involves
educating people to oppose war, and changing their attitudes."
I. J. Selikoff of
Seth Low Junior College explained war as the result of economic
conditions under capitalism. The imperialist rivalries make it
necessary to resort to war, said Mr. Selikoff. "We students must united
with the working class if our fight against war is to be successful,"
concluded Mr. Selikoff.
The headline at the top of this page covered two
articles; this is the second article (click to see page layout of the Spotlight).
Motion Passed by Overwhelming
Majority of 30 to 2 After
Little Discussion
APPROVE STRIKE PLANKS
Elect Committee of 5 Delegates
To Cooperate with Major
Strike Committee
The endorsement of
the Anti-war Strike of April 12, as called by the Brooklyn
Intercollegiate Conference Against War and Fascism, was voted by the
Student Council at Wednesday's meeting, by a vote of 30 to 2. Council
further approved resolutions pertaining to the Strike which were
adopted at the Conference last week.
Before the vote was
taken, Sivia Friedman, Council delegate to the Intercollegiate
Conference Against War and Fascism, reported on the discussions at the
Conference and read the resolutions adopted at that meeting. Miss
Friedman explained that the Continuations committee elected by the
delegates at the conference will be in charge of the strike. A
committee, however, is needed to cooperate in this work.
This committee will
consist of representatives from Council, all clubs, and other
organizations. Harriet Kahn, treasurer of Council, Jean Cassel, upper
senior representative, Harriet Ulman, chairman of the Student Loan
committee, Paula Lance, secretary of Council, and Ruth Halpern, lower
junior representative, were elected to act as Council's delegates to
this committee.
Those who voted
against Council's endorsement of the Anti-War Strike are Caroline
Murphy, president of Pan-Hellenic, and Teresa Trifari, president of the
Athletic Association. Kay O'Hara, lower junior representative, did not
vote. Miriam Brodie, Jean Cassel, Judith P. Cohen, Clara Coleman,
Esther Diamond, Muriel Dichter, Ethel Drexler, Helen Friedland, Lucille
Friedlander, Sivia Friedman, Beatrice Golden, Ruth Halpern, Florence
Joffe, Harriet Kahn, Harriet Kaplan, Ruth Katz, Blanche Krosney, Paula
Lance, Evelyn Levin. Shirley Levine, Helen Levitt, Florence Marans,
Marc Schwartz, Pauline Sherman, Evelyn Tobias, Adele Towbin, Beatrice
Turetsky, Harriet Ulman, Lucille Unger, Ruth Weintraub, and Sylvia
Wener voted in the affirmative.
The headline at the top of this page covered three
articles; this is the third article (click to see page layout of the Spotlight).
Conference Resolutions Are on the Third Page
For the preamble and
complete text of the resolutions adopted at the Brooklyn
Intercollegiate Conference Against War and Fascism, see page three. The resolutions
were adopted by an overwhelming majority of the delegates in the
plenary session of the Conference held last Saturday. The resolutions
were first discussed and voted upon in the seminars.
.
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