We all know that the world is suffering from misunderstanding and hatred, but none of us can fully realize the bottomless depth of psychical and spiritual need, especially where majorities and minorities live together, for instance in Ireland, South Tyrol, in the Balcans and in the Baltics; and at the new frontiers, such as between Germany and France, Germany and Poland, Poland and Russia. In 1920 when I had the opportunity of speaking to teachers at Graz, Austria, on the subject of “How to teach History,” I was met by such words as: “We have been used to teach hatred in our schools, but now we must begin to do that already in our nurseries and our Kindergartens.
The best laws and the best forms of administration, however important and necessary they may be, can not solve the problems, Good will within the nations themselves must be created.
Experiments already made.
1, The Danish and the German sections of W.I.L. are cooperating on the boundaries between their respective countries. They have sent out a manifesto to the women of Schleswig, written both in Danish and German, urging them to work for mutual understanding and for learning both the languages. They have had several meetings common meetings, the last one this summer, the No more war day, at Dybböl, where a long cruel battle was fought out during the Danish-German war in 1864. A Scandinavian-German Conference is to be held at Flensburg -- on the German side of the frontier in September 24th- 26th this year for the study of minority problems.
2. The Friends and W.I.L. sent delegates to the Ruhr during the occupation -- Miss Edith Pye, Miss Joan Fry, lady [Clare] Annesly, England, ↑&↓ Miss Lydia Schmidt, U.S.A. These delegates brought hope and reconciliation into the hearts of many individuals, not only to Germany but also to Belgian and French people. They helped many unhappy men and women to continue to live. [page 2]
3. The American Y.W.C.A. has during some years done a wonderful work of reconciliation at their [centers] in Reval and Dorpat (Estonia) and Riga (Latvia).
4. The same work that has been done by the Danish and German sections of W.I.L. is going on in Czecho-Slovakia where a Czech and a German branch of W.I.L. are cooperating very successfully.
How we ought to meet the situation.
By Cooperation and Organization.
We must create a free cooperation between such organizations which have already taken up Peace Mission Work: The Friends, Women’s International League, Young Women’s Christian Association, International Fellowship of Reconciliation, and others, working on the same line.
I suggest the forming of a Council, consisting of two members from each of the above mentioned associations and an Executive Committee of three or five members. From these members there should be requested not only a great interest for the work in question, but also willingness and power to devote themselves and their time to the work.
To this Council other organizations, willing to take up this work, might be allowed to send representatives.
Training of Peace workers.
We strongly need trained Peace workers. People are nowadays trained for all kinds of work, but not for the most difficult of all, for the work of prevention of war. Peace missionaries must be qualified to go to such countries as those before mentioned to work for reconciliation between nations, churches, classes and individuals by trying to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding and Goodwill. Peace missionaries must be made able to take up some needed educational or social work which would make it possible for them to stay on their mission for a rather long time. The work must be done in different ways in different countries.
Training Courses.
We might begin with two [Summer schools,] going on for six weeks [page 3] one for Europe at Geneva, where there are so many possibilities to get the best teachers and to study so many international institutions:
one for the Americas at the University of Chicago. Such a Summer school is already planned by Miss Zonia Baber.
Students from other parts of the world may be received at both the courses.
Subjects of Study.
History,
Geography,
Literature,
Economics,
Psychology,
Religious problems
and other questions.
All these subjects should be studied not only from the point of view of those peoples to whom peace missionaries are going out, but quite as much from that of their [neighbors].
A Training College.
It will soon be found that such [summer schools] are not sufficient. The Students want to learn much more. First of all they want knowledge of languages. For this purpose we need a real Training College, something comparable to Y.W.C.A.'s Training Colleges for Secretaries in New York and at Selly Oak, Birmingham (near Woodbrooke) England. One day such colleges might be collaborating with an International University, i.e. a University for the Study of international problems.
Projects for such an International University are already put forth by prof. Dr. Robert Bárány (has received a Nobel prize for his scientific researches) at the university of Upsala, Sweden: by prof. [Geddes], Montpellier, France, at the World Conference of Educational Association at Edinburgh in August 1925; and by dr. Fennemann at the University of Dorpat, Estonia. The well-known work of prof. dr. Alfred Zimmern at Geneva might be considered as a beginning of such an institution. [page 4]
What we intend to do with our trained peace workers.
Their future work is already briefly suggested: we will send them out for permanent work.
Some suggestions and recommendations might be given here:
1. Peace missionaries ought to go to such countries where their own states cannot be suspected of any selfish interests, not Englishmen to Ireland, not Germans to South Tyrol.
2. Peace missionaries ought to cooperate as much as possible with already existing [peace interests] of individuals and organizations in their respective spheres of work.
Some countries where emergency work is needed.
1. Russia:
Recommendation: [Welfare]-work for women and children. Cooperation with work already going on, such as:
1 Friends’ Relief Work.
2. [A promising], but not widely known work, going on in and from Leningrad. A Swedish engineer, Mr. Lindqvist, supported by a clergyman in Stockholm, Rev. Wenner, has succeeded to bring help to a great many poor women by handing them Swedish knitting machines and giving them work. He has brought it so far that such machines, with improvements invented by himself, are now manufactured in Russia. Those machines can be bought by payment in terms. More than 13000 machines are already given out.
Through this work, always done in a tactful way, Mr. L. has achieved to gain the trust of [Soviet], so that the [Soviet] has now given him the difficult task to reorganize [Soviet]-homes for children, that have hitherto been managed by Russian Women, very often in an utterly unpractical and even dishonest manner.
2. The Baltics
Recommendation: Cooperation with Y.W.C.A. and, if possible, with Y.M.C.A. and Student Christian Movement.
3. The Balkans.
Miss Emily Balch who has [traveled] there for W.I.L. will be glad to give suggestions.
Cooperation with Robert College, Constantinople, and the [American] [page 5] certainly will give advice.
5. Upper Silesia.
6. South Tyrol.
For the moment a very difficult place for peace work. But such work is strongly needed here.
7. Mexico
Miss Elena Landazury (W.I.L.) has taken up some prosperous work there.
Addr. 3 a Ciencias 1222.
Tacubaya D.F.
Mexico Mex.
8. Central and South America.
Reference to Miss Jane Addams and Miss Zonia Baber, Chicago. The above mentioned countries give only a few examples of places where peace work is urgently needed.
Budget.
1. For the first [summer schools] (Geneva, Chicago).
a)
Expenses for lecturers and those who make other work for the courses.b) Equipment: Localities, literature, maps, mail, printing etc.
c) Scholarships for ten students of each course.
d) Equipment and salaries for those peace workers who are going abroad.
2. Expenses for the Executive Committee.
If the work thus outlined should be taken up with thoroughness and energy and carried on in the right spirit, it would certainly not be difficult to awaken a worldwide interest for peace [missionary work], a [parallel to] the interest for Christian mission work. Men and women from different classes and spheres of society will certainly more and more be brought to an understanding of the fact that this peace mission is the safest [defense] of the freedom and happiness of their own country which will save it from war and revolution.
Moral and economical support will surely be given with such a generosity that the work can continue and grow.
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