PEACE DEPARTMENT.

White Ribbon, Volume 37, Issue 440, 18 March 1932, Page 4

PEACE DEPARTMENT.

(By Kirby Page.) The people of U.S.A. spend annually more than 6UO million dollars on their army and navy, excluding allowances for pensions, retirement, and interest on war debt. If these were included, the annual cost would be about 2500 millions of dollars. This expenditure is usually justified as insurance against invasion or aggression. The real barriers to security are ignorance, suspicion, and fear, rather than greed, aggression and injustice. An effective programme of education for peace is absolutely necessary, in order that understanding and sympathy among the peoples of the earth may be increased, the number of men and women of intelligent good-will be multiplied, and the habit of peaceable settlement of international disputes be cultivated. Yet Governments have done remarkably little in these directions, and their refusal to provide for international education is nothing less than criminal negligence. As an attempt to stimulate thought and action on this important question, the following rough draft of a national peace budget has been made. I.—DEPARTMENT OF PEACE. Such is required co-ordinate with the Department of War, Department of Justice, Navy Department, etc., with its head, a Secretary of Peace, a regular member of Cabinet, and a staff as complete ami well-equipped as any other department. The activities of the department would be two-fold: (1) The general supervision of an extensive programme of peace education throughout the country; (2) the cultivation of friendly relations with the peoples of other nations. The methods of the educational campaign would include the presentation of information concerning the peoples of other lands, especially with regard to their cultural, moral and social achievements; the presentation of facts concerning practices of our own citizens which seem objectionable to other nations, and which constitute a menace to international peace; the presentation of data concerning the accomplishments of international agencies of various kinds, and an interpretation of their significance; the presentation of evidence revealing the wastefulness and ineffectiveness of the war system. 2. In order to make more effective the work of the department, ten regional offices would be established, each with ten Regional Secretaries and an adequate clerical and stenographic staff. These Regional Secretaries, directed by the Secretary of Peace, would be responsible for the promotion of peace education in their area. They w’ould l>e expected to counsel with editors, educators, clergymen, and other leaders of public opinion as to educational methods; make addresses before colleges, high schools, churches, women's organisations. trade unions, etc.; conduct a speakers’ bureau, and so make available ciualifled speakers on international subjects, write articles as required;

promote the circulation of peace literature and the use of peace moving picture films; supervise the distribution of peace posters; promote an Annual Peace Day and International Friendship (Jumps; maintain close relations with foreign students, and exchange professors, and be of service to them in every possible way. 3. Foreign offices of the Department of Peace would lie established in some 10 centres abroad, with five Foreign Secretaries for each office. These Secretaries would have two primary duties: first, the cultivation of friendly relations between the people of the United States and the people of the country in which they are stationed; second, the gathering of material concerning the situation abroad for use in the education campaign at home. These Secretaries would lx* recruited from the ranks of our educators, public officials, clergymen, and other professional men and women, and would be qualified to co-operate with the most cultured groups abroad in furthering international understanding and cooperation. II. —PEACE PUBLICATIONS. One of our leading educators would act as Editor of peace publications, with an adequate staff and budget for operating expenses. Just as the Department of labour publishes the Monthly Labour Review, and other departments various publications, so the Department of Peace would issue its publications as follow: — 1. “The International Peace Review,” published monthly, and covering a wide range of international questions. It would publish reliable data concerning the people of various countries, information as to our own Government, especially with reference to the practices of our citiz .«• v .Dh constitute a menc. e fGc-p l> ’ations with other 1 s. The most eminent men and worne*' )f the world could doubtless be St. uitd as occasional or regular contributes tj its columns. The magazine would bs profusely illustrated, and be issued i.. ’he most attractive form possible. D would be «ent free to many educators, editors, socuJ workers, and othew, interested, and there would be a selected mailing list road, therefore a ver> ?e printing v. *uld be needed. 2...S h i ’ *ace Booklets, dealing with more important international questions that required longer treatment than merely an article in a monthly periodical, and prepared by the best authorities. The free distribution annually of a dozen such booklets would be a valuable contribution to international understanding. Various departments frequently circulate .freely thousands of pamphlets such as those on the diseases of animals, etc. 3. Peace Posters: a most effective form of publicity. Displays in school houses, public buildings, and similar places would reach an enormous numIkt of people, and prove an effective method of furthering international understanding.

4. Moving Picture Films, a well-recog-nised educational medium, would be of great assistance in the growth of international knowledge and understanding, particularly if they gave favourable and wholesome phases of the life of other nations, instead of representing foreigners, as is so often done now, as villains and criminals. f>. Peace Libraries. It is a great tragedy that so many books on international problems have a limited circulation. Most are unable to buy many books of the class, and the appropriations of libraries along this line are inadequate. A very great service would l>c rendered if the Department of Peace were to select fifty of the best books published in the year on international problems, and make them available for free distribution to libraries throughout the country. III—EXCHANGE STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS. Of late years this method of breaking down national ignorance and prejudice has l>een more extensively used, and has proved increasingly effective. The large number of Chinese students who have come to the TT.S.A., as a result of the refund of the Boxer indemnity, have been a potent force in creating friendship between the two countries. The budget of the proposed Peace Department provides for sending 10,000 American students annually to foreign institutions of learning and for bringing 10,000 foreign students to the colleges of U.S.A., and also for sending abroad 200 American professors and bringing in exchange 200 foreign professors. I v.—l ERNA T lON A L UNTV ERST T Y Just as the War Department and the Navy Department provide for the training of military and naval officers, so the Department of Peace would maintain an International University, a graduate institution for the training of specialists in international affairs. It would l»e invaluable as a plac* l for training a staff of peace workers, including professors of international relationships in high schools and colleges. Such an institution should be so well staffed and equipped that it would attract research students from all parts of the world. Thus, and by many Reserve Officers* Training Corps maintained by the Peace Department, would he made available professors of International relations who, without becoming propagandists for any given scheme for achieving world peace, would promote understanding between the United States and other lands. V—ANNUAL CAMPS AND PEACE DAY. Annual Summer Camps could be conducted, lasting a month each, and giving intensive training in citizenship and international relations. For the Peace Day plans would lie made for a nation-wide rally on benalf of international co-opertif >r.. and all societies and organi sat ions of men and women would V invited to take part. VI.—WORLD FRIENDSHIP CRUISES. Select parties of American citizens could be sent on tours of friendship and

conciliation to various parts of the world, and similar parties from other countries could be invited to tour the United States. VII.—PEACE MONUMENTS. For centuries it has l>een the custom for Governments to erect monuments to military and naval heroes, and their effect on the rank and file of citizens has been very great. Jt is equally important for the Government to give official recognition to the contributions of those men and women who have helped to establish friendly relations between nations. Therefore, the budget provides for the erection of peace monuments. VIII. -1 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS. One of the most effective means of promoting international friendship is through humanitarian work in hours of disaster and especial need. The relief fund raised in the United States for Japanese victims of the earthquake made a very deep impression on the whole nation of Japan. If gifts for relief purpose came officially from Governments they would have even more significant effects upon international relations. The International Red Cross is the agency through which such gifts would doubtless be made. The maintenance of world peace depends on the development of the habit of international co-operation. One of the easiest means of securing such co-operation is on behalf of projects for preserving health and relieving suffering. There are now many international agencies for health service, industrial and agricultural experimentation, intellectual co-operation. Provision is made in the budget for items of this kind. TOTAL ANNUAL COST: IS THE HU IX; ET EXCI IS SI VE ? On a lough estimate, the total annual cost of the various activities outlined would be 100 million dollars. Is that too much to he spent on Peace education? Consider the enormous importance of the task; the huge difficulties involved in reaching 50 million young people and adults with a programme of international understanding and co-operation; the woeful inadequacy of the existing peace forces; and compare the peace staff here outlined with the more than 400,000 officers and men in the military and naval service (not to speak of reserve forces) of the United States. COMPARISON WITH PRESENT EXPENDITURE. The addition of 100 million dollars annually for peace education would increase the total expenditure of the Government by less than three per cent., and would increase taxes less than one dollar per year for each person in the United States; and the amount is only one-sixth of one per cent, of the total national income. The people spend each year: 1 \ times as much for perfumes and cosmetics. - 2 times as much for sporting goods. 5 times as much for jewellery. 7 times as much for candy.

8 times as much for ice cream and soft drinks. 9 times as much for theatres and amusements. 10 times as much for races and pleasure resorts. 17 times as mi.ch for cigars, cigarettes, snuff and tobacco. 100 times as much for luxuries of various kinds. (These statistics are given for 1924 by the Federal Council of Churches.) This particular programme is admittedly crude; and no country would think of adopting it without a complete study of the subject by experts. Nor could the details of administration be decided without consultation between representatives of the different Central, State, and Municipal Governments, but what about the general idea of a national peace department with a budget as proposed? *he need is obvious. Failure to meet the need will result In disaster. Success in such an undertaking depends on qualified leadership anil proper facilities, and these would require an adequate budget. What more reasonable than to spend one dollar per citizen annually on so momentous an undertaking? Is there a single valid reason why the idea should be dismissed as visionary or Utopian?