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CAMPUS MIRROR
January—a Month of Events
Ularetta Scott, '40
.January of 1937 may go down in his
tory as a month of events. Detrimental
as many of these have been, tliere are
bright sides. The “take off” of the year
was certainly not heartening, for it has
brought some of the worst castastrophes
in the history of America: tlie terrific
blizzard that gripped some of the west
ern states, the record flood of the Ohio-
Mississippi rivers that inundated areas
between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and
Memphis, Tennessee; more automobile
and airplane fatalties than have ever
been recorded for any other month, and
two disastrous and costly labor strikes
affecting two major industries, the au
tomobile production and the shipping in
dustry. One may be tempted to give up
in dispair and cry, “Who said Happy
New Year?”, until that God-sent opti
mist appears and comforts, “Why
moan ?”
After all everything isn’t so bad.
Why, the terrible cold wave has long
since ceased to be, the flood waters have
subsided, precautionary steps are being-
taken for the prevention of accidents,
and finally reason has triumphed in the
case of the labor strikes. It could be
woi'se!” “And so it could,” sanctions
the bored-to-death-with-life person, “be
cause on top of all this trouble we’ve
had, the radio is slowly becoming again
a silly nuisance, dominated by frivolous
programs and wise-crackers.” February
is here with its inevitable nation-wide
celebrations and observances which we
participate in without a sign of discom
fort, and women are adopting more
foolish hats than ever this spring.
Everything happened at once! What
do the future months hold?
Negro History Week
(Continued from Page 1, Col. 3)
aspects. After being elected and serving
as representative from Haiti to the Na
tional Assembly in France in 1790, he
returned to Haiti by way of England
and the United States, getting munitions
and military supplies en route. Upon
his return to Saint Domingue he in
tended to emancipate the Negroes poli
tically by forcing the white planters to
comply with the decree of the National
Assembly granting "les gens du conleur”
(nnilattoes) the right of suffrage and
accompanying rights. But alas, his sup
ply of munitions was not large enough;
he was betrayed and sent to the wheel,
along with several of his companions.
His last request was for a handful of
black seed with three or four white ones
on top. After shaking them the white
ones were lost in the black ones, giving
rise to Oge’s famous question “Ou sont
les blanes ?”—a formidable prophesy
which was destined to come true.
According to Mr. Raymond Leslie
Buell, president of the Foreign Policy
Association, who spoke on the morning
of February 11, the world has sufficient
reasons for being in its present pessi
mistic mood. There is great need of in
ternational understanding, hatred of war
and general friendship. The policies
which were conceived following the
World War to bring peace, pros
perity and an ever greater civilization
seem not to be accomplishing this pur
pose, if, indeed, they are not the real
reason for the present state of national
and international affairs. At any rate
war lurks dangerously on the ever ap
proaching horizon.
But getting beneath the glaring head
lines, Mr. Buell believes that there are
some signs of good which may come
from this great period of transition; still
one cannot predict what the ultimate
result will be—whether a new, generally
and mutually satisfactory adjustment
or catastrophe. From these signs the
speaker extracted two which he believed
to be most important: the social trans
formation and the attempt to liquidate
the terms of the treaty of Versailles.
Socially all countries are occupied
with the same problems—economic se
curity, relief, class struggles and self
betterment. In some cases a lack of
foresight has made compromise impos
sible and revolution has resulted, as in
Spain. In others the transition has been
practically completed without resort to
force or the loss of personal rights and
liberties. Scandinavia and Great Brit
ain are examples of the latter. This
struggle, then, gives all the countries
something in common and forms a basis
for international understanding.
The second item, however, seems to
be of much greater portent, and is
one which should be vitally interesting
especially to the student of history. The
powers who decided upon the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles were obviously
guilty of insincerity, according to Mr.
Buell, when they became self-appointed
guardians of the weaker nations; their
conduct during the depression proved
that. Not that Germany would have
been motivated by more honorable am
bitions and intentions had she been at
the other end of the conference table.
But she was not and there is the rub;
she intends to have her say now.
Japan began the explosion in 1931 when
she seized Manchuria; then Italy fol
lowed suit and took Ethiopia. But scarce
ly a ripple disturbed the international
waters then, because nobody really cared
anything about China and the black
kingdom, and the “eternal intei-ests” of
the major powers were only slightly
threatened. But Germany, the third pow
er, has set all Europe atremble, because
if and when she strikes it will be at Rus
sia and Central Europe and the much
worshipped balance of power will be ir
reparably impaired; war will be inevi
table. Germany is already practicing
wartime economies and building up to
a “decent pretext” by attack on commu
nism everywhere; her agreements with
Italy and Japan have the force of alli
ances. According to Mr. Buell, Germany
will not go to war in 1937because she does
not have sufficient men and war material
to risk war with Italy who does not
come to terms about Austria, and be
cause France and Great Britain are
growing stronger and closer together.
The Civil War threat in France six
months ago was her cue for reorganiza
tion which has left her much stronger,
and it is no secret that for one year
Great Britain has been feverishly re
arming. If England’s possessions are
touched or her “eternal interests” seri
ously threatened, she will fight. The
English dread war, but they dread the
spread of fascism more. France and
Great Britain have exchanged pledges
for mutual aid in case of attack, and
this pledge, along with the enmity of
Russia, is staring Germany in the face.
Mr. Buell believes the following to be
the more probable attempt at solution:
France and Great Britain will go to
Germany and offer her loans, the re
turn of her colonies and trade in return
for her abstinence from aggressive war
fare. This answer will depend upon the
answers of two other questions: will the
other countries make these economic
concessions, and if so, will Hitler forego
his plan of aggression ? The latter
seemed to the speaker to be highly im
probable, because Hitler has made the
mistake of supposing that democracy
is disintegrating, and is biding his time
to strike a last deadly blow; he does not
realize the strength of the coalition
which he will have to fight.
Mr. Buell believes that no neutrality
acts can keep the United States out of
a war of any considerable duration; and
because the United States is a rich and
powerful nation, because she has had a
history of comparative disinterest in
European affairs and because of the
statesmanlike qualities of the present
president, Mr. Buell believes that the
United States should call to Washington
representatives from eight or nine of
the major countries and act as arbitra
tor. In his opinion, the United States is
the only power which can do this, and
sooner or later she will have to take a
definite stand on war and peace; and it
will be less costly to take that stand
now.
Announcement
The Spelman-Morehouse French Club
will begin try-outs soon for the annual
spring plays. Watch the bulletin boards
for further announcements.