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THE MAROON TIGER
Page Eleven
ISSUE IN SPAIN IS DIVIDING ALL EUROPE
INTO TWO CAMPS, SCOTTISH LECTURER
ASSERTS IN TALK AT SPELMAN COLLEGE
More and more it is becoming impossible for the
people of Europe to keep a “middle ground” be
tween extreme nationalism on the one side and
the extremites of socialism and communism on
the other, Donald Grant, well known Scottish
writer and speaker on international affairs, told a
group of students and facullty members of the
Atlanta University system Saturday evening,
January 30, in the course of a discussion of the
.situation in Spain and its effect on Europe. Speak
ing on the subject, “The Struggle in Spain is De
cisive to Europe”, Mr. Grant asserted that as a
result of this civil war. all Europe is being forced
to take sides; as a consequence, there is rapidly
ceasing to be any “middle road” in European poli
tics. The speaker has just returned from a six
months stay in England and on the continent, and
his conclusions were based on fresh, first-hand
studies of European opinion.
The issue between fascism and democracy is
dividing Europe into two camps, Mr. Grant de
clared. The great tragedy, he said, is not only that
it is setting one country against another, but that
it is separating every population in Europe into
violently opposing factions. In the countries where
fascism has gained control, such as Italy and Ger
many, there is no open opposition to the totali
tarian state. In the countries where democratic
government still exists, the trend is toward a
“popular front”, such as exists in France. Here
the various parties, which represent the moderate,
liberal, and the radical groups, have joined to
form a strong opposition to the forces of fascism
in order to save themselves from being litreally
“Steam-rollered” out of existence.
Speaking at the Spelman College vesper service
on Sunday afternoon, January 31. on “Ways to
Avoid War”, Mr. Grant declared that only by a
strong “collectivist” policy, by which nations join
together to prevent conflict, could war be effec
tively avoided. Two other possible ways to stop
war were outlined through the workings of a
“power policy” by which nations seek to become
so great and powerful that none will dare to at
tack them, and by the policy of neutrality, by
which nations seek to avoid the pit-falls and en
tanglement of war by deliberately cutting them
selves off from associations with other countries.
Neither of these two policies, Mr. Grant believed,
coulld in the long run be effective. The collective
policy, by which one nation joins with another to
prevent the evils and excesses that lead to war,
and to arbitrate differences, conforms more near
ly to the Christian conception of life, Mr. Grant
asserted. Such a concept, as best summarized in
the Golden Rule, is a challenger to the policy of
powerful governments which seek to disregard
the well-being of all except themselves.
During his week-end stay, Mr. Grant discuss
ed the question, “Will Germany Dominate
Europe?” at an open forum on Sunday evening,
which was arranged by the Spelman College Y. W.
C. A. and the Morehouse Y. M. C. A. He pointed
out how Hitler, taking step after step in repudi
ation of the Versailles treaty, has taken the initi
ative in European affairs. Now by acquiring in
fluence in the Balkan states and by propoganda
against Czechoslovakia and Russia, he is pushing
for the central of Europe by the German peoples
inside and outside of Germany. A few weeks ago,
Hitler suffered a check by Britian and France in
connection with his interference in Spain and
Spanish Morocco, Mr. Grant said. If Britain and
France continue to take a firm and positive stand,
it may delay the spread of German influence to
the advantage of democracy in Europe.
Mr. Grant, a native of Scotland and a graduate
of Edinburgh University, studied theology for
four years in New College, Edinburgh, and as
a student lived and did social work in that city’s
slum section. Following the World War, he engag
ed in reconstruction work in France, in relief work
in Austria, and later served as secretary of the
Student Christian Movement in New Zealand and
in Great Britian. He was an organizer of the In
ternational Student Service, was first editor of
its publication, the “Vox Studentium”, and serv
ed as a European correspondent for various journ
als. His interest in world peacertook him frequent
ly to Geneva where he observed closely the work
of the League of Nations. He is now lecturing in
American colleges under the auspices of the In
stitute of International Education, and came to
Atlanta rom Chattanooga where he was an out
side speaker in the Chattanooga-Hamilton Coun
ty Open Forum.
I
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WALTER A. GUEST
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