Arizona republican., 1921-10-12
HARDING URGES
 NEWS CONGRESS .TO HELP SOL vE
 PACIEI IL ISSu ES
rRepubliean A. p. Leased wirel


 HONOLULU, T. H.. Oct. 1l.-Presi- dent Harding, through Gov Wallace R. Harrington, opened the first formal session of the press congress of the world here today. Governor Earring ton read an address from President Harding.
 Dr. Walter Williams of the Univer- sity of Missouri, president of the con- gress, addressed the delegates and outlined the program of the sessions.
 WASHINGTON. Oct. IA hope that the public press throughout the world will do it's part to promite in ternational understanding and par ticularly to make easier the tasks of the armament conference was ex- pressed by President Harding in a message to the Press Congress of the World, which began it's sessions today at Honolulu.
 Tn solving the problem of the Pa cific, the president wrote, the press was in a position to wield a great and beneficial influence. He declared it hard to imagine Qualifications" for conflict among the peoples on oppo- site shores of the Pacific and added:
 "The Pacific ought to be the seat of a generous, free, open minded com petition between the best ideals of Eastern and Western life. between the aspirations and endeavors of the old est and newest forms of human so- ciety.''
 The message. sent in the form of a letter to Wallace R. Harrington, gov ernor of Hawaii, and publisher of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, was dated fr,r f.a1lA
 T. hope the fact that I chance to have been most of my life a news paper man will not have distorted my judgment so far as to cause me to over-rate the importance of journal ism in the present day world. Not only have the world war and the events transpiring since the armistice impressed us all anew with the use ands value of the public press, but they have demonstrated the possible danger which resides in a press too freely employed for mere propaganda. In the overwhelming emergency of the war propaganda became a well nigh universal habit: I might almost say code among journalists. It was, of course, intended to be the propa- ganda of patriotism, of devout na- tionalism, of well intentioned aspira- ton for the salvation of the best in human society; but it was not always entirely fair. judicial or discreet. On the whole it served a splendid pur- pose in the circumstances of wal time: but we newspapermen could indulge ourselves in no more grievous error than to assume that propa- ganda is the first or even leading aim of a properly conducted press
 q cannot but feel that the pri- mary purpose of the press, as social institution. is the opening of men s minds, rather than the closing of them. Propaganda aims primarily at shutting up the mind against other conclusions than those which the propagandists design to implant. Ed ucation, on the contrary. aims to open the mind. to prepare it. to make it receptive, and to urge it to formu- late its own conclusions.
 Tn this work of education no sin gle force or influence of which we know can be expected to exert SC great a potency as the press. You are meeting in a day when the world is looking forward to the gathering of the nations to consider limitation of armament and maintenance oi world peace. If your deliberation shall inspire a larger, more humane view of the clements which enter
  least a measurable disarmament; if you can encourage the ideal of a world permanently at peace; then you will have given a vast impetus to the efforts of statesmen who are to consider these problems at Wash 1 ington.
 1 "We have heard much in recent | years about the problem of the Pa cific, whatever that may be. I take 1 it to be merely a phase of the uni versal problem of the race of meT and nations, wherever they are. It i: 1 hard to imagine justifications in thi: l day and age. especially in view ot l the worlds late unhappy experiences 1 for armed conflict among, civilized peoples anywhere and especially among peoples so widely separated as those on opposite borders of tho Pacific. They represent differen races, social organizations, politica | systems and modes of thought. Be. tween them and their widely varying systems there may well be an ami cable competition to determine whicl community possesses the better ana more effective ideas for human ad- | vancement. But that there should | be conflict: that warfare and con- 1 troversey should interfere with thi. 1 worthwhile demonsNration of the val. ue of different modes of progress. i. l almost unthinkable. The Pacific l ought to be the seat Of generou: | free. open minded competition be 1 tween the best ideals of eastern ant | western life: between the aspiration! l and endeavors of the oldest and th' ! newest forms of human society"