Evening star., 1933-11-18
URGE ADOPTION j
OF ROER|CH PACT
Representatives of 27 Ma
tionS 2ecommend World
Action.


today formally recommended world
adoption of the Roerich pact. which
would make inviolable in time of war
cultural and educational centers.
In addition to the 27 official renre-
sentatlVes attending the third interna-
tlonal convention OF the Roerich Pact
and Banner Of Peace at the Mayflower
Hotel, there were observers from Ger
many, France. Italy, Belgium, the Meth
erlands, Turkey and Albania.
1t Is proposed that all nations, either
by proclamation or by treaty, agree 20
system Of registering all cultural col
lections and treasures and to assure
their safeguarding in case Of armed
connlct. Each cultural center would
ny the Roerich Banner OF Peace. con-
siSting of red circle in the center
OF which are three red dots. This
symbol has been used from ancien.
times to denote things Of an artistic
nature. 1t is proposed that the banner
received respect similar to that ef tina
Red Cross flag.
The nations whose official representa-
tions recommended adoption of the
pact are Argentina, Chile, China, Co
lombia, Czechoslovakia. the Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala,
AAOAiOuA ~, lIAC 4k4SL1 CIEc O6dIC, Japan,
Nicaragua, Panama, Persia, Peru, Po-
land, Portugal, Spain. Switzerland. the
United States, Venezuela, Yugoslavts,
Brazil, Costa Rico, Paraguay and
Lithuania.
Meeting Sponsored by Museum.
In each case the nation was repre-
sented by the Ambassador or Minister
to this country or member of his staff
Historic monuments, educational, ar
tiStic and scientific institutions, artistic
and scientific missions and the person.
mel, property and collections of such
institutions and missions would come
under the pact. These would be regis
tered at the Permanent Court Of Inter-
national Justice at The Hague, the In
transitional Institute of Intellectual Co
operation at Paris or the Educational
Department OF the Pan-American Union
here.
The pact Is the work Of Prof. Nicholas
Roerich. artist and archeologist, and the
meeting here is sponsored by the Roe
rich Museum, New York Louis L.
Horch, president of the museum, pre-
sided at all sessions, the first of which
was held yesterday.
In republic it is always the people,
not the soldiers and sailors. who make
war, DR.. Charles Moore, chairman of
the Fine Arts Commission, declared in
an address this morning He said the
only possible way to avoid war was for
every person to have within him the
viii for peace.
Wallace Speaks.
Speaking last night, Secretary OF Ag-
riculture Wallace, protector of the con-
vention, told OF the destruction Of
famous cathedrals during the World
War. which, ne said, might have been
1Yerted had the system conceived by
Prof. Roerich been in effect.
Il am not one" he said, "to urge an
idealistic symbol such as the banner of
peace as a substitute for effective action
in the world of hard economic facts.
But / do say that 1t is high time for
the idealists who make the reality Of
tomorrow to rally around an interna-
tional flag of cultural unity.
Those terrible forces unleashed by
the World War have too long caused
the nations to fight each other with the
deadly economic weapons of tariffs,
quotas and speculative currencies. This
economic warfare has. by throwing
men out of work on a worldwide scale,
caused more impoverishment than the
actual physical warfare from 1914 to
1918.
I'VE in the United States during the
past four months have plowed under
10000, 900 acres of cotton and slaugh-
tered 5000 900 little pigs in desperate
attempt to behave as q creditor nation
must behave when it has destroyed the
foreign market for its surplus by high
tariffs"
Hull Sends Greetings.
A message was read to the convention
from Secretary of State Cordell Hull ex-
pressing his sympathy with the end
sought. A similar message from Secre-
tary of Commerce Daniel c. Roper also
was presented.
DR. E. Gil-Borges, acting director
general of the Pan-American Union,
emphasized the Importance of preserv-
ing records of the past and deplored
the present trends in science, art and
philosophy toward facilitating war.
AT this moment, the sciences of en-
gineering. chemistry, electricity, all the
discoveries which should redeem hu-
manity, are preparing its destruction, T"
he said. "At this moment in labora-
tories and in factories, science is sharp
ening the nails and fastening the planks
Of the scaffold where our civilization
will be crucihed"
Right Rev. James E. Freeman. Bishop
of Washington, who pronounced the
invocation at the first session yesterday
afternoon, advocated extending the
banner Of peace to all activities Of
mankind, making it universal peace
agreement.
thine Ripe for Pact"
The time Is ripe for the Roerich
pact" said DR.. Frederic R. Robinson,
president of the College Of the City of
New York. for there is now fairly
general agreement that during war
historic monuments and educational,
artistic and scientific institutions have
no considerable value to those directly
concerned with military operations"
Others who spoke yesterday and last
night included Senators William H.
King and J.. P. Pope Representative
Sol Bloom, Leon Dabo. artist; DR.. Ales
Hrdlicka of the Smithsonian Institu-
ton. Prof. Ralph v. D. Magofin, hon
orary president of the Archaeological In
stitute of America; Mrs. Sina Licht-
mann, vice president of the Roer1ch
Museum; Bishop James H. Ryan, DR..
James Brown Scott, director OF the
Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace; Rear Admiral j. K. Taussig,
U. S. N; Mrs. Nettie S. Horch, presi
dent Of the Roerich Society: Miss Z. J.
vice president of the Roerich
Museum, and Miss Frances Grant, also
a vice president of the museum, and
the following diplomats:
Tswen-ling Tsui, second secretary of
the Chinese legation; Don Agustin
Acevedo Feiu, first secretary of the
Dominican legation; Michael MacWhite.
Minister Of the Irish Free State; ToShi-
hiko Taketomi, counselor Of the Japa-
nese embassy; DIR. Don Henri de Bayle,
charge d'affaires of the Nicaraguan