Evening star., 1935-08-25
BY GASTON NERYAL.

w YHILE in the Capital Of
\h/ the United States. George
Wv Washington University was
holding its fourth annual
Seminar Conference on Hispanic-
American affairs, down at Panama
City students from several American
republics attended the first Summer
school of the Centre de Estudios
Pedagogicos Hispanoamericanos.
Both of these educational institu-
tions announced as their main purpose
the promotion of q better inter Amer
ican understanding through mutual
knowledge of the culture and people
Of the various nations on this conti-
nent. Realizing that the greatest
hindrance to the progress Of pan
Americanism Is the astounding lack Of
knowledge of one another among the
inhabitants Of the Western Hemisphere,
the organizers of the Washington and
the Panama Summer schools prepared
a number Of special courses on the
civilization, history and people of the
American republics. They gathered at
both cities a distinguished array Of
experts on social, political and eco
nomic problems bearing on PAN
Americanism, and attracted the in
terest of wide audience. not only Of
regular students. but of outside in
tellectuals and observers.
At George Washington University,
the emphasis this year was centered
on the Colonial period of Hispanic-
American history, with special atten-
ton to those conditions which have
affected modern life and institutions
of the Latin American countries. Lee
lures were given on the geographical
background, on the native and the
European background, on the con-
quest and settlement by the Spaniards,
and on Colonial government. church,
society, intellectual life, economic life
and international relations of Hispanic
America.
For some years, George Washington
University has made q specially OF
studies in inter-American matters. 1t
was one of the hrst institutions to
establish q chair of HiSpanic- American
history, and two years ago It founded
the Center of Inter-American Studies
for the purpose of Offering courses
and special lectures and encouraging
research and scholarly publications in
the field of inter-American problems. y.
At Panama City, the Centro de
Estudios Pedagogicos Hispanoameri-
canos, sponsored by the Panamanian
government, carried out an even more
ambitious and thorough program, coy
ering nearly every important subject
relating to the racial origins, the his
tory, the art, the literature, the polit-
ical economy and the social institutions
of present-day Latin America, besides
q frank and unorthodox review OF
inter-American relations. The twelve
hundred students who attended were
given courses which ranged all the
way from the folklore and customs Of
the native civilizations Of Mexico,
Panama, Peru and Eucador down to
the more controversial discussion Of
such timely political subjects as the
Canal Treaties, the Good-Neighbor
Policy, the Mexican Six-Year Plan,
and the Chaco dispute.
No matter what may be the ultimate
scholastic gains of the Washington
and the Panama inter-American for
ums of education, their contribution
to the cause of pan-Americanism is
already beyond question.
There are three ways Of approach
ing pan-Americanism. First, that OF
Government oficials, verbose politi-
clans and diplomats Of sold-embroid-