Evening star., 1936-07-11
IDEALS IMMORTAL
Sixteenth Century Hanist Gave Chart for Solution Of Postwar
Questions Due to Political Chaos-Ethcal Theories
Related to Education and Religion.
Bv Lester X. Born.
Chairman, Washington Erasmus
QuGtercentenary.


- Reformation; Luther Matched
it. That. at least. every one
~ has heard about Erasmus.
Almost as well known in his own bon
mot, MY soul Is Catholic. my
stomach Lutheran" But such epi-
grammatic references are not enough
to explain the continued interest In
o great scholar dead. physically, these
400. years.
Why, since that midnight OF July
11-12 when, alone except for his Sec
retary, in his own special room in
the house of his old friends, the
Frobens at Basle, the prime spirit Of
the northern revival Of learning passed
into the infinite mercy of Him who
said, Come to Me all you that labor
and I will refresh you," has the rev.
erence for his name never been COM
pletely eclipsed? Why. in spite Of the
fact that his works were once placed
upon the Index Expurgatorius? Why.
trf spite of the fact that Martin Luther
and his followers Of the day were as
bitter against him as were some
ecclesiastics Of the Roman Catholic
Church?
The answer very clearly lies in the
fact that the message Of Erasmus Is
on a higher plane than the attacks
which have been made against him,
that his message Is much wider In
scope than the points Of view Of those
who have attempted to detract. that
in his breadth Of scholarship. in his
intellectual ideal, in his moral and
ethical doctrines he was and is ahead
of his time. 1t Is precisely with those
moral, ethical and political ideals that
we should be concerned at the present
day.
MOT without significance Is the
fact that within the circle Of
the last 10 years, when the new"
biography has appeared, Erasmus has
not been overlooked. The analysis by
DR.. j. J. Mangan in this country, the
studies by Albert Maison and by
TIL. Quoniain in France and the in
terpretive biograph by Stefan Zweig
in Germany all deserve to be men
toned. The monographs, special
studies and lectures in most Western
European countries and In America
curing the same period Of time sup
port the thesis Of renewed interest.
Again the question Is, "Why?"
Quoniam touches the answer In part:
"Erasme nest pas rhomme dune idee,
Il est lie heros de Ia pensee." Zweig
goes further:
Never has Erasmus thought taken
sufficient shape and substance to ex-
ercise a tangible influence upon the
molding of European destinies. The
great humanistic dream of the solu-
ton of disagreements in spirit Of
juStic has remained q Utopia.
s** Nevertheless """ even that which
In the concrete world can never be
victorious. remains in that other as a
dynamic force, and unfulfllled ideals
often prove the most unconquerable.
An idea which does not take on ma
terial shape Is not necessarily 2 con-
uuered idea or q false idea; 1t may
represent a need which, though its
qualification be postponed, is and re-
mains a need. = Those ideals only
which have failed to put on concrete
form are capable of everlasting res
direction . It is to Erasmus thatl
we owe this simplest of thoughts and
this most undying of thoughts, namely,
that 1t is mankind's highest duty to
Eeek to become humaner, more spirit
ual and increasingly capable Of SYM
~ ;p;t "a nd
BY one of those inexplicable quirks
Of human reaction, it was not until
postwar Europe was in the throes Of
violent nationalistic feelings that stu
dents began the serious and detailed
Investigation and appraisal Of Erasmus
political message. It had been known
and mentioned, true, by biographers in
great or small extent from time to
time. It's inseparability from Eras-
mus ideals in education and In religion
had in part accounted for the man
ton. Fundamentally, Erasmus three
main channels of activity rest upon
the common basis of ethical conduct.
There is nothing out Of date about
such theories, we may hope.
THE works Of Erasmus in which his
- political theories are most abund-
antly found are bis "Adages," his
"Panegyric to Philip" his Praise of
Folly" his Education Of Chris
tian Prince" which Is the most for
NAL and detailed exposition of his
views; his Complaint of Peace" his
"Familar Colloquies," his APO
thegms" and his Most Useful Con-
sultation on the Subject of War
against the Turks"
Naturally enough, in such diverse
mediums as the "ColloQuies," which
the author had frequently to defend as
too frank, and his Praise Of Folly"
which Is q scathing satire in humor-
GUS guise, one must be prepared to
come upon politico-ethical views In the
most unexpected places. The i'm
portant thing Is rather that these
views are unexpected in a vastly Diff
ferent sense. They are several gen
erations-in some cases, centuries-in
advance of contemporary thought and
practice.
In this era OF uCtle learning almost
equally unexpected will be the ire
futable evidence that, with the small
est exceptions, Erasmus ethical ideas
on politics, education for citizenship,
governmental responsibility all come
from Greek and Roman antiquity.
In one Of his letters Erasmus said:
II cannot help loving peace and con-
cord; I cannot help execrating strife
and turmoil" With that as the key
note, 1t Is easy to see why Erasmus
argued vigorously and continuously for
international peace. for the cessation
Of war.
Erasmus was by no means the first
TO advocate arbitration, but 1t probably
is not too much to say that all modern
theories of international arbitration,