Evening star., 1937-11-29
MARCH,
TOWN HALL TOLD
But for Dictatorship, Not for
Democracy, Polling Tells
Audience.

youth is on the march" today
throughout the world, Daniel A. Pol
ing, noted dry leader and editor of the
Christian Herald, informed Town Hall
last night in delivering an appeal for
the mobilization of youth behind par
ticular tasks in the preservation of
democracy.
They are marching, however. in the
cause Of dictatorship, adding that he
opposed single youth movement for
the United States.
In this opposition to the marshaling
of youth behind a single idea, he was
joined by DR.. Homer Rainey, director
of the American Youth Commission
Of the American Council on Educa-
ton, and Mrs. Eugene Meyer, both Of
whom were members Of the panel.
I'VE do not want a youth move
ment in this country in the same
sense as in other countries" DR..
Rainey said, because there is a def
mite peril in it, There are a lot of
anti-social attitudes among youths
which require definite care in their
training and education"
Mrs Meyer added the opinion that
a youth movement in democracy is
a menace.
Must Be Spontaneous.
DR.. Polling, taking as his topic What
About Youth?". expressed doubt
whether a national youth movement
could be achieved by adults, and be-
lief that it could only arise spon-
taneously from the younger genera
ton itself.
He described the regimenting of
youth in the totalitarian states and
the militancy of students in Palestine,
India, China and Japan, and pleaded
for understanding of the complex en-
vironment in which the coming gen.
Grafton was born.
They don't write the books they
read, compose the songs they sing
or produce the movies they see," he
said. They live in social environ
ment for which they are not re-
sponsible. If they make mistakes it
Is with excuse and justification.
DR.. Polling stated three conclusions
from his observation of the march
Of youth" throughout the world:
l. They are marching at the call of
q harsh patriotism, blood and iron,
Garibaldi patriotism of which the
essence is the Nazi cry that '"The
highest duty of German youth is to die
for the fatherland.
2. They are marching against each
other, continually preparing to defend
their frontiers, their national honor,
from expected attack by youth of other
countries.
3. They are marching because of
powerful personal leadership-Hitler,
Mussolini, Kemal, Stain, Chang Kali
shek, Sun Yat-sen and Quezon.
Speed-Up Seen.
In the panel discussion Dr.. Rainey
envisaged need for an answer to the
problem Of three and one-half to four
million jobless youths between the ages
OF Is and 81, and deplored the trend
to eliminate the youth Of less than 21
from employment
Industrial production would have
to rise Is to 20 per cent above any
thing we have hitherto enjoyed in
order to absorb the jobless youths
under 21," he added, deprecating the
chronological developments which are
displacing human labor.
The 30-hour week proposal. and in
fact all wages and hours restrictions on
employers will result in q speed-up Of
technology which is just what Is going
on now"
DR.. Studebaker, who presided, en-
tered the panel discussion with the
suggestion that modification of the
education system Is needed to hold
larger numbers of children in school
longer, and stressed that most young
people who leave school early do 40
because it is unattractive, not because
they are forced into it. He urged
stronger personalities in the class
rooms.
Robert Fechner. director Of the
Civilian Conservation Corps, was 4
member Of the panel.
Beatrice Forbes Robertson Hale will
speak on the women's movement next
Sunday night at the Rialto Theater