Evening star., 1939-12-30
Historians Blame
Europe's Wars on
Age-0Id Friction
Solution Of Conflict
Between Germans and
SIovs Held Key to Peace

American Historical Association to-
day passed over Hitler, Chamber
lain and Stalin-and threw respon-
sibiNty on a titanic racial conflict
between Germanic and Slavic popu-
lations.
DR.. Robert j. Kerner of the Uni
versity of California told the his
torians, meeting in the Mayflower
Hotel, that If we could find a solu-
ton for the centuries-old friction
between Slavs and Germans we
could be sure of peace in Europe" "
The conflicts of Czechs, Poles and
South Slavs with the Germanic
group was traced by the professors
back beyond the birth of Christ.
Prof. s. Harrison Thomson of the
University of Colorado quoted q
Czech, perturbed by Germanic in
filtration into Bohemia, as making
the following statement a century
before Columbus voyage to Amer
lea:
"The normal and natural thing is
for the bear to stay in his cave, the
wolf in his forest, the fish in the
sea and the German in Germany"
Doubts Problem Can Be Solved.
Prof. Thomson said that the battle
between German and Slav has ragged
through the centuries on religious,
cultural and military fronts-shift-
ing its ground sharply from time
to time. He discredited theories
which scholars have advanced to
account for the conflict, said that
he could advance no adequate one
himself and doubted that the prob
lem ever will be solved completely.
One of the few breaks in the
struggle came in the time of Martin
Luther, when the religious reformer
is credited with having briefly trans
formed German hatred for the
Czechs and other Slavs into love.
Goethe was among other Germans
who encouraged Slavic enterprise
and liberty, he said.
DR.. Carl Friedrich of Harvard Uni
versity sharply criticized any theory
that there is a blood difference
between the races involved. He said
that the struggle is between the
folkways of the various groups.
The Historical Association, NOV
ing into final sessions of its 54th
annual meeting after electing DR..
Max Farrand of San Marino, Calf
as its new president, centered its
attention in today's programs on
medieval and modern European
history.
DR.. Farrand, who is connected
with the Henry E. Huntington
Library and Art Gallery at San
Marino, was elected to succeed DR..
William Scott Ferguson, of Harvard
University, as president at the an
nual business session late yesterday
after the association had accepted
a committee report recommending
that permanent headquarters be
established in Washington and that
the executive officer be resident
Of Washington.
DR.. Thompson Vice President.
DR.. Farrand served as first vice
president during the past year.
Other officers chosen by a unani-
nous ballot cast by the secretary
we're DR.. James Westfall Thompson,
University of California, first vice
president; DR.. Arthur Schlesinger,
of Harvard. second vice president;
Dexter Perkins, of the University of
Rochester, reelected secretary, and
Solon j. Buck, of the National
Archives, reelected treasurer.
DR.. Conyers Read of the Univer-
Sity of Pennsylvania submitted his
resignation as executive secretary
Immediately after the committee s
report was read, explaining that he
did so to avoid the possible in
lection of a personal element into
the proceedings.
He praised the report of the 10
member committee, headed by DR..
j. D. Hicks of the University of
Wisconsin, but at the same time
voiced disapproval of the proposal
to restrict the post of executive
secretary to Washington resident,
contending that would greatly limit
the choice for the important posi-
ton.
The association, whose registra-
ton at this session was announced
as 1000, voted to hold its 1941 an
nual meeting in Chicago. Next
years conference will be in New
York.
One of the high lights of the
numerous sessions yesterday was a
talk by DR.. HUI Shih, the Chinese
Ambassador and noted historian,
who explained why China has been
able to overthrow its old civiliza-
ton and emerge as modern ma
ton, while Japan has failed to
break down its solid core of ancient
habits.
A decade ago, he said, the puzzle
was: Why was Japan so successful
and China so unsuccessful in the
modernization process? Today, he
said, the question is reversed.
Japan's Understanding Superficial
But there's no mystery about
it," the Ambassador said. Japan
undertook rapid Transformation
at such an early time that her lead
ers could understand only certain
superficial aspects of the Western
culture. She adopted the militaris-
tic system of the West, but succeeded
only in building a machine to pro-
tect her traditions and old cultures
against the new civilization.
"China's plan, on the other hand
was slow, but it was watertight,' "
he continued. cat first, it also was
built around militarism and in
dustrialsm, but this was doomed
to failure from the outset. China
had to spend three or four decades
destroying the monarchy and then
the militarists, but the political
revolution of 1911-12 paved the way