Evening star., 1940-06-04
Unemployment
Ills Stressed
AT Conference
Defense Should Not
Divert Attention From
Problem, Session Told

The task of bolstering the Ma
tons national defenses must not
divert attention from the basic eco
nomic problem of unemployment
the Interfaith Conference on unem-
ployment was advised today at its
opening session at the Departmental
Auditorium.
Representatives of the three
great faiths of America-a Catholic
priest, Jewish rabbi and two
Protestant miniSterS-sounded the
keynote of the three-day meeting
in describing The Concern of Re-
ligion with Unemployment"
One of the speakers, Dr. Albert
w. Beaven, president of the Col
gate Rochester Divinity School, a
former president of the Federal
Council of Churches, warned the
conference:
This country has been attempt
ing by all its power to avoid being
drawn into the present war. but
unemployment is factor which is
continually pushing us in the other
direction. Unemployment is like
weighing the scales on the side of
war.
Self-Respect Weakened.
DR.. Beaven said that, in the terms
of national defense, unemployment
"weakens the independence and self
respect" of the manpower of the
Nation and thereby lowers the ef-
fectiveness of "a large block of our
citizens" who are affected by it.
DR.. James Myers, executive sec
retary of the conference and a Sec
retary of the Federal Council of
Churches. declared that around the
problem of unemployment revolved
"other major issues of national we'll
being. including our hope for peace
and the possible development of die
tatorship in our own country
The only sure way to allay unrest
and strengthen the foundations of
a nation, the only way to make the
masses of our people reasonably con-
servative," Dr.. Myers said, lis to
given them something to conserve.
This means employment -
Moral Aspects Cited.
DR.. John A. Ryan, director of the
department of social action of the
National Catholic Welfare Confer
ence, who is chairman of the Inter-
faith Conference, said it is the
business of religion" to pass judg-
ment on the rightness or wrong
ness" of proposals and solutions of
the Nations unemployment problem
because of their moral aspects"
Rabbi Samuel H. Goldenson of
New York called unemployment "the
supreme indictment of our intelli-
gence and moral sense"
TT is important to be reminded
that the matter of unemployment is
not unrelated to the tragic events
that are taking place in Flanders.
France and England during these
very days" Rabbi Goldenson said.
Dissatisfaction Pointed Out.
For many the causes C v-or is
certainly the circumstance that vast
numbers of men during the last
generation or so have been unable
to find gainful occupation. The ef-
feet of unemployment has been to
create in every country large armies
of dissatisfied, troubled discontent-
ed. disgruntled men and women.
These unhappy persons have nat
urally become resentful of and re-
bellious against the status quo"
Membership in the conference in
cludes men and women from va
rious religious bodies, industry,
finance, research, education, labor,
the farm and consumer groups, the
Government, Congress and both
major political parties. The sessions
will continue through Thursday.
Afternoon Speakers.
Speakers at the afternoon session
included DR.. Leonard Kuvin, direc-
tor of the division of industrial
economics, National Industrial Con-
ference Board; Mrs Oliver Streator,
director of the Service Bureau for
Negro Children of the Children's
Aid Society of New York, and
Arthur Dunn, president of the
Realists, a group organized in New
York last year as protest against
'wishful thinking"
DR.. Kuvin declared that if con-
ditionS were normal and if business
were stepped up As per cent above
present levels to approximate an
average only 20 per cent above those
in 1929, I'VE should find not alone
a complete absorption of the total
number of unemployed but
per capita standard of living 10
per cent higher than that which