Evening star., 1940-09-07

teStant and Jew DaVid Lawrence.
ish theological seminaries and Cath
olic institutions. The meeting will
last three days. While the sessions
this year will be held at the Jewish
stood that next year they will be
held at the Union Theological Sem
mary and the following year at
Catholic institution, thus rotating
the place of meeting.
The significance Of conference
of this kind at a time of world
crisis, when democracy has been
suffering blackouts in many hith-
erto free countries, cannot be exag-
gerated. For the purpose of def
milton of the basic principles of the
democratic way of life is to strength
en- the bonds of the people in rela-
tionship to the democratic system.
The announcement says in part:
"The founding members realize
that today civilization itself is
threatened by the rise of totali-
tartan systems based on anti-scien-
tific, anti-philosophic and anti-re-
ligious dogmas; that science, philos-
ophy and religion can survive only
In world which respects the hu-
man worth of the individual, and,
at the same time, that each of these
traditions can make a contribution
to the concept of universal human
worth. They believe, further, that
the departmentalizatio of thought
In democratic societies has been in
part responsible for the weakness of
democracy in the face of totali-
tarianism.
Personal Contact Needed.
"Clearly the time has come when
those who are helping to fashion ar
American way of life should try to
meet one another, to reach mutual
understanding, and if possible to
FORMULATE the basis on which they
may Cooperate for the preservation
of democratic ideals.
There is no suggestion that any
discipline should become subject to
another: nor is there any thought
of reducing the various religious
traditions to a common denomina-
tor. But without surrendering it's
individuality, each tradition-philo-
sophie, religious, or scientiflc-in-
volved in the general purpose could
contribute to the creation of mu-
tual respect and understanding and
to common approach to American
democratic living
Tt was belief in the possibility of
such a contribution by members of
the various diSciplines and traditions
which led to preliminary meeting
last November, attended by Presi-
dent Coffin of the Union Theological
Seminary, Prof. Arthur H. Compton
of the University of Chicago, Presi-
dent Louis Finklestein of the Jewish
Theological Seminary, Dean H. E
w. Fosbroke of the General Theo-
logical Seminary, Prof. Anton C..
Pegis of Fordham University, Prof
Harold Lasswell of the Washington
School of Psychiatry, Prof. Harlow
Shapley of the Harvard Observatory
and others who formed plans for
the meeting next week.
The future probably will see ar
rangements for periodic discussions
between scientists, philosophers and
religious teachers because the most
valuable interchanges of thought be-
tween these groups cannot be at
tanned through books and articles,
but requires personal contact. Round
tables of this kind may be organized
in various universities and colleges
throughout the country and even
tually considerable group of scien-
fists, teachers of humanitieS, philo-
sophers and theologianS will be able
to exchange the results of their con-
ferences.
Basic Weaknesses Sought.
Through the publication of the
proceedings of the New York meet
ing, it is hoped to acquaint the coun-
try with the plan so that out OF the
material assembled some popular
as well as scientific studies may be
widely distributed.
The movement may be said to be
the most far-reachlng effort to get
at the basic weaknesses and strong
points of democracy with an idea OF
finding out how religion. science and
philosophy may supplement each
other in building a stronger sys-
tenn of democratic living.
While the average citizen takes
democracy for granted, he is not
often aware of the forces of ire
ligion or scientific aloofness which
tend to break down faith in the ira
ditions which have in the past been
so vital part of democracy itself
Youth today is particularly cynical
about democracy, but intellectual
youth has never perhaps been given
the tenets of the democratic faith
by as learned a group as will partlcl-
pate in the continuing conference
and projects to be made possible by
the three-day meeting of educators
and theologians and scientists in
New York next week.
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