Evening star., 1944-12-26
Letters to The Star
Advocates Building of Meeting
House for the Nations Here

Advocates DulIQln2 OF Meeting
House for the Nations Here
To the Editor of The Star:
A stadium? Yes but
Shall 1t be said OF America: And, 10,
Washington offered, as did Rome long
ago in the Coliseum. games in great
stadium for the amusement of ENJOYS
and wise men of the nations who came
from the uttermost parts of the earth
to seek aid and counsel in relieving and
in removing causes of famine and dis
tress of hundreds of millions of people"
They came to seek aid in rebuilding
wasted agricultures and wrecked indus
tries and in creating economic democ-
racy as first needful to political de-
mocracy. Shall 1t be said that these
ENJOYS who came to the worlds greatest
center of democracy found instead that
only great stadium for games for their
amusement had been provided for them?
For who but youth will take part in
games of a great stadium? Certainly,
such games will be to the benefit of
international understanding in sporting
and free rivalry as great Olympics to
the use of the world. But envoys of
nations concerned with critical problems
Of their peoples will take no part in
games of physical prowess in the great
stadium of Washington.
Perhaps Washington needs a great
stadium. But Washington needs now
something more than stadium for
games of physical prowess and for
pageants. Only yesterday telephone
operators threatening to strike were re-
minded officially that Washington now
Is the greatest center of communication
of the world. But Washington is far more
than that. 1t is the world center of
ideas and the spirit of democracy as the
goal for which the majority of the
peoples OF the world even now are
lighting, suffering and dying. Washing
ton, rather, needs great meeting house,
suitable for the open discussion of the
rights OF those who labor and are heavy
laden-a meeting house where problems
OF all peoples who seek the abundant
life may be brought into the open for all
to hear and to consider Washington
needs an edifice equipped for holding
congresses. where men of learning and
wisdom and men of good will from all
corners Of the earth may hammer out in
open conference and discussion prin-
ciples and ways and means to make full
use Of and to conserve the good earth,
to let toiling humanity earn the abun-
dant life and to protect and safeguard
peoples in their rights of liberty and
the pursuit of happiness.
Washington needs above all else in
its physical equipment great meeting
house as parliament of mankind and
a congress of the nations Such an
edifice would be designed for concourses
of peoples and great assemblies and for
smaller meetings of sections and con-
ferences and committees that would
report back to general assemblies.
Existing public halls of Washington,
while some are beautifully appointed
in no case are large enough. nor are
they suitably fitted with smaller audi
toriums for holding sectional meetings
at the same time. Nor are eating facili-
ties convenient to them. Washington
has needed in the past, needs now and
for the postwar period will all the more
need. a suitable establishment for hold
ing national and international confer
ences, conventions, assemblies and con-
crosses, and music festivals This need
has been made very real to many of us
who have been responsible directly or
indirectly for making arrangements for
national conventions and international
assemblies in Washington. For example,
in 1899 1t was necessary to commander
the Union Station for the banquet ses-
sion of the World Water Power Con-
gress.
The structure and facilities of this
great meeting house should be efficient,
in good taste, and should have simplicity,
dignity and beauty befitting a great
meeting house of mankind
Yes, let us have a stadium for games
and pageants for amusement, recreation
and inspiration. But let us first or also
erect a great meeting house of democ-
racy in Washington.
w. C. LOWDERMILK,
Past President of the American Geo
physical Union of Earth Sciences.
Wants No Church Interference
To the Editor OF The Star:
Recently I received a letter from a
religious organization, soliciting my
cooperation in an endeavor to have
the church as such given representation
at the peace table and at the intema-
tional councils which are to shape the
future policies of the world government
under the new order of things after
the war, in order to establish perma-
nent reign of peace.
But it is about time somebody spoke