Evening star., 1961-02-24

CaneOuS DEMONSTRATIONS Oc"
casioned by the death Of
Patrice Lumumba, yours was
a lone, perceptive voice raised
to commemorate the sense
less. savage slaughter Of Fa-
ther Renato Devos, whose
only mission in the Congo
had been to do good among
the people who murdered
him. Your editorial, "Requi-
EN- for q Priest" CFeb. 2O
was read to all members Of
the Foreign Mission Semi
nary and Society, which for
over 40 years has been send
ing American missionaries
overseas. I am sure that your
words touched many a heart
and mind Of private readers
not so actively associated
with the overseas mission ef-
fort.
Beyond this worthy COM
memoration. your unusual
editorial induced added re-
Election on the whole ques-
ton Of world peace. and the
role being played in 1t by
American missionaries Of all
religious denominations. We
can hope that the recent
proposal for an overseas
youth peace corps, given re-
cent mention by our Presi-
dent. will be successful in
formation and execution.
What should be recognized
is that there is, and for many
decades has been, in exist
ence a peace corps of Ameri-
cans who have carried the
great ideals. on which world
peace and Western democra-
cy are based. to the under
privileged peoples Of the
world.
On a recent television pro-
gram. Arnold Toynbee en-
phasized that the proposed
youth peace corps would be
successful only in the meas
ure that its members actually
lived with the people to
whom they were sent and at
their level, becoming almost
indistinguishable from them.
This, as any foreign mission
ary will tell you, is a most
difficult task, not accom-
plished in a year or two, not
always completely in a life
time. It is the principle Of ac-
commodation, which every
missionary learns and tries
to put into practice overseas.
And 1t is the reason why they
reach the peoples Of other
countries to an extent that
our diplomatic, information
and military overseas mis-
sions have so far not ap-
preached.
A people-to-people pro-
gram, on which world peace
must be based, only begins
with the impersonal distribu-
ton of national loans, infor-
nation, and relief supplies Of
food and machinery. 1t
comes closer to the ideal with
foreign student exchange
programs, though these un-
fortunately are limited in
scope and hedged with diff
ficulties. The latter is partic-
ularly true for the student
who comes to this country to
learn a way of life which will
likely never be possible in his
own country during his life
time. Far better are the pro-
grams that give him educa-
ton in his own surroundings.
The latter type Of educa-
ton has always been a major
work of overseas missionaries,
and this is especially so for
the past SO years in Central
Africa, a region which has
received our Governments
attention only within the past
few years.
II there are educated Afri-
can leaders in these countries
today, it is mainly be-
cause mission schools af-
forded them the only educa-
tion available. And If these
leaders have accomplished
anything in their quest for
freedom, it is in part because
in these schools they received
some understanding Of the
principles of nation'l and
personal liberty. Finally, if
this statement runs counter
to the rigorous Interpretation
Of the principle of separation
Of church and state (as any
one who has tried to get