APRIL-MAY, 1950 BULLETIN
0- JXijtq=hroI ~PRI~J~/j~j<,tt& d~c9?~d $v c!z%ic~c%ifi
Children on the steps of the Tokyo neighborhood center see the world from their own point of view. BUILDING COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD: PAGE 4 Shared Service
NI: of tlle most striking changes in the AFSC during the AFSC is doing-must be the major factor in the forma- 0 the past 30 years has been its growth in size. It has tion of basic policy through the Excciltive Board. increased its activities both I~orizontally and vertically, that The Board naturally places upon the staff ad~ninistrative is, in the geographical spread of its work projects abroad responsibility for the multiplicity of activities and their and in the complexity of its central office staff at 20 South functional divisions. Because of the peculiar nature of the 12th Street. AFSC and the types of concerns which it tries to meet, an Before the organization of the Al:SC, Friends had many i~nusuallybroad scope of responsibility is laid tlpon each co~rrer.i~.r,for peace, for reconciliation in conflict situations, staff member. Each is a member of the total group identi- for the welfare of the world's unforti~natcs,to enumerate fied with our special symbol, the red and black star. only a few. Thcse clearly grew out of Friends ~c.rtiniouie.r, Members of the Society of Friends, friends of Friends, of which menibers of the Society were constantly remindetl "alumni" of the AFSC, members of the Executive Board, by their "Queries and Advices." and staff members in the U. S. A. and abroad are all partici- Lacking central organizational media, Friends tended to pants together. This interrelationship can recapture some effect social reforms through the dedicated lives of indi- of the qualities which characterized early Friends' social vidual members who gave their time. energy, and means to welfare activities-providing all individuals recognize and labor alone or in small groups to rectify injustice and to assume their appropriate share of the total responsibility. bring a spirit of reconciliation and good will to arcas of The cooperative brotherhood of shared service will make tension and injustice. The quality of the service was meas- more effective the moral and spiritual message as all mem- ured by the depth of the religious life of the participants bers of the linked brotherhood perform their share and and, not infrequently, by the kind of group counsel and meet their responsibilities. guidance offered by the meeting. Only occasionally would "If this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to m/ ~OCcom~nittees be formed to take under advisement a nought; but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it." specific area of Friends concern. In all cases, the service LEWISM. HOSKINS, was intimately related to the meeting from which the con- Exrrt/tjz~rSerretn1.y. cept had originally stcmmcd. It \vas truly a ministry of service to conscience and to Gotl. The qualities of moti\r:ltion and service \\,l~ichillis kind 1 IN HONOR 07 CLARENCE E. PICKETT of testimony offers must not be lost. We must assume that A program in honor of Clarence E. Pickett will all the facilities of the past will c.ontin~rcto exist. It \voultl be held at Haverford College on May 20. This he tragic if religious groups became dependent merely ilpon is to mark the formal occasion of his retirement their service committees as professional bodies to look after as Executive Secretary of the American Friends the recli~ire~mentsof their consciences. The service commit- Service Committee after nearly 21 years of tees sl~ouldat times offer effective channels for individuals service. and groups to implement their c.oncerns, but service com- The program is to begin at 11 A.M. with a mittee programs should have the snmc moral and spiritual meeting for worship in Roberts Hall. This will roots as the personal and meeting enterprises have had. be followed by an informal box luncheon in the The committee staff shoulcl as fully ns possible share in the gymnasium, or on the lawn if weather permits, motivation out of which the concerns emerge. at which time there will be opportunity to ex- With the growth of organizations such as the AFSC, tend best wishes to Clarence and Lilly Pickett. there is a great risk that the personal and group concern The afternoon program, to begin at 2 P.M. in arising from the religious life of 1:riends meetings and Roberts Hall, will include addresses by Clarence other church groups may become divorced from, or at least Pickett and Andrew Cordier, Assistant to the too remote from, the resulting activity. Rcal concern might Secretary-General of the United Nations. Henry cven be replaced by service projects planned to keep a com- J. Cadbury, Chairman of the AFSC Executive ~nunitybusy. The moral and religio~~svicwfs of the total Board, will preside, and Lewis M. Hoskins, suc- AI:SC constituency-that largt group of people of all back- cessor to Clarence Pickett, will be heard from groundsand denominations \vho have pnrticipatcd in one briefly. \vny and another with the AI:SC. or who believe in what
'1'111.Ilt~llptin i, I,ol,li~l~~.~l~nc~~~ll~ly I,! ll~c.\lll<~ic:~n I'lir~ltl\ Sclnic~(.'nllllllitt((.. IIU:L~I'III:I~~CI~:10 5. 11111 St., 1'Iail:ad~ll~hi:s 7. 1':1, C)lller ufticeh: 10 5. \\'~.ll~ St., (:hi~;~~o6, Ill.: Ilh N. I<;I~IIIIII~II.\\c., I'it.i~'lnn:l I;, c';ilti.; 18311 S~t1t.rSt., Sitn Frinnciw~ 15, C:ilif.: 3'150 15111 .\\.<.., N, I.;., Sr:nttle 5, WasI1.; 53 l;r,~:~~lw:iy,hpw York ,6, K. \'.; 1lIlS 5. 1,:. (;lallt\ .\\<,., I'~~r1Innd14, C)n..; l.:?J .\i:l<.. .\\c., ~~~~ntbriclee.N. hl:l I: ARI: all consciot~s. so far ns hers of people our supporters in the formed \\.it11 "tlic spirit that taketl~ W overseas service is concerned, of United States, tlie recipients in the annay the occ;lsion . . . " of tension, or being at tlie end of another chapter field, and even many of our workers places wlicrc, unclcr Q~~akerauspices, in AFSC history. For almost a clecaclc tlie~nsclves. Tlic name Quaker today national or political antagonists rnay now we have been engaged in the main means something, but not very much, meet and talk in a neutral atmosphere. upon a service of physical relief, glo- to millions of people the worlcl over, Tlicre are, of course, many occasions bal in extent and considerable in vol- as indcctl it tlid at the end of \Vorl~l ~\.hcn\\.e make approaches to Govcrn- 111i1c. When tlie cntl of tlic war came, War I. ment dcpnrt~nents or to United Na- the people of America looked for The widespread surface impact of tions' delegations or secretariat. The \\,orthy instruments through which Quaker relief work u8as appropriate to converse is true also. they might express their sense of kin- the moment and has borne the fruit We liave licarrl tlie lnen of science ship with tliose \\rho had suffered so that might be espcctcd of it-a wide- of this century emphasize increasingly niucli more than they. Many of them sprcacl interest on the part of niany their belief in po\vcrs u~liichlie outside decided to s~~pporttlic AFSC. Tlic \vho \vo~~lcllike to know more, \\.llo their scientific orbit. No\v \\,c find Service Committee rose to the chnl- feel vag~~clythat Quakerisni has some- stntcsmcn and those \\)lie attempt to lenge of this generous national urge, thing to say to today's arorl~l. 'We havc control the political destinies of man- and afent through a period of Llnprece- sc-ratcliecl a great deal of surface these kind recognizing tli;lt moral principles. dented expansion. In doing so. it took Inst fen, years, ant1 nous 14.e .irc looking t<~liic-hII;I\~C 1,alidity for rnankincl, are risks n.itl1 its reputation and it took lor ;I place \vlicrc \\.c mi,qIlt plant nn tlic re,~lb.~ses from \\,liit.li spring great risks with its soul. Now, at the end of o;lk or t\vo that col~lclcndi~rc for m;iny politic,tl tlcc-isions, rntlier tlian any n;lr- tlic relief era (the psychologic~~lrathcr ycnrs. Here ;Inel there it is p'~tenttli;~t row n,~tionnl cspet1ienc.y. Is this not than the real end of nced, for there is there is sonic specially fertile p;~tcll. one of the "fertilc patches," openecl still a vast area of desperate \\ant). some area of peculiar receptivity to our up to 11s by our "shallow" service, in \krc must take stock and see where this ideas. wliich Friends liave a peculiar oppor- nctivity has led 11s. tunity to disc tleepc:r totlny? It is important to remember that tl~c Further Contribution Felt Needed It \vas against this hnckgro~~ndth;~t great bulk of tlie increased financi.11 One of the most pro~nisin~qhy- rllt itlc:l of "linked centers" cmcrgctl. support \\rliicli ri~adcthis world-wiclc. prodlrcts of our service activitie.; 11:ls It hcg.tn to germinate in Americ:~;~nrl rclief service possible came from non- bccn the clcvclol~ment of a "fertile Britain about the same time. 7'11~ quaker sollrces. The man in tlie patch" of contacts with our own ant1 thouglit ax that certain persons, hav- American street wanted LIS to get food other governments, and ivith tlic ing appropriate cspcricnce and inter- to hungry children and clothes to tlie United Nations and its agencies. Tlierc ests. niiglit be placed in those intcrna- naked, nncl he expected us to do so contacts have always csistcd for cer- tionnl Quaker centcrs across the worlcl, in1l~;~tially.In general (and, of course. tnin Qunker personalities, but linvc be- \vhose location gave spccial opportu- this state~nenthas the \vcakncss of all colile wider and more constant re- nity for governmental, international, generalizations), IIC ncitlier asked nor cently. The nature and extent of our and UN cont.1ct.;. wanted 11s to tlo more, at least in tlic field progri~~iisin tl~csclast years, to- early post-war period. gether \\,it11 the attempt by Q~~nkersto Centers Plan Evolved remain nonpolitical and nonpartisan 'I-he main strategic- points \\,ere Wide but Shallow Impact n,hilc serving hr~manityin distress, 113s deemed to he Nc\v York, London, At the other end, in E~~ropei~ntl borne fruit in ~levclopingthis proces.;. I',1ris, Geneva, Delhi and, pcrliaps Asi~,needs \Yere so vast :~ntl tlie It is not only upon tlic tcclinicl~rcs Inter, A~iistcr~l~~rn.Slianglini, Tokyo, struggle for csistencc so all-embracing of rclief 2nd rclinbilitation that \\,e arc (:;llcuttn, ancl Rlcsico City. The secre- that opportunities for o\~ercorninpt11c consultctl. People who arc tliernscl~es taries of these centers ~voultl be impcrsond aspects of mass distribution cnibroilcd in some politicnl tension, "linkeel" to each other r~ndlio~iie com- \\.ere limited. In ndclition, niany of our ant1 who m.ly tlic~nsclvcsbc frankly mittees (the 17ricnds Service Council, \\.orkers l1:1d to hc rccri~itcd from partisan, secm eager to seek tlie views I.onclon : and tlie American Friends among those nhosc contacts with the of others outsicle those pressures. They Servic-c Comniittec) by an agreed pol- Society of 1:riends liacl been sligllt. stress to rrs the value of providing icy of concerted attack on n limited The result \vns a a.idcsprc;~clhut "sl~al- "Q~~akcr oases of ncutr:llity" hy n~~mhcrof tlie n,orlcl's great prohlcms, lo\v" (2l1;ikcr impact upon Il~rgcnum- \vliicli tl~ey mcnn either ~lcoplc in- ((.'r~///rr?//(,(/ err /1<1,qe6) Building Communities Around the World N THESE pages are pictured and described Quaker veloping ways in working out such problems, together and 0 neighborhood centers. The widely differing activities with mutual trust in divine guidance. stem from the fact that each has grown from the needs of The centers arc alike in that the Committee furnishes the people it serves. These are outward needs, such as some personnel and financial support for each. They are warm places to meet and talk, access to books and games, alike in that all are open to "the neighbors" with no bar- to laundry facilities, shoe and furniture repair shops. These riers of race, creed, or politics. They are alike in that thc are necds of the spirit, such as the need to develop group activities are largely inspired and carried out by local Icad- awareness of the interrelatedness of human problems: of dc- ership, which also gives some financial support. IN AUSTRIA, the Vienna Quakerhaus echoes each evening IN JAPAN, a new settlement for families burned out of their with the lively voices of young students. Theater, English homes during the war is being built on an old army parade language, social studies, folk culture, religious study and ground on the edge of Tokyo. A badly damaged building discussion groups are among their activities. Pictured above nearby was rebuilt last year and opened as neighborhood is a group of high school boys. One of their members center. It serves children and adults in a growing program directs a discussion on a new constitution. Practice in demo- planned by and for the Japanese. The boys in this picture cratic procedure is a new experience to young people of pose in front of their neighborhood center-the large Central Europe. building in the left background. Helen Bu.c/: IN THE UNITED STATES, the Los Angeles Indian Center is a small oasis for nearly 5,000 American Indians adrift in the bewildering wastelands of city life. Leaving crowded and poverty-stricken reservations, these Americans face housing, employment, leisure-time and relationship difficulties similar to those of any people starting anew in a world for which they are ill equipped. At the lndian Center, an Advisory Board, with 20 of its 23 members Indian, gives some direction and confidence to those asking help. IN FRANCE, the barrack community of St. Nazaire has one extra and special barrack-the neighborhood center erected by Quaker Service and developed by the French people. People of all political and religious parties in St. Nazaire make their center a real community endeavor. Today, undernourished youngsters receive a between- meal snack at the center. Children flock to its wading pool and playground, while boys and girls and young adults make good use of the athletic field, take part in various discussion and dramatic groups. Mothers are especially appreciative of the laundry equipment, showers and hot water system. The library, pictured here, is a magnet six days a week for scores of old and young. IN ISRAEL, one unit member is laying plans with the Min- istry of Welfare to start the newest of Quaker neighbor- hood centers. Plans are growing out of the relief distri- butions, some sewing classes like the one pictured here, and other neighborhood helps started in the Arab community in Acre last year. IN GERMANY, Quaker centers in ten cities help meet needs of body and spirit. In Darmstadt, Frankfurt, and Wuppertal, emphasis is on a program serving needs of the whole com- munity-children, young people, middle-aged, and old people. In Berlin, a special feature is the provision of place and atmosphere in which conferences may be held. Here wearied public servants-doctors, nurses, social workers, clergymen and others-may gather for brief periods of physical and spiritual refreshmeni. Among the Franco-German tensions of Ludwigshaven, and the German-DP tensions of Brunswick, the centers serve added needs of a reconciling nature. In Cologne, the center tries to meet the special needs of "unorganized youthw-the boys and girls with no home or community life. And in Freiburg (pictured to the right), Munich and Goettingen, the centers are built around needs of students who often are short on the necessities of life, the tools for study, and the equipment for leisure-time activities. American Surpluses in a Hungry World As January, 1950, endecl, and while it, and because as farmers they had im- Formal Program in two-thirds of the people in the ~rorlil portant agricult~iral on their Finland Ends arere underno~~rishcdor malnourished, minds. For ten full working days, a care- we of the United States were paying On May first, the formal AFSC pro- $9,000 per /7o//1. just to store our agri- fully selected faculty from the Dcpart- gram in Finland comes to a close. This cult~~ralsurpluses. Bins, elevators, anil ment of Agriculture, the Food and does not mean, however, a cessation caves wcrc full. And more humper Agriculture Organization, the State of interest in Finland, nor a severing Department, Congress, and the na- crops wcrc expected in 1950. of the friendship between Friends and tional farrn associations presented the Hungry people in Asia, the Nenr Finns that has taken deep root over problems and opportunities facing East, Europe, even in the United the past years. Several AFSC visitors American agriculture today. Resulting States, could read or be told of 15-1 will bc in Finland this year, and it is discussions were vigorous. Govern- million bushels of wheat clogging hoped that a pattern of intervisitation ment men as well as the farm group U. S. storage capacity, 75 million will be continued in succeeding years. found stimulation and clarification in po~rndsof dried eggs buried in c;lves Since the early part of December, the enthusiastic sessions. Both the im- and deteriorating rapidly, 27.j million 1945, when five representatives of the pounds of dried milk not put to 11s~- rncdiate emergency of our surpluses Service Committee first began their cotton, corn, linseed oil, potatoes, wool, and longer-range problcms of feeding work in devastated Lapland, through butter, barley, dried beans anrl pens, n hungry world were considered. feeding and clothing programs, work rice, rye-all listed by millions of Urgent recommendations were made camps, a plan to aid in the rehabilita- hales, pounds or bushels, in stor;tgc. by the group at the close of the ses- tion of small industries, and a variety To the hungry, no careful explana- sions. These recommendations, pre- of other small projects, Quakers and tion cornpountled of international eco- ceded by a summary of the informa- nomic dilemmas could possibly com- tion and thinking out of which they Finns have become fast and mutually pete in pertinency u'ith the glariny came, are being considered for ~ubli- appreciative friends. fact that the United States b~lrieiifoocl cation. The cuntcnts arc particularly It is this quality of a bond tran- \vIlile they starved. hlany ~\~eII-fe~l pcrtincnt now, because 1950 may be scending personal and national differ- Americans felt tl~cs;une \\,.~y. l'hcrc the critic;ll ye:lr for these issues. ences that gives validity to Quaker \irere problems---clitficdt problems. -R~th Swfil/7 service abroad. I3ut there u,as a moral urgencjl ~hich, if acknoa.lcdgcd, coulcl find \yaps to .saJgo s,! jo auo due ie 3s.~~aqi oj was aq dew sq3aq3 .suo!~nq!~~uor,d~elunlo~ dq alq!ssod apetu s! q~o~s,aau!ruwo3 aqL .uo!je!lge 11!~!~!1od lo dj![~?uo!~eu 'uo!$!la~ 'a~t?~jo ssalp.~l!Sa.i auoduo oj uado ale ~JOMaqj jo sl~edIIV .suo!~ela~leuo!jeuJaju! uo sa)nj!)su! put? s~ell!mas pue ! sj3a -!old Bu!snoq dlaq-jlas laldoad Bunod J~Jsl~a!o~d dpn~s pue TIOM !suo!]ul -a] ~!mouox~pue suo!jnlaJ aJc1 II! spa -!old ~wo!)e~npa! q~omuo!]t?j!l!qgqaJ pue ja!(a~ apnpu! slsa!old sjl .saja)S paj!un aq) puc 'o~!xa~'t?!sy 'adoing u! S~JOM aajj!luwo3 ~J!AJ~SaqL .~uajprle a>!pn -!ad 'pa~qeqawoDiaAo un3 'uo!~se aA!jl! -a13 q3no~q)passaldxa 'a~olley3 pue uem dia~au! po~)jo ~uqjs! a~aq,~eqj saaa!laq 11 .suo!Jeu JO sdno1B 's~enp!~!p -u! uaalnlaq suo!sua~ asua 03 pue punoj s! I! JaaaJaqa 3u!lagns ueulnq aAa!lai o) sjdmajje 'spua!~.~jo dia!~o~sno!??!~ -ax aql Bu!~uasa~da~'imr.l.1luluo3 1l31A>lXS S(IN3lll.J NV3l>l3AV XHL The FSU in IndialPakistan About ten miles from the East Bengal bordcr, the village project centering around Pifa and Ragabpur continues, with no violence as yet reported. There the FSU has made con- The tense atmosphere along the India-Pakistan border siderable progress over the past three years in primary and cutting through Bengal erupted early in February into com- adult education, health, midwifery and child welfare, agri- munal disturbances. Reports from the Friends Service Unit, culture, recreation, cooperatives, and in the development at work in both countries, indicate that unit members have and encouragement of self-help programs. had a small share in alleviating distress and restoring confi- Across the border in Pakistan, terrified Hindus crowded dence to frightened refugees. into the emergency camp at Dacca. A few weeks before, a In India, where some 32,000 Moslem refugees found Friends center had been established in that city. The FSU shelter in a Calcutta municipal center and in a center at had long wanted a Pakistan headquarters to work with the Telinipara, 25 miles north of Calcutta, Friends aided the Calcutta center, headquarters of the India unit. Plans were Government in distributing food and clothing, providing under way February 10 to discuss first steps for an adult medical care. The unit truck, known as the I'ellozu Peril, education program in nearby villages, when news of the served as ambulance when smallpox added to the distress. communal trouble arrived. Some first-aid was given, as Several FSU members joined a local football team that well as some confidence and direction to the 2,500 Hindus volunteered to dig latrines. at the Government emergency camp.