Asch, Zweig, Toller Address P.e.n. Congress; Romains Hits “mystics of Violence”

Addressing the International P.E.N. Congress at the New York World’s Fair, Sholem Asch, the author, today called on writers of the world to write their works with the “sole criterion” of whether it would bring men together or tear them apart. Arnold Zweig and Ernst Toller were among others on the speakers’ list at the second day of the congress.

Yesterday, Jules Romains, international president of the P.E.N. Club, told the 500 writers assembled from 30 countries that the congress must pronounce “a sentence without appeal against the mystics of violence.” He added that “we must denounce these chameleon-like pretexts — they sometimes call themselves racial movements and sometimes the reestablishment of order….”