The War for World Peace is Endless

War is a super racket! War must be fought with the same weapons that are used in creating war hysteria!

This idea was the vital spark that first gave life to World Peace ways Inc., in January 1931. At the helm of that organization as its president, as well as one of its founders, is Mrs. Theresa Mayer Durlach, who has devoted more than seventeen years of her life towards the goal of world peace.

In her beautifully appointed study yesterday afternoon, she painted a brilliant word picture of the purpose and beginnings of World Peace ways.

“There are two ways of progress,” declared Mrs. Durlach, “by revolution or through existing institutions. Our members were determined to work through existing institutions. The frame-work of this country is business. We decided, therefore, that success depended on working with and through business. We also realized from the beginning that the plan of attack would have to be that utilized by war propagandists in spreading war hysteria. If the government could arouse the country to war by means of attractive posters, we could build up a desire for, and determination to have peace by utilizing the same device.

“The next step was to interest business in our plan. We succeeded, with the assistance of Mr. Frank W. Nye, a man prominent in the advertising field, in securing the opportunity to put our posters on outdoor boards in a large number of states. We startled the country with a display of our giant poster, ‘Civilization or Destruction’, on the eve of the first meeting of the Disarmament Conference. We succeeded because we proved that we had something that particular industry needed. The thing that our organization made clear to these business groups was that the overwhelming majority of people want peace. We claim twenty million adults in this land are heart and soul for the peace movement. To gain the good will of these millions of people, business must appeal to them with a peace program. We have illustrated this truth both in our outdoor advertising and other projects.”

Here Mrs. Durlach explained the origin of world Peaceways. Her intelligent dark eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“Let me emphasize that we did not intend to start a new organization. The original committee, the American Community, was merely a service group. We wanted other organizations to undertake the program which they all agreed was ##, but they informed us that their budgets and program would not permit of such expansion. When we started to publish posters, it was our desire to continue as a service organization. as the advertising branch of the peace movement which would advertise their activities and aims. Since other organizations could not undertake the activities we suggested, we were forced to abandon our original plan and to become a self contained organization rather than a service group.”

Mrs. Durlach went on to describe how the first important article on advertising peace, by Bruce Barton, published in the American Magazine of May, 1932 was widely circulated by World Peaceways and made the basis of its future program. Important publications such as Fortune, the New Yorker, Liberty, the Atlantic Monthly and others, reaching millions of readers, now feature its striking peace advertisements. World Peaceways has also stimulated articles that have had a farreaching influence on the peace thought of the country. It has enlisted wide public interest, in this country and in foreign lands, in books and plays on peace issues. It cooperates with all organizations working for the cause of peace.

“Much of our work is unknown to the public, for we do a great deal through other instrumentalities. This is not a source of concern. We have no organization pride,” said Mrs. Durlach. “Our primary object-and one of which we never lose sight is the building of world peace, not of World Peaceways. World Peaceways is merely a necessary means to the all important end. We believe in peace first and last,–within the peace movement as well as outside of it.”

A query as to the role of the Jewish woman in the peace campaign caused Mrs. Durlach to pause thoughtfully. “The role of Jewish women in the peace movement has not been as broad as one might expect,” she said. “There are outstanding personalities such as Lillian D. Wald and Rosika Schwimmer, who made great sacrifices for the cause of peace. The history of Mme. Schwimmer is too well known to need repetition.

“Miss Wald’s work in this area, however, is less generally recognized. To her belongs the credit of having founded one of the most important organizations against militarism during the war and of being among the organizers of the Foreign Policy Association.’

“A third personality is Estelle.

DEPLORES RELUCTANCE OF JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS IN WORK

M. Sternberger, executive director of World Peaceways, who also stood out against the war hysteria and fought valiantly in her many important national and international associations for a vital peace program.”

“National Jewish organizations have, on the whole, been content to follow the lead of other groups, such as the National Council for the Prevention of War and the Committee on the Cause and Cure of War. More active programs were undertaken by the local groups, upon whom the leaders in the peace movement could always rely for active participation in any local campaign.

“There is, of course, a strange anomaly in the reluctance of Jewish groups to play a more active role. Though they keep endlessly repeating that ‘Israel’s Mission is Peace,’ too few accept this obligation seriously, and practically none seems to realize that not only is Israel’s mission peace, but that it is at the same time Israel’s only hope.”

As she finished speaking, the voices of laughing children were heard at the door. She called to them, and into the room rushed two children, a boy and a girl, aged seven and nine. They greeted their mother affectionately, and as they cuddled close to her, all three faces expressed what only one word adequately describes–peace.