◆ SpookStack

- 35 - around the country each year, [ have attended only one, that at Avon in °53, The tith: page af brochure carries this title: The Qua*e.- Aporoach to Contemporary Affairs, «In the body of the mmphlet, it uses the phrase, “Quaker Approach". case it does use the phrase, "Quaker Appr oaches", implying chat there might be more than one. . Norman Thomas was listed to speak about the "Quaker A; The closing paragraph reads as follows: "The American Friends Service Committee is a service agency of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers The under rlining ef the word ‘is' is my; own doing, but, underscored or no the bold statement stands, Is there any authority £ for such a statement? ‘Prom the beginning, in all relations of life, Friends have recognized that there may be honest difference of opinion on a subject, and we oride ourselves on the fact that our Monthly Meetings are conducted in love and unity, and the discipline provides that every member has a right to spcak his mind once. In a statement of policy BDSI -- from the Board Minutes of 4/6/49, it says that the ''Committee undertakes to interpret the spirit of the Christian messacves as Friends understand it. his means thar both in the nature of the peace education program and the spirit in which it is performed, the | effort is made to bear a positive witness for peace and to maint ai nthe vita and hsitoric testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends. (The use wa the word “vital indicates that perhaps some of the testimonics might in the cyes of the Committee be more vital than others.) To this end, it trices to limit its educational activities to those which will directly or indirectly ae = i mw ttt sarc ema tS a? in ~~ foster the cause of world peace, and in these neti tie £6 10 utilize speakers and leaders who in words and ¢ action manit nat spirit of love and tolerance which is inherent in Friends Philosoph y, even though thei points of view on subject matter are divergent from those of the Committee. " LY s i stt 12) In a short sentence the decision was made to limit debate, in fact t eliminate debate, and hear only one side of the story. The stock excuse made by the Committee is thar people are already informed about the other side, and the responsibility of the Committee is to show the opposite view- point, under the assumed authority that they know the opposite viewpoint is correct, They don't go so far as to say that they are devinely guiced, but up to 3 point that inference is made, Ta the olden. days, whenever a project was discussed which in most cases had already been started and objection was raised, Clarence was blamed, saying, "He gets us into go many situations where we can't back out, but we all wish he hadn’t promised our support." In theory no doubt Clarence is no longer there, but last year's re- port showed wer thirty projects, They don't blame Clarence any more The staffas long as moncy is available apparently will take on most any- thing on the theory that “it is a good cause"! Ae geet ot