OPEN FORUM

Comparison unfair

M.B. ,Vancouver, B.C.: I think
it is regrettable that in an edit-
orial in the March 25 issue of
your paper, the names of Scott
Nearing and John Foster Dulles
should. have been coupled to-
gether as warmongers; consid-
ering the former’s record as a
pacifist for the past forty years.
If your editorial writer was pre-
sent at Professur Nearing’s meet-
ing, he must have heard the lat-
ter reiterate his former stand
as a pacifist for which, I under-
stand, he was arrested during
the First World War.

Incidentally, Mr. Nearing again
put himself on record as a sup-
porter of peace by signing the
World Appeal against Prepara-
tions for Atomic War.

It is quite justifiable to dis-
agree with Scott Nearing’s ap-
proach to the question of peace,
but surely not so, to class him
with John Foster Dulles as a war-
monger.

Read with regret

: M.K., Vancotver, B.C.: It was

with regret that I read your un-
just: criticism of Dr. Scott Near-
ing. I am speaking not only for
myself but also for friends who
heard him and feel as I do.

This criticism is not in keep- _

ing with your usual just and fair
analysis of events.
Dr. Nearing did bring out quite
: clearly the point under discus-
sion, “The Key Role of Ger-
Many.” In France both historic-
ally and currently, the policy of
-Trearming Germany has led to
war. In this he was showing
that the present policy was dan-
Serous, not that he agreed with
it, but pointing out the danger
of the present Policy leading to
war.

Dr. Endicott did the same thing
a few evenings later in differ-
ent
ple into realizing this danger.
2AR per gpa of Dr. Near-
ing’s ility stating he is a
pacifist from this same platform,
not only giving lip service to
peace but working for it and
against war all his life, is to most
lair minded critics anything but

BOOKS
=
Discovery of
— story of how penicillin
was discovered is now famous:
In 1928 a scientist observed that
a stray mould that had settled
on one of his culture plates ap-
peared to be killing off the bac-

Nas that had been growing on
1t. :

This event has been used to
show how “accidental” are the
. great discoveries of science. But
in Fleming: Discoverer of Peni-
cillin, published by Indiana Uni-
versity press, L. J.
quotes Pasteur as saying:

“There are no accidents in
science . . . in the fields of ob-
servation, chance only favors
the mind prepared.”

This is reallly the key to Alex-
ander Fleming’s outstanding dis-
covery. All his previous work
had helped to prepare his mind.

Early this century Fleming
studied the way in which the
white cells, or phagocytes, in the
body devour disease+-microbes.

In 1922 he discovered lysozyme
—a substance contained in hu-

- man tears, saliva, white of egg—

which had the power of dissolv-
_ ing bacteria. Unfortunately the
_ Serms it acted on were not harm-
ful to man.

This was the essential prelude
to his discovery of a substance

words, trying to stir the peo-.

Ludovivi -

a Warmonger. Yes, I agree it is
time we did a little more careful
examination of the contents. By
their works and actions we must
judge. :

Talk misinterpreted

H.P., Vancouver, B.C.: I was
“not a little disturbed” by your
editorial in regard to the speech
by Dr. Scott Nearing. I feel that
it was quite unfair to him to be
bracketed with Foster Dulles,

-and that the content of his talk
was misinterpreted.

His speech was on the subject
of the role of Germany in the
past and how it was used as a
wrecking crew for capitalism,
but he certainly did not agree
with the policy. I believe that
this argument was held in op-
position to the present rearming
of Germany and the dangers that
it Would present.

As he was under the auspices
of the B.C. Peace Council, I feel
that he should he treated with a
little consideration. We may not
fully agree with all he says and
his outlook on world affairs, but
I feel assured that he is in full
agreement with a. peaceful so-
lution to present situations and
against a rearmed Germany.

Editor's note

The editorial in our March 26
issue criticizing the remarks of
Professor Scott Nearing during
his recent visit to Vancouver
“under auspices of B.C. Peace
Council, grossly exaggerated
when it drew a parallel between
Scott Nearing and John Foster
Dulles. “

The letters speak for them-
selves. They are, and correctly
so, critical of the manner in
which our editorial placed the
question. Whzt we should have

emphasized more, and now do,

thanks to the criticism received,
is that anyone who adheres to
the “theory”. of the “inevitabil-
ity of war,” whether speaking
on German rearmament or any
other phase of imperialist war
preparations, is not serving the
cause of peace. The “logic” of
the “inevitability of war’ is that
any broad and’ concerted strug-
gle against it is futile.

¢
: ee | | e :
which did act very powerfully
on many pathogenic bacteria.

The accidental element in the

discovery of penicillin lay in the
millions-to-one chance of a peni-
cillin-producing strain of mould
floating onto Fleming’s micro-
scope culture plate. From that
point onward “the mind prepar-
ed’*’ went into action.
_The ‘book contains some of
Fleming’s views. He explains
that his bacteriological laborat-
ory had no skilled chemist and
therefore “there was a gap of
nearly 10 years before chemists,
bacteriologists and others got to-
gether at Oxfdrd and concentrat-
ed penicillin sufficiently to show
its remarkable curative proper-
ties.”

Teamwork, he says, could have
saved these 10 years and much
Suffering... ~ Ae
* But later he claims that in-
dividual enterprise and not team-
work is essential to initiate any-

thing new in medicine and that
had he been a member. of a team

he would not have: followed up -

the vital observation that. led to
, the discovery of penicillin.
Actually, individual enterprise
and teamwork are both neces-
sary in science and both are cap-

able of making striking discov-_

eries.

By GERARD FORTIN

Toronto story was falsified--

Quebec o

ROME weeks ago, the Toronto
~ Telegram published a lengthy
report under the byline of re-
porter Derm Dunwoody entitled:
“Quebec Changes Views on Con-
scription.”

The reporter based his story

on interviews he said he had ob- .

tained at Montmagny, Quebec.
He came to the conclusion that
French-Canadian people today
favor conscription :

Gerard Fortin was asked by
the French language labor paper,
Combat, to go to Montmagny and
interview the same people Dun-
woody had quoted in the Toronto
Telegram.

He found, that the statements
attributed to the people of Mont-
magny were either invented or
grossly distorted. And he has
the signatures of 23 people, in-
cluding those “interviewed” by
Dunwoody, to prove it. Here is
Gerard Fortin’s report, as trans-
lated from the French:

x cos mt

HE Toronto, Telegram writes:
“Brother Basilien, who teaches at
the College du Sacre Coeur, says
many students take summer
training and they love it.”

Brother Basilien is a super-
visor at l’Ecole des Freres du
Sacre Coeur.,

He got very upset when I
showed him a copy of the Tele-
gram with his picture in it. I
asked him: “Ts it true that you
lent your name to this’ paper's
‘pro-conscription campaign?”

He read the article and said:

“Those reporters never asked me.

what I thought about conscrip-
tion... Here is how they got my
picture.
church one day when a young
man asked me if I would object
to being photographed in front of
the church. When I asked why,

he said he wanted a picture of a.

priest. I told him that I was not
a priest, that I was a brother. He
said it didn’t matter...”

Brother Basilien added furious-
ly: “It is completely false to sug-
gest that I said the students
would like summer training. The
reporters did not even discuss it
with me. Fes

*

“But since you are asking me
for my opinion about conscrip-
tion I may as well tell you that
I am opposed to it, and that I
am not ‘the only one. here who
feels that way about it... :

“About three years ago we had
a cadet corps at l*Ecole du Sacre
Coeur. Arms and equipment
were provided by the federal
BOVerMnenty. . 2 4:

I was walking by the’

GERARD FORTIN:

“There was a lot of protest
from the parents that the cadet

corps be abolished . . . and we
haven’t had one since!”

5o3 5°3 5o3
Constable Willie Marchand

says, according to the Telegram,
“". . we need compulsory mili-
tary service. If the government
said next week ‘You're in,’ then
they would go without any trou-
ble. I have been studying these
young people in Montmagny.
They are quiet. They would go.’
Marchand asserts that the
Telegram invented the statement
attributed to him with the ex-
ception of the phrase, “The army
did me some good.”
“But the rest of what I said,
the Telegram reporter hid. Here
is exactly what I said and what
I think: :
“The army did me some good

COMMASSMERTS .

pposes conscription |

because I did not get to the

-front. I stayed in Canada. It’s
true that the youth of Mont-
magny are quiet.. But to say
that they would accept conscrip-
tion without protesting, that’s an
entirely different story. In the
last war I refused to sign to go
overseas. ; =
“Today I am opposed to con-
scription in peacetime. In my
opinion only the Americans who

,

_ sell cannon and ammunition pro-

fit from war.” ;
: % 3 soi
, The chief of poliee ,of Mont-
magny, Laurent Couillard, is a
young man of about 35. He de-
clares: “I am’ against. conscrip-
tion in peacetime. ...?... |
Louis Aime Robin is a Mont-
-magny fireman. He is a veteran
of ithe merchant marine: Here
is what he said: “In our family
we were five boys. Three were
in the army during the last war
and I was in the Merchant Mar-
ine. One of us did not come
back from overseas.. Another
was wounded. _ yaaa
. PACIFIC TRIBUNE
’ : Be tavetcit
\

ft

1 — gt re x” : z

“As for me I was torpedoed
twice. Once between Halifax and
Bermuda out of a crew of 39
there were only eight survivors,
and we spent 10 days adrift.
After we were rescued by the
Lady Drake, a CNS. ship we were
torpedoed again. This time we
were adrift for four days.

“The Telegram lies. Here in |
Montmagny we are not in favor —
of conscription. . . .”

Marie-Paule Gaudreau is 20
years old. She told me: “My

- boy friend is in the navy. He .
signed up for five years. He has
‘one year to go. When it is over, —

I will keep him with me as I
am against war.” .

Patrice Corriveau, who is 2
Montmagny alderman, runs 4
grocery store, said: “I am against
conscription in peacetime. Let —
it remain on a voluntary basié.

I believe 100 percent of the
population are against conscrip~
tion. There is much talk about —
conscription and I -have yet to
hear anyone say he is in favor
OL 1G"

Telesphore Forgues is 20 years \ \
old and unemployed: “I am
against conscription. We should
have work without having to join
the army.”

Celine Gaudreau, a 17-year-old

‘waitress, was photographed by
the Telegram. She was with her
boy friend, 23-year-old Raymond
Rheaume, when I talked to her:
They said: “We are against con- —
scription and we are convinced
that all the, youth of Montmagny
are opposed.”
. Jean-Louis Gaudreau, Celine’s
brother, said: “I am against con-
scription. Even if it were com-
pulsory I would not go!”

Cecile Lebel, the secretary to
the village cure (who was away ee
at the time), declared: “I am ~
against conscription in ‘peace-
time and in wartime, when it
‘aims to send our youth to fight:
in foreign wars. Let us stay at
home. If we are attacked that —
is another thing. It will be neces- :
sary to defend our country, but
not in Europe or Asia for the
English.” ogg

Pro Mayor Arthur Lacroix is —
a councillor. To the question, —
“Are you in favor of conscrip-
tion in peacetime?” he had this
to! Say: , ‘ hcaed ae

“During the last war I. had
two sons who were in the ser
vice.. One was in Europe for

four and a half years where he
was wounded and contracted
Malaria. He is ‘still affected bY ~
it. I am against conscription in
peacetime as well as in wartime.
Those who want to go in. peace-
time .. . well, it’s their business. _
But I must say here and now that —
the population of Montmagny is
unanimous on this question. —
repeat: the population is opposed
to conscription.” ; 2

— APRIL 8, 1955 —_PAGE 4

i