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Quakers’ Peace The Society of Friends has been distin- guished from most other Christian bodies by its peculiar doctrinal emphasis upon the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and by an optimistic concept of human nature. It bas taught the possibility of complete vic- tory by the individual, even in thi: e, over the power of sin. Hence the traditional practice of seeking regeneration through appeals to the “better nature,” which is to say to the divinity that is believed to exist within every man, however outwardly aban- doned to evil. Similarly, in eonformity to its quietistic attitude toward the problem of evil, the society nas tenued to place strife generally, and war particularly, among the greatest evils to which mankind is prone. All this, it seems to us, is reflected in the report to the American Friends Service Com- ne headed by Mr. Gilbert F. White on the pos- sibility of peace between the United States and the Soviet Union. This report, which has now been published by the Yale Uni- * versity Press, ‘iees a possibility of peace in a frank recogniiion by both sides that as the worid is now constituted, nc! plete triumph ot communism nor constitutional democracy is possible. This being so, say the Friends, it is to the manifest interest of each side lo work out some understanding chat will permit the peaceable coexistence of both. For neither side has any reason to suppose that if an effort is made to resolve the contict by an atomic war, “either the Soviet recime oc Western democracy would survive in any- thing like its present form, rezardiess of which side might be the eventual victor.” The report goes on to argue that the Com- munist doctrine of world revolution is not necessarily an impediment to such an under- Standing. For althoush their {the Communists’} philosopny leads them to believe that all history moves through a series of revolutions toward communism, it also teaches them that revolutionary efforts are tutile uniess the time is ripe for them and untess a soclety has reached the point where its + existing institutions and leadership can no longer function. Sporadic efferts tot overthrow zuvernnients withvut rezard. to the actual conditions of the govern-, ment, the society in which it esists, and world political relations, have to the’ best of our knowledge no important place ig Communist doctrine or actions. ‘The reaLimpediment to understar._¢ and the real danger to peace. then, according to the report, is the fear that exists on each side that it may be attacked by the other, These fears, of course, are being augmented by the present competition in armaments, Thus, as a first step toward removing these suspicions and promoting the sense of se- curity desired upon both sides. the Friends propose that armaments be reduced to a mini- mum necessary for “internal tranquillity” (which although the name is not mentioned in the report, would presumably allow the perpetuation of the M. V. D.), and that the five major powers sign a convention to out- law the atomic bomb, and that both the United States and the Soviet Union rurther agree to the destruction of atomic stockpiles within a specified date after the signing of the convention. Meanwhile, it is also pro- posed that “the pressat stockpiles... be put under United wations seal for a specified time, and that the concentration of fission- able material be halted and verified—pend- ing the conclusion of the conventions.” The Friends also appeal to historical precedents fo indicate the possibility of peace between the Communist East and the For example, they ci it of mutital toleratio’s among Catholics and; Protestants after th? inconclusive religious wars of the sixteentli century. Here, it oceurs to us, the Friends simplify the story to» much. It might be pointed out that the general agreement to disagree between Catholics and Protestants came only after the efforts of both sides to decide the issue by arms and persecution had ended indecisively. Azain. it might be observed that various doctrinal disagree- ments between Catholics and Protestants did not, theoretically at least, involve any dis- agreement on fundamental questions of mo- rality. Yet again, the principle of toleration had been encourazed by the rise of a third and quite scgarate influence; that is to say, by secularism, nationalism, rationalism and deisma, which were in many respects antago- nistic to both Catholic and Protestant ortho- doxies, We commend a careful reading of this report to our readers, but we also urge them to read it in conjunction with the celebrated paper on the same subject by Historicus, published at the bezinning of the year in the Foreign Affairs quarterly. We earnestly hope that it is the Friends who are right in this matter and Historicus who is wrong. But, even if so, we believe that this time the Initiative in peaceful example should be taken by the Ri ns, and not, as the * Friends prppose, by the United States. <7 aa Page Times~Herald___ Wash. Post Sec II Lp Wash. News —— Wash. Star —— N.Y. Mirror —— Date: DEC oi