A Going Concern

In 1660 an English maidservant named Mary Fisher stood before the court of the Sultan of Turkey, as anomalous as a pair of shoes in a mosque, and told its zealous Moslem members about the virtues of Christianity. Her presence there, alone and defenseless, bore witness to the compelling nature of the Quaker "concern," a strong inward urge to take some action to meet a certain situation. Mary Fisher satisfied her concern, was respectfully heard and allowed to depart in peace.

Ever since their founding in the 17th century by George Fox, Quakers throughout the world have been acting individually and together on their concerns, particularly in the cause of peace. This week six U.S. Quakers, led by Clarence E. Pickett. onetime secretary of the American Friends Service Committee, are on a good-will visit to Russia. The first group of U.S. Quakers to visit Russia in 25 years, they will stay through June, hope to establish themselves in a small town to observe Russian life and explain the U.S. to the Russians.

Greatest Evil. As the Quaker delegation fulfilled its concern for peace by its presence in Russia, the American Friends Service Committee issued a pamphlet, prepared by a committee of 13 Quakers (three of whom are on the trip), that clearly delineates the joint concern-of the American Quaker community. The booklet, Speak Truth to Power, is the fourth of a Quaker series on methods to ease tension, but its stand on pacifism is more radical than any of its predecessors.

The world's greatest evil, says the booklet, is not Communism but violence. "The basic reason for our failure lies in the nature of our present commitment to violence . . . It is now impossible for a great nation to commit itself both to military preparedness and to carrying forward a constructive and positive program of peacemaking . . .

Personal Commitment. "Without overlooking the evils of Communism, we must still reject the devil theory in history . . . We think the basic assumption of many of our fellow Americans as to the location of evil is wrong . . . Man's curse lies in his worship of the work of his hands, in his glorification of material things . . . It is not an idolatry of which the Communists alone are guilty. We believe the real choice lies between continuing to deal with international problems on the old basis of military power and attempting to deal with them on the new and revolutionary basis of nonviolence . . . Thus, we would rather give up our military strength . . . than keep our guns and lose our democracy."

Speak Truth to Power urges disarmament, suggests "nonviolent resistance'' to attack because it would "offer more prospects of a creative and genuinely victorious outcome than is the case with violent resistance under modern conditions." How can individuals aid pacifism? By making personal commitment to nonviolence in their own lives, says the booklet. U.S. Quakers figure that if enough people develop a concern for nonviolence, the concept is bound to influence community and international attitudes.

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