PAN AMERICAN DAY, 1932

By ENRIQUE CORONADO SUÁREZ

Assistant Editor, BOLETÍN de la Unión Panamericana

On April 14, 1932, the capitals of all the 21 Republics of the Western Hemisphere were gay with flags announcing the second continental celebration of Pan American Day. This date was suggested by the Governing Board of the Pan American Union and set apart by the Governments of the 21 American Republics to recall the community of interests, the unity of sentiments and aspirations, the ties of history, and the intimate relationships between the members of this group of free peoples. The 14th of April was chosen as the day for the annual commemoration of American solidarity because it was on that date in 1890 that the First International Conference of American States passed the resolution creating the International Bureau of American Republics, which has since developed into the Pan American Union.

As in 1931, the Presidents of the American Republics issued decrees exhorting their fellow citizens to observe Pan American Day with due ceremony. Accordingly, city councils, public and private schools, civic and cultural organizations arranged to commemorate the day with ceremonies expressing sentiments of friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of America. In these ceremonies the noble ideals of Pan Americanism were once more emphasized, ideals which nowadays have to do with the development and growth of commercial relations; the promotion of intellectual interchange, both of students and professors, and of scientific and literary production; the adoption of sanitary measures for the protection of public health and maritime trade; homage to the great heroes of the New World; the holding of conferences and congresses covering almost all fields of human activity; the codification of international law; and the promotion of the American principles of the pacific settlement of international disputes-in short, all the means conducive to closer material and intangible relationships between these sister nations, recalling that true friendship and harmony between peoples is attained only by strengthening those ties which tend to human welfare and happiness, and following the well-known phrase of William Jennings Bryan who said, "God has made us neighbors; let justice make us friends."

Pan Americanism must adapt itself to present conditions, and in its practical manifestations endeavor to solve the problems which contribute to closer relationships and fuller mutual knowledge between the American nations, and also set up useful standards for the conduct of practical activities of general interest. Since the celebration of

Pan American Day has to do especially with students in schools and universities, that is, with the rising generation, it offers a valuable opportunity for deepening interest in, and respect for, our sister Republics through a more thorough knowledge of their culture, ideals, institutions, customs, sources of wealth, and natural beauty.

In Washington, D. C., the second celebration of Pan American Day took on special significance since this was the year when the bicentenary of the birth of George Washington was being celebrated throughout the land. As described in the BULLETIN for July of this year, on April 14 the ambassadors, ministers, and chargés d'affaires of the Latin American Republics made a solemn pilgrimage to Mount

The program of the official celebration of the second Pan American Day in Washington included a colorful ceremony on the Ellipse. After the flags of the American Republics had been raised to the strains of their national anthems and saluted by artillery fire, an address was made by Vice President Curtis to the assemblage of students.

Vernon, and before Washington's tomb read special messages sent for the occasion by their respective Chiefs of Government. This is considered one of the most notable tributes paid this year to Washington.

At half past 2 that same day, in the beautiful park opposite the Pan American Union, a colorful ceremony took place in which representatives of schools and universities in the capital took part under the direction of the Hon. L. H. Reichelderfer, president of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia. The guest of honor on that occasion was the Hon. Charles Curtis, Vice President of the United States. At the opening of the ceremonies the Army

Band played the national hymn of each American Republic and the national flag of that nation was slowly unfurled. After the 21 flags were fluttering in the April breezes, Mr. Reichelderfer spoke for the District of Columbia of the importance of the anniversary, saying: "Pan American Day and its observance throughout the American Continent is destined to become the outward symbol of that great spirit of friendship and mutual understanding of which the Western World is to-day the outstanding example." He then introduced the Vice President, who gave a brilliant address dealing with the relations between the nations of the New World during more than a century, in which he said:

The message which I bring to you is intended for the younger generation throughout the Western World. It is to you that we must look for the fulfillment of those purposes and ideals for which the founders of our Republics struggled and for which subsequent generations have been called to make unending sacrifices. . .

Every student of the history of the New World is impressed with the fact that the founders of the American Republics, almost without exception, saw clearly the importance of unity of purpose and action among the nations of America and, what is even more important, that such unity can only rest upon mutual confidence and constructive cooperation. Each of the Liberators of America contributed his share to this great purpose.

As I review the relations between the United States and our sister Republics, I am more and more impressed with the importance of having governmental action supplemented by private effort in the development of closer inter-American understanding. Upon the youth of the Americas rests the major responsibility of fostering an atmosphere of good will in which the possibility of inter-American misunderstanding will be reduced to a minimum.

The outdoor ceremonies closed with a program of selected pieces of Latin-American music, many of which were based on themes indigenous to the New World. The ceremony was transmitted by radio not only throughout the United States, but also to the nations of Latin. America through the short-wave channels of the National Broadcasting Co. and the Columbia circuit, as well as to 72 stations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland over a special connection from Schenectady. In the evening a gala concert of Latin-American music was given in the ballroom of the Pan American Union by the United Service Orchestra. The well-known Guatemalan soprano, Aida Doninelli, of the Metropolitan Opera Co., was the soloist; her gracious manner and delightful voice captivated the distinguished audience.

At the Pan American Union there was also an interesting exhibit of six paintings by Mexican school children; these were sent especially for this occasion and later were distributed among other American nations.

The Hon. Hiram Bingham opened the session of the Senate on April 14 with an address in honor of the occasion. The senator em

phasized especially the spiritual and moral significance of the day, and after calling attention to the notable record made in the peaceful settlement of inter-American disputes, closed with this expression of the importance of continental understanding, "By giving to the world the inspiring example of an international system resting on the idea of cooperation and mutual service, the American republics will best be able to fulfill the high mission which they are called upon to perform."

In the House of Representatives the Hon. Charles Linthicum, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, delivered an eloquent address dealing with Pan American Day, indicating the great progress which has been made in the relations between the nations of the Western Hemisphere since the meeting of the First International Conference of American States in 1890, as well as stressing the important services of the Pan American Union in promoting these relations of friendship and good will.

But the celebration of Pan American Day in the United States was not limited to the capital alone. In all the large cities, as well as in many of the smaller towns, impressive ceremonies took place.

In New York the Pan American Society held a special meeting in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The guests of honor were the consuls general and consulate staffs of all the American Republics. More than 1,800 students from the universities, public schools, and other educational institutions of New York were also present. The guests of honor were His Excellency Dr. Orestes Ferrara, the ambassador of Cuba and then vice chairman of the Governing Board of the Pan American Union, who spoke upon "The Influence of American ideas;" Dr. Stephen P. Duggan, director of the International Institute of Education, whose subject was "Cultural Cooperation with Latin America," and Señor Alejandro T. Bollini, consul general of Argentina, whose address dealt with "Pan Americanism and Pan American Day." Mr. John L. Merrill, president of the society, presided at the luncheon and the entire program was broadcast throughout the Nation. In many of the more important schools of the city commemorative exercises were held at which eminent Pan Americanists addressed the students.

At the beginning of the spring term of 1932, the Board of Education of New York City announced that a prize to be known as the BolívarSan Martín Medal would be awarded this June at commencement time and in future years on Pan American Day to the student of each public school having a Pan American club who, in the opinion of the principal, had contributed most to promoting the Pan American ideal in the school. This medal is offered by the Pan American Society of the United States under the auspices of the Pan American Student League of New York. At the same time, the San Francisco chapter of that society offered two prizes, one of $40 and the other of $20, to

the students of a Hispano-American university who present the best essays on the subject "Towards Inter-American Friendship.'

The Pan American Student League of New York, which at present has 34 chapters, took part for the first time in this celebration under the auspices of the Pan American Society, and at the same time organized a series of exercises in the different schools belonging to the league. As a contribution to the celebration one of the chapters organized a Pan American exhibition in which were represented the principal commercial and artistic organizations interested in Latin America. The exhibition remained open for a month and showed models of telegraph systems, maps, pictures by American artists, samples of mineral and agricultural products, books, magazines, flags, and other objects of special interest.

At the University of Miami, the celebration of Pan American Day began with a general gathering of the students at which guests and professors of the Latin American department spoke on the ideal of brotherhood which this day commemorates. The speakers included. Mr. Arthur E. Curtis, representative of the Pan American Airways, and the consul of Guatemala, whose subject was "International Aviation as a Factor of Pan-Americanism," and Dr. Rafael Belaúnde, a member of the faculty, who discussed "Youth and Pan-Americanism."

At noon a banquet with 400 guests was held at which Dr. Rafael Belaúnde, sr., professor of the economic geography of South America at the University, explained briefly the significance of the date and the bases and ideals of Pan-Americanism, explaining the origin of the day and the efforts so far made to convert these ideals into reality. He especially mentioned the important labors of the Pan American Union, whose almost half-century of development he summarized briefly. Mr. Edward Tomlinson, a well-known journalist, pictured to his audience the culture, beauty, and high future of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru. Dr. Gonzalo J. Gallegos, consul of Costa Rica, spoke appreciatively in the name of his Latin American colleagues. An exposition of Latin American products was opened to show the varied geographic characteristics and the manifold wealth of our neighbors to the south.

At the University of Washington, in Seattle, students of history, foreign trade, languages, and similar subjects met to hear addresses delivered by Dr. David Thomson, vice president of the university, and Señores Carlos García Prada and Ulpiano Borja, consuls of Columbia and Ecuador respectively. During the ceremony, at which a special orchestra played several selections of Pan American music, a portrait of the Liberator, Simón Bolívar, was presented to the university by the consul of Columbia. The occasion was also