The European Picture

Mr. Miller, Executive Secretary of the Carlton YMCA in Brook lyn, New York, has just returned from a six-weeks' tour of Europe as a member of Sherwood Eddy's American Seminar.

I dare say that any non-governmental group of investigators from the United States since World War II has been able to get so vivid an insight on the post-war rehabilitation program in Europa as we of the Sherwood Eddy American Seminar. During our six-weeks' tour abroad, we were privileged to hear and confer with national and international experts in the principal Marshall Plan countries who have their fingers on the pulse of affairs. We visited many of the historic places and major centers of activities and walked and talked with the peoples on the streets. We saw the billions of dollars in waste and ruin left in great cities by the collosal and deadly bombings.

From our findings and conclusions of this survey, we will endeavor to give the American people a frank report on conditions in these countries, which are today's front-line of Democracy. Limited newspaper space permits only a concise summary of the economic, social, political, religious and educational conditions as we found them.

We visited England, Western Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and France. We beheld glorious and historical edifices of Old World culture standing majestical beside the rubble of destruction. We saw the masses striving with spiritual fortitude to work out their destinies in the midst of a world yet unsettled.

The scourges of war have left their imprints deeply imbedded in all of these countries but Switzerland, which managed to maintain its neu trality. It is certain that their salvation from utter economic collapse and apathy depends on the European Recovery Program through the Marshall Plan. They still remain on the precipice of failure and stand as prey for Communistic infiltration unless this aid is continued.

It will take these peoples at least twenty-five years to recover economic independence. There is a far shortage of production and trade. Only in the Ruhr and Saar Valley industrial areas of Germany has there been a re vival of industry to anything near that of the pre-war era. Most investors are putting their capital into enterprises outside of the continent because of fear of Communistic invasion. As a result of all these factors, the mone tary values of currencies in the countries have been devaluated adding to economic hardships. The ordinary worker's pay averages between twelve and fifteen dollars a week in American money.

The tight economy is reflected in the scarcity of many vital goods and rationing still exists on many items. Among the hard-to-get things are radios, automobiles, clothing and furniture. Tobacco and alcoholic drinks are again becoming plentiful, while there has been an easing up in the food situation due to stress placed on agriculture and resulting good crops.

Medicine has been socialized in most countries and dentists are thriv ing. There is a shortage of doctors and nurses. The housing shortage also remains a major problem, with many in Western Germany living in cellars, and the ruins of buildings.

Thousands of displaced persons, war refugees and war babies who fill camps and homes still _.tax social service agencies. Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Norway, Australia, Canada, Israel and America (with 300,000 displaced persons annually) are all taking their quotas. The war orphans are subsidized by governments. In France, thirty-six per cent of wages goes for social security.

There is a big job for the Christian Church to salvage the spiritual life of devastated countries, all of which have shown a falling off in church attendance. Secularism has crept into the ways of the peoples. They have religious beliefs, but as for activity in worship, there is a definite inertia and lukewarmness. In France alone, there are at least 33,000,000 persons outside the Church. The Catholic church is taking the leadership in the revival of the strength of the Christian faith, while Protestant churches are pushing their endeavors.

Educational institutions have perhaps shown the biggest recovery. Schools are thriving in most of the countries.

Communism is potent in Western European countries' politics and they appear susceptible to invasion by Russia. Nationalism prevails, but in France twenty-two per cent of the voters are Communistic. The Voice of America Broadcast is helping to retard Communism but America must be ever alert in the Cold War.

Reproduced from THE BOULE JOURNAL, Volume 16, Number 1, October, 1950, pages 56-58