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The Vegetarian Society (UK) and IVU, 1930s


The following reports are from the Vegetarian Messenger (VSUK magazine):

August 1932

THE INTERNATIONAL VEGETARIAN CONGRESS AT EDEN (BERLIN) AND HAMBURG

... The delegates from The Vegetarian Society (Gt. Britain) were Councillor W. M. Farrington and Mr. H. H. Jones....

... Before the addresses were delivered, short speeches were made by the chairmen for the morning session - ... Frank Wyatt (London), ...

... A proposal from Holland resulted in the formation of a small international committee which would meet whenever there was important business to transact. The appointed committee con-sisted of the new President, Mr. C. J. van Borrendam (Amsterdam), the Treasurer, Mr. Oluf Egerod (Copenhagen), the General Secretary, Mr. Hans E. Feix (Warnsdorf), together with Mr. K. Bartes (Eden-Berlin) and Mr. Frank Wyatt (London). ...

September 1935

THE INTERNATIONAL VEGETARIAN CONGRESS IN DENMARK


James Hough


Mr S.A. Curren


British delegates

....The British societies' delegates were Dr. Constance Hurren (London photo right), Mr. S. A. Hurren (hon. treasurer of the London Vegetarian Society), Mr. James Hough (secretary of The Vegetarian Society) and Dr. Leslie Presswood (Sheffield).

The British societies were represented by a party of 24, the largest number of vegetarians from this country to attend an International Congress abroad. The credit for this lay entirely with Dr. Constance Curren who worked assiduously in the brief time available to ensure that Great Britain should be adequately represented. ....

... Delegates from each national society replied to the welcome, Mr. JAMES HOUGH and Mr. S. A. HURREN responding on behalf of the British Societies. ...

...Each day began with physical drill under the direction of Miss PHYLLIS HAIGH, of Leicester, and Mr. M. STOCKHOLM, of Ragebol, Denmark. ...

... A thoroughly enjoyed new feature, introduced at this Congress, was the evening assembly at which the peoples from the various countries joined in singing their national songs. The singing of the English, led by Dr. LESLIE PRESSWOOD, of Sheffield, was received with long continued applause....

... It was interesting to find that not less than one-third of the members of the Congress spoke a little English, and many spoke it fluently. Our English delegates, Dr. CONSTANCE HURREN and Dr. LESLIE PRESSWOOD, took their part as interpreters, the former following Dr. Nussbaum's lecture with a translation into English greatly appreciated by the audience. ...

... At the close of the Congress, Mr. S. A. Hurren (photo right), speaking on behalf of the British delegates, expressed their great appreciation of the arrangements made and the hospitality shewn. He said it had been a wonderful experience to mingle freely and happily with the representatives of a dozen different nationalities, linked by a common ideal - the avoidance of cruelty in any form whatsoever, whether to animals or men. ...

August 1938

THE INTERNATIONAL VEGETARIAN CONGRESS AT OSLO AND HURDALS VERK, NORWAY.

... The delegates from Gt. Britain were Mrs. Wyatt (London), Mr. J. A. Reid (Assistant Secretary, London Vegetarian Society), Mr. Dugald Semple (President of the Scottish V. S. and Vice-President of The Vegetarian Society) and Mr. H.H. Jones, B.A. (Assistant Secretary, The Vegetarian Society). In addition, the other visitors from England included Mr. and Mrs. Austin T. Young (London), Mrs. and Miss Oborn (Sunningdale, Berks.), Mr. H. Bettoney (Leicester), and Mrs. H. H. Jones (Manchester). ...

... Reports of work accomplished during the past three years were presented by the delegates from The Vegetarian Society (Great Britain), The London Vegetarian Society (Great Britain), ...

... The officers, together with Dr. H. J. Rogler (Norway) and Mr. F. Wyatt (England), were elected on the special committee to act whenever there was any important business to be dealt with. ...

... An invitation to hold the 1941 Congress in England was conveyed on behalf of The Vegetarian Society by Mr. H. H. Jones, and on behalf of the London Vegetarian Society by Mr. J. Arnold Reid. In accepting the invitation the two delegates were asked to convey the thanks of the meeting to their respective societies. ...

Vegetarianism and Peace.
The concluding address of the Congress was delivered by Mr. DUGALD SEMPLE (Gt. Britain photo right), who spoke on "Vegetarianism and Peace." Mr. Semple said that the question of peace was one of the most important problems with which the various countries of the world were concerned at the present time, and people were naturally interested in what we, as vegetarians, had to offer in place of war and preparations for war. The situation throughout Europe was tragic because war was no longer confined to armed forces but meant the slaughter of innocent women and children. The relation between food and war may come as a surprise to many people, hut Socrates pointed out the relationship many years ago. When Plato first outlined the ideal life for his country he suggested that it might be necessary to introduce flesh-foods into his community. Socrates replied by saying that when you introduce flesh-foods it means that you are not going to have sufficient land to grow food and to raise cattle at the same time, and then you will go to your neighbour's territory and cut a slice off his land, and he will object, and then you will go to war with each other. That was the lesson we saw in the last great war and we observe today that many nations which are not self -supporting have a tendency to quarrel with their neighbours.

In Great Britain, before the war, there was only 7.6% of the population living on the land, as against 20% in Belgium, 25% in Holland and 30% in Germany. Today we have only 4.6% of the population in Britain living on the land. It means that the more we get away from nature and congregate people in towns and cities, there is more crime, disease and war. We cannot get away from nature without suffering thereby. We have got to live closer to the laws of our being. We must have a healthy body, but that is not enough. We are suffering today from an unbalanced proportion of activities - we seem to know how to do everything, and yet we do not know how to walk properly. We can link up the world by means of electricity, but we cannot link it up with love and human sympathy. Our attitude towards animals must be completely changed. We must cease to refer to them as "dumb" animals and "livestock." We must remember that they are our co-partners in civilization.

Vegetarianism is not merely a matter of food reform - it is a philosophy of life, and war will only cease when we cease to live as beasts of prey. So long as we prepare for war we shall get war. We must not only study Darwin but also Kropotkin. Those animals which are carnivorous are becoming less and the vegetarian animals are increasing. Vegetarianism is the first great step. The killing of human beings is akin to the killing of animals and so the exploiting of animal life leads to the selfish exploitation of human beings. In quoting Burns, Mr. Semple appealed for a more widespread appreciation of the real values in life - more sunshine for the body, more love for the soul, peace for every living creature the world over.

Peace Resolution.
Following the address by Mr. Semple a resolution was passed by the Congress "calling upon all peoples and their governments to maintain and work for peace." The resolution, voicing the opinion of the representatives of the different nations assembled, expressed disapproval of the repeated air raids on defenceless towns, on unarmed vessels and on peaceful peoples in Europe and Asia. It stated that vegetarians, being opposed to the killing of animals, protested against any effort to promote conditions involving the slaughter of human beings, with its attendant destruction of cultural and intellectual values and the widespread debasement of human life. ...

 

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