BABEL AND ANTI-BABEL [To the Editor of Tim SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—A few brave men are endeavouring, under the shelter of an old French Abbey, to institute an oasis of clear thought, of peaceful co-operation, in the midst of the European welter of jealous rivalry. Can such an effort bear fruit ? Can a minority achieve anything at all in an age wherein minorities seem to count for nothing at all ; in which martyrdom for any cause seems wasteful and futile ; in which the voices of Solomon, or Socrates, or Plato, would be drowned by .the din of machinery ? Well, some few are hoping in spite of all adverse opinion. They arc endeavouring to gather together from all nations, however small, a number of those who still believe in a union of mankind, who still cherish hopes of an enlightened peace, who still uphold the independence of mind and soul, the right to think, the right to speak, the right to worship ideals independently of political censure or approval.
At the Abbey of Pontigny (Yonne) Paul Desjardins, known for his long and patient labour for international peace and understanding, is daring enough to believe that truth can yet prevail, and that truth is only to be attained by clear and courageous thought. Hence-he is offering to all and any the possibility of thinking, not alone, but in a society of fellow- thinkers. He is asking those who respond to his suggestion to come together for periods of intercourse ; an intercourse which is to consist of opposition as well as agreement ; of learning as well as teaching ; of unity in the one chief aim with diversity of method and approach.
And that one chief aim which will unite such groups in spite of their divergencies is the desire to find a truth that is not coloured by the self-interest of nation or individual ; to restore the respect for a Law that is greater than national claims and ambitions, greater than mere political treaties and agreements, more sacred and permanent than merely national regulations and prescriptions.
The groups that meet in accordance with this scheme will come together not to pronounce edicts, but to search for solutions.
" Communication has been broken between mind and mind. No longer does one intellect get contact with another.- The common life of the understanding is ruptured. We live in
exile. Babel is around us, and there is a dislocation and general confusion of thought. Shall we give up ? Or shall we resist ? " These are some, words from the programme of this " anti- Babel " endeavour.
And again : " People are worth more than their rulers. Let then the simple citizen take arms and fly to the help of the League of Nations. She is tottering. Let us save that germ of justice. . . . What destroys all is, on the one side, the avoidance of risk and danger ; on the other the failure to conceive of Law, as it truly is . . . universal, impersonal, uncompromising, protective. . . . We want to reawake sound sense . . . to form a school that shall rectify mental confusion. . . . To attempt the foundation of anti-Babel, in spite of the curses of an evil spirit that seeks our lest met ion. This is our aim—is it a mad one ? . . . What we ask for is minds that are consistent ; hearts of right feeling. . . We would found a family group of those who would be at • learners and teachers—no official teaching—self-donation and reciprocity in the communication of ideas. . . . Each one knows his own ignorance, but we listen to one another. . . . Truth conies at its own moment. . . . We never cease to be pupils. . . Truth is communicated, not only by words, but by a mysterious inter-communication amongst those who live together and arc silent together."
These are the leading ideas of this enterprise—a bold and yet a humble effort. Is it not a fact that we need a shelter for ideals that have, in the present turmoil, sunk below the horizon ? It is in some sense a living attempt to realise the notion hinted at in the play of Dr. James IIinton--- an attempt to preterve forgotten values in order that they may be remem- bered again.
The appeal has its practical side. A scheme of community life is suggested, and, if all arc welcome, the young are specially invited. They are offered a temporary home in a spot of France surrounded by many solemn interests. The old Cis- tercian Abbey is the sacred centre : and there will be oppor- tunities of intercourse with and amongst men and women who have faced the problems of our modern world : who are ready to teach and still more ready to listen. There is a rich Library, and space for solitude as 'Sven as society.
From March to July the Abbey will be open to those who feel drawn to the Anti-Babel Association, which is also to be named the Amit'e Eii-eignante de Pontigny.
Those who wish to learn more can address themselves to M. Paul Desjardins, Abbaye de Pontigny, Yonne.
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