William Allen White. Remarks

William Allen White. Remarks

Pacifists often find solidarity in helping children. In his remarks, William Allen White addresses a tea of presumably wealthy New Yorkers to convince them to provide some form of contribution to his relief organization, The Spanish Child Welfare Association. The rhetoric of his message focuses upon delivering an emotional account of the destitute conditions of Spanish children and the similarities between the Spanish and American children. The nature of this appeal, and its racialized rhetoric, provides insight to the problematic race discourses of the early twentieth century. The pathos contained in this address frames Spain itself as a wounded, infantile, and helpless body of souls tormented by unparalleled suffering which may only be amended through the aid of philanthropic volunteers. This does not undermine the heroic efforts of their peace testimonies, although it does reveal something of the complicated nature of the way in which Northern Europe and the United States related to Spain in the 1930s.

L. Hollingsworth Wood Papers

Tuesday, May 3 1938

Joshua Hilscher

Typescript of Remarks