1 0 4 D O C . 1 2 0 O C T O B E R 1 9 1 9 We take the liberty of addressing you person to person, as someone in need to someone with something to give! We speak to you in the name of an as yet small group of male and female stu- dents in Berlin who feel the strong need, indeed, I would almost like to say, the psy- chological necessity, springing out of the dire situation of our times, of finding an expression and projection of interests that brings us together and leads us to goals that are beyond the partisan strife that today is splintering the entire student body into different camps.[2] We are firmly convinced that this is possible only with an alliance that sees encouragement and promotion of the cultural arts as its cause. Only such an alliance, standing on neutral ground, can comprehend the various views and conduct activities harmoniously. We feel certain that broad strata of the student body in Berlin, both among men and women, feel the intrinsic need to belong to an association that, seeking exclusively idealistic and cultural goals, has as its purpose the strong will of young people to ennoble humanity. In liberal asso- ciation, bound by a loose organization, we declare ourselves free, within our asso- ciation composed uniquely of students, from all politically partisan stances and from any corporate code of behavior otherwise familiar to student fraternities. Any attack on the convictions of a person is foreign to us. Only in art do we see progress and education. And art is free! As long as our association is constituted of only a small membership, we are ob- viously forced to motivate and promote one another without being able to attract interested outsiders. As soon as we have become more powerful, however—and we do not doubt that this will soon be the case—we shall approach our advisory artists with a request for support of our efforts in a suitable way to strengthen the move- ment even further toward advocating modern culture and, as a student initiative, toward becoming a factor in the struggle toward new goals. Our plea to you—which we advance very reservedly and respectfully yet ardent- ly and vigorously—involves that you 1. kindly inform us in a letter to what extent you consider such action appropri- ate and in line with the times (therefore, a voice of encouragement!) 2. or, alternatively, inform us—if we have managed to arouse in you a deeper interest—whether you are willing to support and promote our endeavors. Both of these—the second, obviously, more than the first—are of greatest importance to us for through your cooperation, as perhaps also through other prominent men to whom we have sent the same declaration, our planned associa- tion and its activities will appear secure. We want to point out, finally, that a similar association exists at the University of Rostock and is already being most enthusi-
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