Colman McCarthy with Elena Tuhy '90, who helped coordinate McCarthy's visit in October. about what countries are doing to each other when my father beats my mother and abuses me?" His point was that the chal- lenge of overcoming violence must be car- ried out on a personal level. The violence in our daily lives is as important, if not more so, than the battles between nations. This is not an occasional philosophy, but one you must live on a daily basis: "If you want to be a disciple of peace, you must practice it." He describes non-violence as prevention before a crisis and violence as the interaction after the crisis. To over- come violence, he says, "We must use prevention among our families and preven- tion among our governments." During the course of his talk, McCarthy showed a slide show which had been put together by one of his students a few years ago. The overall theme of the slide presen- tation was non-violence and included sec- tions on war, whaling, and meat consumption. Many of the images of war were disturbing in their explicit portrayal of the effects of violence on a human body. The slide show also contrasted the views of warmongers and pacifists through quot- ing people such as George Patton and Phyllis Schafley, and Sargent Shriver and Anne Frank. OA NEWS McCarthy explains that our society is not gearing our children towards being peaceful: "We preach 'successism' and 'get- aheadism.' We're afraid to tell our 90 COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC BAR HARBOR, MAINE children about service, that it will never get them ahead. We should be teaching them early that we expect service from McCarthy, Washington Post them. It will be where they find their joy and meaning." He told of going to a st, Speaks on Peace at COA woman's shelter, where a nun suggested that if he really wanted to help, he should a bloody sea of whale car- August, he spent a few days on campus talk with a homeless woman: "We have miles at the camera as he talking with various community members. enough people cutting up carrots, but not I boat. In his right hand he Upon his return to Washington, he wrote enough people to relate." flesh carved from a dead a very enthusiastic column about COA McCarthy says there is a more effective which appeared in The Washington Post way of protecting yourself than with "fists, image and many others, and several other newspapers across the guns and violence": ideas are a form of thy showed a COA continent. defense. "Go out and learn what others tent to which violence has In his talk, McCarthy offered advice to have learned about non-violence," he ed into our lives. Mc- those who want to work for peace and urges. He rattles off a list of pacifist nist for The Washington non-violence: you must have a sense of teachers, such as the well-known but not 1 peace educator, spoke at prayer, a sense of service, and a sense of often read Gandhi and Martin Luther October 4 as the first exorcism. He explained exorcism as "a King, and those who are less well-known, 's Distinguished Lecture medieval word that means driving out evil. such as Jeannette Rankin, the only Con- 91, which is being coor- And evil is anything that is violent." gressperson to vote against United States ty member John Buell. His argument against violence is not entry into both WWI and WWII. Carthy's talk was "How to limited to war between nations, but in- To advance the study of peace in Peacemaker." cludes war between people and war schools, McCarthy founded the non-profit Carthy's second visit to against animals. He told how a young per- Center for Teaching Peace in Washington, ring his first visit in son asked him, "How can I be concerned D.C., which is devoted to educating continued on page 2 continued from page 1 "If Plato were to return and take a professorship, people in the practice of non-violence. The Center supplies colleges and high I'd bet my copy of The Republic that he would settle in schools with advice and materials, and oc- to teach at the College of the Atlantic." casionally teachers, to begin or broaden -- Colman McCarthy The Washington Post peace studies courses. McCarthy himself has taught a course entitled "Alternatives to Violence" to an estimated 2,500 stu- dents over the past eight years in high schools and universities in the Washington, D.C. area. He teaches the class at Bethesda High School each morn- ing before going to work at the Post. He told how his students ask him how he heard of pacifists, and why they have never heard of them. His answer is, "Be- cause you go to American schools." McCarthy believes that every college, high school, and grammar school in the United States should have at least one course in alternatives to violence. "Why shouldn't the study of peace be as much a part of the curriculum as math, English, and social studies?" he asked. Throughout his talk, which often dealt with very serious and intense issues, Mc- Carthy retained a sense of humor. At one point, when discussing how much humans need to learn, he said, "Twentieth century humans could not be the height of evolu- tion. Unless it's some sick cosmic joke." McCarthy ended his talk with an ap- peal for action. He said, "Once you strip away everything else, there's only one word that matters in peace: start." - Elena Tuhy Champlain Society Celebrates Third Successful Year The Champlain Society marked its third The summer season ended on a festive year this past summer by sponsoring an in- note with the "Lobster Quadrille", a tradi- creased number of special events and gain- tional lobster bake and contra-dance at ing many new members. which the entire COA community and Through the enthusiastic and dynamic their families were feted. This event was leadership of Chair Alice Eno, and the preceded by a brief dedication ceremony coordination efforts of the Development to celebrate the completion of the new 120 and Public Affairs offices, a total of nine foot single-span steel pier which will be events were sponsored by the Champlain used to enhance the College's marine re- Society, which included the three lectures search and other educational programs. of the Summer Distinguished Lecture The Champlain Society was founded in Series. Each of the special events was well 1988 to honor individuals and organiza- attended, including a Wildflower Walk tions who contribute $1,000 or more an- conducted by Professor Craig Greene; a nually to support the College's programs field trip to Petit Manan, led by Richard through the Annual Fund. As of October Schauffler, COA '83; a Garden Tour of 1990, the Society totals 135 memberships, three noted Mount Desert Island gardens; nearly double the number at the same time Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ed- the third Annual Candlelight Dinner; and last year. ward McC. Blair is serenaded by an the annual whalewatching cruise con- - Charles Hesse oversized lobster during the pier dedica- ducted by COA and Allied Whale staff. tion ceremony in late August. 2