THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION.pdf - ideals

special commission of experts. A draft World Constitution
would then be drawn up and an unofficial conference called
at the Palais Mondial to examine it and to decide how to proceed
to the ultimate goal of an official world constitutional convention.
A circular about Les Cahiers de la Paix was issued in
April and Otlet hoped to be able to call an introductory conference
later in the year. 29 In this way, one may suppose, Otlet
hoped to implement the World Charter he had devised during
the War, but nothing whatsoever seems to have come of Les
Cahiers de la Paix.
Otlet was also at this time vigorously pursuing the work
of the Committee for an International City which had its seat
at the Palais Mondial. 30 The desirability of an international
city had been recognised by the Conference to Develop the Institutes
of the Palais Mondial. The idea, however, was a much
older one reaching back to the period before the War to the
work of Hendrik Andersen and the deliberations of the UIA
World Congress in 1913. The Belgian Government had decided
to hold a Universal Exposition at Brussels in 1930, the
year of Belgium's Centennial Anniversary. Otlet had immediately
fallen upon this as providing at a blow the basis for
the International City. He made a report to this effect to the
UIA and the Union Internationale des Villes both of which had
actively pursued the idea. In his opinion such a city should
ideally be placed under the protection of the League oi
Nations whose secretariat should be set up in it. The exposition
of 1930, as it seemed to him, should be something different
from other expositions.
It should mark a new development in the already very varied series
of Universal Expositions. There is now an opportunity to let it express
a complete and living synthesis of universal progress...A similar
synthesis should be incorporated in a city yet to be built, a city which
should be a model in all matters, a commemorative monument worthy
of the added efforts of all people, a permanent location for all international
activities, the symbol of the new Humanity. 31
In 1923,, plans, propaganda, meetings, correspondence about
the city were given impetus by the government's brief
occupancy of part of the Palais Mondial in 1922, its refusal to
transmit to other governments the recommendations of and
convention drawn up at the Conference to Develop the Institutes
of the Palais Mondial, and by the threat of furher
disruption in 1924.
THE RUBBER FAIR
During the early part of 1923, publicity was given in Belgium
to a British Rubber Fair which was to come to Brussels
in February 1924. There was speculation about where it would
be held. The Palais du Cinquantenaire was once again sug-
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