Touchy as a boil on the subject of foreign policy, which was heatedly discussed at last night's mass meeting, the Harvard Student Union will next week be split clean through, no matter which of its two factions wins out. Developing all last year, intellectual tension is now at the breaking point between President Alan Gottlieb's pro-aid-to-Britain, pro-Roosevelt group, and the Marx-Stange faction favoring no aid to Britain and branding Roosevelt as a war-monger. Inevitably the break will weaken the HSU, and tend to depress still further the strong but gradually waning student sentiment for keeping America out of war. This is too bad, and everything possible should be done to keep the effect from being too demoralizing.

In the first place, since both sides are non-interventionist, that is, opposed to America's entrance into the war, the greater their combined strength the better. Until next week's meeting casts the die, no one in favor of this general stand should drop out or refuse to join on the grounds that this particular view appears likely to be voted down. Another question that bobs up is the fate of the Progressive, the HSU organ which, under the leadership of Marx and Stange, has become one of Harvard's best-written, most provocative magazines. It would be especially unfortunate if the rift in the HSU should result in clogging this outlet of student opinion.

The problem of keeping up relations with the national parent organization, the American Student Union, is not so acute. Only the Marx-Stange group will be acceptable to the ASU or will consider membership in it an asset. So it appears likely that this part of the Union, even in defeat, would remain the official HSU. The pros and cons of membership in the national body have been fully debated in past years, and the present crisis over foreign policy can add nothing to what has already been said.

Out of the present mess there is much that can be saved. Apparently there are going to be two rival peace groups; that's all right so long as they are real peace groups, don't waste all their energy fighting each other, and act as a healthy balance wheel for such organizations as the Student Defense League, with its thinly-veiled interventionist stand. It is up to the Marx-Stange element to avoid being obstructionist and taking a wholly negative stand, opposing everything but their own domestic policy, and claiming that that is the cure-all for America's troubles. Likewise, the Gottlieb group will have to keep its head, recognize the difference between aid to England for our defense and aid for the purpose of incitement to war, and not follow Mr. Roosevelt blindly in his risky foreign policy.