Page 2
University Daily Kansan Thursday, May 13. 195
Bromfield Urges World Cooperation
A NEW PATTERN FOR A TIRED WORLD. By Louis Bromfield.
Harner and Brothers. New York: 1954. 314 pp. $3.75.
Louis Bromfield's "brave new world" is designed for the United States and her Western hemisphere neighbors. He would have us dig up the Monroe doctrine and expand our "good neighbor policy."
His "new" pattern is one of what he calls "cooperation in a completely modern sense, the kind of cooperation that is represented already by the relationship between this country and Canada with their general sharing and investment of capital, savings, and profits within the borders of a vast area, and by the operation of many American corporations already having investments in foreign nations."
Mr. Bromfield maintains his solution to the world's problems is essentially constructive and dynamic rather than a retrograding and negative philosophy such as that represented by the "Keynesian theories and by much or all of the Socialist programs, or the muddled tragic-comic Utopia of the United Nations organization."
The old cries of "imperialism," "colonial exploitation" and that absurd phrase "the Colossus of the North" are all obsolete and have little if any validity, he says.
Most of the present troubles in the world arise, in Mr. Bromfield's opinion, from serious maladjustments and limitations of raw materials, markets, food, and population. He believes that there can never be any lasting peace or security unless it is found upon the solution of these difficulties in realistic and even materialistic terms.
Mr. Bromfield thinks the United States should end all economic aid to European and Asian countries and concentrate our attention on South America. He does not speculate on what would happen to these countries should we cut off our aid to them.
Europe is "shaky" and Asia "chaotic," Mr. Bromfield feels. He says Europe has little future in this revolutionary changing world with markets and sources of raw materials and food largely disappeared and disappearing. Mr. Bromfield would have these European states bordering on bankruptcy make their own way.
Mr. Bromfield extolls the merits of Brazil at great length, and he feels that the future of Brazil as the great nation of South America is inevitable.
Granted, Brazil has possibilities, but why this seemingly intelligent author (who has a certain flair for writing novels and farming) would have us abandon our gains abroad at one stroke is beyond comprehension.
Mr. Bromfield calls this age the "Age of Propaganda." Government is one of the greatest propagandists, he says, with the armed forces representing our greatest bureaucracy and our most powerful, all-pervading lobby.
Newspapers have fallen prey to propaganda, too, he says. Once objective journalists have turned their reports from Washington or Paris or Moscow into subtle editorial commentaries slanted this way or that, he says. sometimes with the approval of editors and employers and sometimes not—sometimes without even any perception upon their part.
"In Washington there was a great seandal concerning the 'five per centers' who distributed mink coats, deep freezes and at times gifts of a more negotiable nature, in return for privileges and favors for clients from persons high in government and even in the White House, but no outcry was ever raised concerning the journalistic 'five per centers' whose behavior is more subtle but more immoral and infinitely more dangerous to the welfare of the nation and the responsible operation of government by the people. These were the journalists who make a deal with government officials and bureaus, high or low, under which, in return for 'leaks' and secret information, they agree openly or tactily to make propaganda for the individual or for the ambitions and purposes of the individual, or, as the case may be, the Pentagon or even an obscure bureau."
"Captive journalists," along with politicians and generals, are suffering from a "Messiah complex," he says, which is a "compulsion to save the world and constantly to meddle in the affairs of other peoples and nations, regardless of whether, as is more and more the case, this interference is actually resented."
Mr. Bromfield charges the Roosevelt and Truman administrations with confusing our foreign policies. According to the author, Roosevelt and Acheson were British-centered, and Truman ignored Latin-American nations (of course). The author recounts the charges of subversives in government, of Gen. George Marshall botching the Chinese situation, of needless bloodshed in Korea, eggheads in high positions, and our "containment" policy.
"One cannot place all the blame for the confusion of the world upon the Russians. Let us suppose that Soviet Russia had armies on our Canadian border and a ring of airfields surrounding us, that they had armies in Mexico, as we have armies in Korea, airfields within striking distance over all Central America and the Caribbean, and virtually complete command of the seas, and were at the same time supplying arms and even soldiers to the nations bordering on our frontiers. Well?"
The author maintains that he does not have an "isolationist" attitude, but his emotional, not-too-convincing arguments certainly can be termed "neutralist." We feel that the adjectives in the title of his work should be transposed. —Tom Shannon
Childhood sweethearts who separated after a quarrel 50 years ago were married recently, both at the age of 72. And the trouble between them started because the old man, 50 years ago, was late calling to
take her to church. Seems to us that's carrying a grudge too far.
A certain cow college has been placed on probation by the NCAA. Cards of sympathy are available at most drug stores
Once again the Cram Course is pulling in Western Civ students who have seven dollars to invest in its ironclad guarantee—that every student who takes the course will pass the Western Civ quiz.
One Woman's Opinion
"This money-back guarantee applies to every student regardless of the amount of reading completed." the advertisement for the course reads.
Last spring the Daily Kansan sounded off about the cram course—not condoning it, but explaining the difference between it and the department-sponsored review session. We commended the department for having set up an excellent review but which is valuable only to one who has read the course material. Unlike the Cram Course, however, it is no substitute for reading the stuff.
This spring we were surprised to find that the Cram Course operator quoted the writer and the UDK (out of context) and added a quotation (also out of context) from a Topeka Daily Capital feature story—and thus we have endorsed the course.
To the bleary-eyed ones who are cramming to pass the quiz Saturday we'd like to say "Good Luck." But we're not quite vain enough to presume that our say-so even out of context, is a good recommendation.
We'd hate to have any student say he'd taken the Cram Course to help him pass the quiz, (on our recommendation), then flunk it because of our out-of-context statement.
We said in our editorial, "Now it is possible for a student to take the quiz and 'crack a C' without opening the books." But we went on to say other things, not so sarcastic, against the cram course.
We don't mind being quoted out of context. After all, as the Cram Course operator told us, it's not an uncommon practice in these days—and perhaps we should feel honored we were chosen for the victim.
Perhaps we should apologize to the Western Civ students. After all, there must be some who will flunk the test, and a moneyback guarantee is little consolation for six hours of F. Our apologies.
We have little faith in the Cram Course, no more than we might have in the intelligence of each individual who takes Western Civ. We have greater faith in and infinitely more respect for the one who reads the course material.
Mary Betz
A plan has been proposed to link the Mississippi and Rio Grande rivers with a 1,500-mile canal to relieve the Texas water shortage. It might, but why not link the Río Grande with Tuttle creek? Many persons think Tuttle creek isn't worth a dam, so why not a canal?
Japan's Inland Sea is 250 miles long and embraces more islands than any other sea, says the National Geographic Society. They number 700 to 3,000, depending up to islets and the fantastic rocks that on whether "island" can be applied jut up as much as 100 feet above the water.
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room KU 251 Ad room KU 376 Member of the Kansas Inland Daily Press Assn. Associated Collegiate Press Assn. Represented by the National Advertising Service, 420 Madison Avenue, City, Chicago, 60619-8450. Basked at 84.50 a year (add $1 a semester if in Lawrence). Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University's summer holiday and examination periods. Entered second class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence KU, Post office un-
Daily Hansam UNIVERSITY
NEWS STAFF
BUSINESS STAFF
News Editor...Elizabeth Wolghimtzen
Sports editor...Dana Beilengoed
Society editor...Karen Beilengoed
Assistant...Nancy Newville
Adviser...C. M. Pickett
Executive editor Tom Stewart
Managing editors Tom Shannon
Business mgr. Ann Alnsworth
Advertising mgr. Sergio Berry
Sales mgr. Rodney
Classified adv. mgr. Edmond Bartlett
Circulation mgr. Wendell Savian
Custody mgr.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editorial editor    Don Tice
Assistants        Letty Lemon,
                    M. K. Cormier
...LETTERS...
To the editor:
Although I have not been active this year, I was at one time one of that depraved, vicious group known as campus politicians which the Kansan has been vilifying so extensively. Now, I don't deny that many individuals deserve every epithet you can dream up. But I must strongly protest the lumping of all of us who participate in student government into one unholy glob which the Kansan then labels "cheap."
For example, in an editorial on April 22, Clarke Keys complained about the "skuldugery, ineptitude and confusion" of the April 20 election. On April 27, the ASC voted almost unanimously to adopt new procedures designed to reduce the things about which Mr. Keys complained. Were there then any compliments from the Kansan for those "politicians" who had attempted to do something about the situation? Don Tice did have some intelligent suggestions on April 30 but on May 4 the Kansan reaffirmed its sneer at campus politics when Sam Teaford suggested abandoning all attempts at training students to govern themselves.
Speaking of training, by the way, I presume it is the job of an organ like the Kansan to train good newspapermers. It's too bad the failures in this line are not so obvious to the students as those of the ASC. For example, on April 2 the Kansan reported, "1982-A Record—Vote in Primaries." It was a record—a record low. The vote in 1953 came to something over 1600, in '52 over 1700.
Such carelessness by Kansan reporters is no more serious an offense than the carelessness of a poll worker who fails to clip the number off a ballot. I believe, however, that the Bible says something about removing the beam from your own eye before you try to remove the mote from your brother's.
As a final suggestion, I might ask if it wouldn't better serve the interests of the students in their efforts to govern themselves if the Kansan would attempt to report accurately, criticize constructively, and offer equally vocal approval to those individuals and programs (already) attempt to serve the students. To do otherwise is to discourage such individuals and programs from any part in student government.
Loy Bilderback college senior
The most thickly populated nonmetropolitan area in the world is the island of Java, part of the republic of Indonesia. Its population of nearly 53,000,000 lives in an area about the size of Alabama, most of it mountainous.
To the editor:
It seems that after the Collegiate displayed such poor taste by running their red headline, the UDK would have enough discretion not to follow suit.
What is the UDK editorial staff trying to do, start a mud-singing war with the Collegiate? I refer to Clarke Keys' seemingly unprovoked blast in the Kansan May 10 and Ken Bronson's provoked, but equally childish-sounding editorial of May 7.
I am in favor of "good-natured rivalry," but I do not consider petty name-calling an expression the same.
Paul Evos engineering sophomore
Imagine my surprise when it appeared—although now outdated and as far as I knew originally not for publication—a week and two days later in the Daily Kansan, under the label "One Woman's Opinion."
To the editor:
Because the paper was written before the second election, and because the implicit fairness of the second election rendered it obsolete, because I think student government, if given a chance by the students, can operate effectively and deserves support, and because the story was included in the editorial page without my knowledge. I earnestly hope this letter airing my views will be printed.
A week ago Monday as an assignment in The Editorial class. I wrote the prescribed paper, an allegorical fable modeled on James Thurber's "Fables for Our Times."
Letty Lemon journalism juni
To the Editor:
We disagree entirely on matters pertaining to alcoholic beverages (Daily Kansan, May 5). I am a confirmed teetotaler. I would, however, like to point out what I consider to be a fallacy in your line of reasoning.
The nation seems to be tending towards prohibition again, and that is just what you don't want. Now, if the populace of the country knew absolutely nothing about alcoholic drinks they couldn't be opposed to them. Right?
In spite of my previous arguments, I too would be opposed to the bill as it now stands--for the sole reason that it would probably run hob with the baseball game broadcasts.
So if they heard less about such inhibitions doesn't it stand to reason that there would be less opposition? At least the subject wouldn't be constantly before them.
(Name withheld by request)
College Freshman
(Go, you Cards! Ed.)
Pretzels were once used as a reward when monks gave them to children who mastered their prayers.