PAGE SIX
2.6
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1951
Thought for the Day
A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg.
—Samuel Butler.
The Editorial Page What'd They Say?
Here are some thoughts for the day that didn't make the little black box at the top of the page. They are from examination papers given by the political science department and are not lacking in that wisdom so richly prized at the University.
wisdom so richly prized at the University "People are a bad influence on society."—From a Western Civilization examination paper.
"Before John Locke, man was a political animal."—From a Western Civilization examination paper.
"Our federal government is somewhat inefficient, but not enough to do away with it."-From an American Government paper.
to do away with it. —From an American
"Under health insurance doctors will be paid according to the amount of patience they have."—From a Government in Action paper.
"There is a parody price set by the government on wheat." From a Government in Action paper.
"The welfare state creates a shortage of what we now consider necessary luxuries."—From a Government in Action paper.
Articulate, But Not Logical
An articulate Christian from Pawnee Rock wrote a letter to the Kansan condemning war, more amusing than logical. It seemed to me to be a strange compound of emotional appeals ("standing up for the boys"), hard-headed logic ("we . . . buy a war for the boys, tell the man to charge it . . tell the boys to fight it . . and work hard and pay for it"). and perversion of Biblical text ("I'm not reading that page now"). The logic is fine, but it contributes nothing new, such as what we might "buy for the boys" in place of war. This department store analogy is false, as a matter of fact: We aren't buying anything, since, internationally speaking, there is no "currency" no stability that might enable us to choose or reject. Internationally speaking, we are in a jungle; one might as well say that a tiger "buys" a meal from a buffalo, or that the buffalo "buys" a surgical operation from the tiger as that we are "buying" a war. We've got a war, and if Mr. Sprier wishes to hide away in the remote paradise of Pawnee Rock and think different, I'd say that he is buying peace of mind with a two-bit lie.
As for "standing up for the boys", I think it expresses a point of view that is somewhat too prevalent nowadays. The nation and its citizens hold each other under mutual obligations. If the balance seems unfair at any time, we can try to adjust it; if public opinion is behind us, probably we will adjust it. But as long as we use its public works, scramble for its social benefits, and enjoy the protection of its laws, we owe the nation our support. This is a business contract, and the citizen who does not wish to accept its concomitant responsibilities should be honest in foregoing its benefits. He should become a conscientious objector, or, better still, break the contract and sign up with another country. So, "the boys" are really fulfilling an obligation under which they have lain all their lives, antl, what's more, an obligation that the liberal conditions of the contract permitted them to dodge at any time.
Implicit in the appeal to the rights of "the boys" there seems toktur a very unchristian attitude toward the nature of experience. Mr. Sprier's basic assumptions are: (a) that struggle is not a vital condition of all existence. (b) That suffering is wasteful and of no importance. (c) That death of the body is the ultimate calamity. (d) That the condition of poverty ("mendicants, bums, and tramps") is one of spiritual degradation, and (e) The corollary that a soft, serene life, surrounded by a TV set, a 4501 car, a ranch-style house, a modern shopping center, and a horde of admiring and emulative neighbours is the condition of spiritual health. The teachings and actions of Christ point in the opposite direction.
Give thy TV set to the poor, Mr. Sprier and become a mendicant.
When the Russians, who play by un-Christian rules, come to Pawnee Rock, turn the other cheek. Let them lay up treasureurs where moth and rust doth corrupt, the final victory will still be yours. But I think that most of us will hang onto our property and fight like the devil, and I'll bet you will too. And if you make a little money out of the war (as who doesn't), you'll buy your wife a new fur coat or a trip to Florida.
In other words, we are not living close enough to the Biblical ideal to have the right to use the Bible in argument. Such use is abuse and verges upon hypocrisy. The Bible is too great a repository of wisdom, spiritual insight, and high ideals to be prostituted to the defense of a specious, non-existent peace. Let us recognize the fact that, at the moment, there is no peace, that, even were no guns fired today the world over, we would still be at war, since the footprints Russia leaves in Europe and Asia are directed toward the United States.
Someday we may, if we win, be in a position to "buy" a peace organization that will work. Until then, let's do what we have to do. John Handy
Instructor in English.
We notice that the U.S. has sent foodstuffs to Spain. Wonder if the shipment included Franco-American spaghetti?
From the Topeka Daily Capital.
Condemns Strikes
People back there in the States striking all the time. Look at it like this: what if the UN army went on a strike? No, the UN wouldn't do a thing like that. Sure, we are making good money. How much? About $2.50 a day, and then at some home on go strike when making $15 to $20 a day. They say they can't make a living on that.
I would trade my job for $5 to $8 a day, and there are thousands more that would, too. When people go on strike it just raises taxes. Do you know that soldiers, sailors and marines have to pay taxes, too? Just ask a mother or a wife of a serviceman how we feel. They will tell you. If people would just think things, there would be no war today. Just think about it. — PFC JAMES T. COLLINS, ER18261117, 643rd QM Patrol Depot Co., APO 41, c-o P.M. San Francisco, Calif.
Editor's note: The soldier has raised an important question. Does labor have the right to strike at a time when men are being drafted to fight for their country? This question is one that needs public expression and debate and, as usual, the Daily Kansan welcomes your opinion.
Yesteryears
Height Of Fashion
(From the UDK, Sept. 17, 1940)
With the threat that the world situation may involve this country in another war and the conscription bill certain to be put into effect within a short while, the blue uniforms of the University R.O.T.C. will be a stylish addition to many students' wardrobes this fall.
University
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