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A New Viewpoint
Editor:
This letter is written in reflection of my participation as a panelist at the International Club meeting last Friday evening on "Quo Vadis-Cuba?" In speaking of the unfair picture of the Cuban Revolution in the American press, I implied that the transfer of Tad Szulc to Peru from his assignment in Cuba for the New York Times was due to the fact that his competent reporting might not have been acceptable to the Times. Subsequently, I was informed, on good authority, that Szulc himself has stated it as because his reporting was unacceptable to the Cuban Government.
Furthermore, in doing several hours of reading (Foreign Affairs, NYT, The Reporter, AUFS Reports, New Republic) over the weekend (which should have been done before my participation) I found certain characteristics of the revolution far more pronounced than I indicated. I suggested that a number of these characteristics (most of them suggesting possible Communist domination of the revolution) called for our continued attention. So pronounced have these characteristics become in the last few months that I am persuaded that among numerous leaders of the movement, the original ideals and objectives of the revolution are being replaced by other objectives that are not conducive to the welfare of Cuba, the security of the United States, or the tranquility of the Western Hemisphere. The perversion of the agrarian reform movement; the increasing intolerance of any leadership voicing any criticism of communism, and the trading of American economic domination for that of China and the USSR are but three of the developments that lead to the same conclusion as that voiced by Senator Kennedy on the second of the Great Debates — that freedom in Cuba is lost as of now. The question is what can be done to stimulate its reappearance?
University Daily Kansan
Clifford P. Ketzel Assistant professor of political science
--and satisfactions existing as incentives and rewards.
On Birth Control
The article, "From the Magazine Rack — Birth Control? Yes," in the October 6 issue of the Daily Kansas presents but one side of the birth control issue. Mr. Wrong could not be more wrong in his insinuations that those who oppose birth control on a moral basis are in favor of war, pestilence, or "a few mass famines" as alternatives.
The most vociferous opponent of birth control is the Catholic Church. But to be accurate on the Catholic stand on this issue, it should be noted that the objections it raises are primarily objections of method, that is, artificial birth control versus abstinence, and these objections are moral objections.
Editor:
The Catholic Church views family limitation as undesirable from an idealistic point of view. It is not, however, so short sighted as to be unaware that economic conditions, health conditions, and so on may, in many instances, make family limitation advisable. In such cases, where the parties involved have a grave reason, the Church allows family limitation as a necessary evil. This same condition would apply in overpopulated regions such as those listed by the advocates of birth control. The Catholic Church does not, by any stretch of the imagination, advocate massive breeding and overpopulation at all cost, as some would assert.
It should follow, then, that anything which artificially prevents the purpose of sex is unnatural and wrong. The Catholic Church places such prevention in the same category as the Roman vomitorium. Pleasure for its own sake is dangerous, because in all facets of life, in eating, sleeping, and in sex, pleasure is not the inherent purpose of the act.
This is not to say that individuals do these things without regard to pleasure. In most cases, the pleasure is uppermost in their minds. This, of itself, is good as long as it allows the purpose of the action to be fulfilled. But when the purpose is eliminated for the sake of the pleasure, the action is not only wrong—it is perverted.
The primary purpose of marriage, and thus of sex, is reproductive. If children were not the primary purpose of marriage and sex, it would seem readily apparent that marriage, sex, and the entire division and mutual attraction of the sexes would be needless and therefore nonexistent. Sex has its sole purpose in being in the continuation of the human race. All else is secondary—the pleasures
As an alternative to artificial birth control, the Catholic Church places abstinence. The nature of sex is such that the parties involved are free to determine when and when not, and they are free, with sufficient reason, to exercise this prerogative in such a way as to avoid the periods of fertility, as long as they are willing to accept such responsibilities as may result.
It is obvious that rhythm is not fool-proof. It is not, but it is the only available means of birth control which does not frustrate the purpose of sex. It is, however, sufficiently reliable to limit population, if such be needed, to the degree advocated by those who press the issue of "population explosion."
There are very deep moral considerations involved, and they are not, as Mr. Wrong intimates, birth control versus higher mortality, but rather, freedom from responsibility versus responsible restraint.
John R. Swanson Baldwin sophomore.
It also poses difficulties of will power. The greatest problem involved in the use of rhythm is self-control—but self-control is not impossible. Indeed, it would seem obvious that self-control is preferable to irresponsible self-indulgence.
The question involved, then, is one of means, i.e., purposeless pleasure as against periodic abstinence. Someone as vitally concerned with overpopulation as the advocates of birth control appear to be would surely not balk at self-control! If he would, then his purpose is not population control, but freedom from the expense, the bother, and the responsibility of children.
Thursday, Oct. 13, 1960
Interviews Slow For Teachers
It may be a long, cold winter for first semester graduates of the School of Education.
So far there are no placement interviews scheduled before March and the chances of finding a position at mid-year is very difficult.
Flying Spotters Find Fish
There should be more interviews scheduled during this semester, a representative from the Placement Bureau said, but they have not made contact yet.
All of the interviews conducted for prospective teachers are arranged through the Teacher Placement Bureau in Bailey Hall. There are none scheduled for this semester at the present time.
PORTLAND, Me. — (UPI) — Airplane spotters are being used by the sardine industry to locate fish off the coast of Maine. Low-flying observers locate schools of fish and radio location to fishing boats.
A representative from the Tulaa, Okla., school system will be in Lawrence to interview prospective teachers in March.
Music Fraternities Plan Concert Sunday
Sigma Alpha Iota, Mu Phi Epsilon, and Phi Mu Alpha, campus music fraternities, will sponsor a concert at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in Swarthout Recital Hall.
The musicians will present "Requiem in C Minor" in celebration of the bicentennial celebration of the birth of its composer, Cherubini.
Charles Rogers, Osawatomie senior, and a member of Phi Mu Alpha will conduct the concert.
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