MARCH,1946 73 JulesRomainsmagnificentlyrepresentedthegroup-absolute whenhegaveDr.Knockthewords,"Abovetheinterestof theinvalidandtheinterestofthedoctoristheinterestof medicine." It isfunnybecausethemedicalprofessionhas notyetannouncedit;adictumlikethisissuesdailyfrom alsocialorganismsstrivingforpowerorholdingontoit. Theabsurditieswhichmakeourhistoryanendlessnight- marearerootedinonebasicabsurdity,thenatureofpower. Thereisarealplaceforpowerinsociety,becausehuman lifeisunthinkablewithoutorder;butpowerisarbitrarily assumed,sincemenareequalornearlyso;yetif itisseen tcbearbitrary,therewouldbenomorepower.Prestige i.e.,ilusion istheheartofpower.. . . Naturaly,astateinterpretsnationalinterestaswarpowerwhenitissuroundedbyotherstateswhich,ifthey seeitisweak,areabletosubjugateit.Betweenkeepingup intheracetoprepareforwar,orexposingoneselftothe mercyofarmedstates,thereisnomiddlecourse.General disarmamentwouldonlyworkif itwerecomplete,which isscarcelyconceivable.Furthermore,themomentastate failstostanduptoanaliennation,itrisksanuprising fromitsownsubjects.PriamandHectorcouldnotsimply returnHelen;theywouldhaveincitedtheGreeks,atthe walsofwhatwouldthenseemadefenselesscity,witheven hoterideasofplunder;theywouldhaveriskedageneral uprisingatTroy,notthattheTrojanswouldbeangryabout Helen,butbecausethementowhomtheysubmitedwould nolongerseemal-powerful.Awhisperofpeacefromone ofthetwocampsinSpainencouragedtheenemycamp,in- creasedtheweightoftheofensive;and,also,riskeduprising-withinthecamp'sownlines.Likewise,amanwhois neitherananticommunistoranantifascistmaynotbestirred Lytheclashofalmostidenticalideologies;butsincethe twocampsexist,andthestrongerwillcrushtheweaker,he mustpickasideandfightforhislife,meanwhile,therival commanders,tokeeptheirholdonthetroops,spurthem ontodestroytheenemy;inshort,assoonastheseblocs haveacertainpower,neutralityisuntenable.. . . Thefundamentalcontradictionofhumansocietyisthat everysocialsituationrestsonabalanceofpower,onan equilibriumofpressuresliketheequilibriumoffluids;but aboosttoonecountry'sprestigeisablowtoothers'.Yet prestigeisinseparablefrompower.Thisisanimpasse thathumanitycanonlyescapebyamiracle.Buthuman lifeismadeupofmiracles.Whowouldbelievethata Gothiccathedralcouldstand?Aswearenotalwaysat war,perhapswemayhaveanindefinitepeace.Aproblem posedwithitsknownquantitiesisnearitssolution.But wehaveneverposedtheproblemofinternationalandcivil peacthisway. CLOUDSofemptyabsoluteshidetheproblem'sknown quantities,eventhefactthatthisisaproblemto solve,andnotaninescapablefate.Theydullourminds; theycarryustoourdeath,butwhatisinfinitelyworse, theymakeusforgetthevalueof life. The pursuitof absolutes ineverysphereofpoliticalandsociallifeisnow asignofcivichealth.Thischaseisnotaneasyone;for ourintelectualatmosphereiskindtothefloweringand increaseofabsolutes. I f weremediedourscientificvul- garizationandourteachingmethods,randownthegross Fupeirstitionwhichfa.gyprsanabstractvocabulary,restored BibliotecaGinoBianco túgoodusagesuchformsas"withinthelimitsof," "in so faras,""onconditionthat,""inrelationto,"wewould doourcontemporariesagreat,practicalservice.Thereis certainlynolackofpeopletopreachappeasement;but,in general,theobjectoftheirsermonsisnottoawakenminds andtoeliminatefalseconflicts,buttolullandsmoothaway therealones.Thespeech-makerswhounderstandinterna- tionalpeaceasanindefinite statusquo fortheexclusive benefitoftheFrenchnation,ortheadvocatesofsocial peacewhomerelywanttoholdontotheirprivilegesorto leavechangetotheprivileged,arethemostdangerous enemiesofinternationalandcivilwelfare.Forthesolution isnottoartificiallyfixthepowerratio,whichalways changes,andwhichitsvictimsalwaystrytochangefurther; butrathertodifferentiatetheimaginaryandthereal,and bythis,todiminishtheriskofwar,andyetnotgiveup thestruggle,whichHeraclituscalstheconditionoflife. THEMYSTERIOUSEAST FreshfromanaudiencewithEmperorHirohito,MajordeSeversky saidtheEmperorbelievedthataviationwouldplayamajorrole in cementingfriendshipamongthenationsof theworld. —N.Y.Times,Nov.3,1945. ENTERINGINTOTHESPIRITOFTHETHING MajorThomasWinwood,Britishofficeractingasdefensecounsel forJosefKramer,formercommandantof theBelsendeathcamp,said that"theconcentrationcampscontainedundesirableelements fromthe dregsof theghettoes of Europe." —N.Y.Times,Oct.12,1945. THEMILITARYMIND:PeacePlanningSection Gen.Carl A.Spaatz,newChiefof theArmyAirForces,asserted thatthe onlywaytopreventwarwastostop itbefore it started.Air power,headded,gavethepeace-lovingcountriestheweaponstodo justthatand"for thefirsttimeinhistory it ispossibletodestroyan enemywhichdoesnofighting." —N.Y.Times,Jan.25. THEOCCUPATIONFOLLIES:AMERICANVERSION. One of theproblemsthat isvexingtheAmericanmilitarygovernmentis that of re-educatingtheKoreansinregard to thebonuses andbribesthatwerepaidbytheJapaneseinaneffort togetproduction. . . .Now,ourmilitarygovernmentnumbersamongitstasks theassignmenttopersuadetheKoreansthatliberationanddemocracy oughttobesohighlyprized that peoplewillwork for lessmoney. (TheSaturdayEveningPost,Jan.12.) The Germanmustbeprovidedwithaconscienceby theuseof propaganda.(ReviewinN.Y.Times,Feb.10.) ThefuturestatusofVeneziaGiuliabeingunknown,Italianboysand girlsaretaught inprimers"Hail tomycountry!"insteadof "Hailto Italy!"asformerly.WhenthebigpowersdecidewhatcountryVenezia Giuliaisgoingtobelongto,LieutenantSimonithinks it willbe relatively easyto tell theschoolchildrenwhichcountrytheyaregoingto hail.Theywillhailmeanwhilethesimpleideaof "country",so that theycanlearnpatriotism.(N. Y.Herald-Tribune,Nov.26,1945.) AliedHeadquartersisundertaking to censorJapanese popular songs.. . .TheJapanesemustnolongerplaybyradioor print the sheetmusicof"MoonlightonaRuinedCastle,"asentimentalballad. Becauseit referstoacastle,headquartersconsideredthesong"too feudal."At thesametimethecensorsbarred"ChineseNight",asong that ispopularamongChineseChunkingArmytroopsaswel asJapanese. Thesecondproscriptioncausedconsiderablelaughteramong Japanese,whoknowthat theirmilitarytried tostamp it outduring thewarbecauseitwas"toolanguid."NowtheAllieshavedone it forthem,chargingthesongis "toopopular"and,therefore,suspect. (N.Y.Times,Nov.21,1945.) One questionmostfrequentlyaskedby theJapaneseatpresent fumblingwiththeestablishmentofademocraticsystemhere is how, underAmericandemocracy,theYaltaagreementwaspossible. One Japanesetoldthiscorespondent:"Weareusedtoimportantdecisions beingmadewithoutconsultingthepeople,butwedidnot understand thatthiscouldbedoneundertheUnitedStatessystem."(N.Y.Times, Feb.1.)
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