Evening star., 1933-02-11
DIR. WALSH CALLS
. SOWET|SM STALE.
Same Social and Economic
Doctrines. Preached by
Anolents, He Says.

n Plato. Pythasoras and some Of the
other doctr1naires Of Communism 1000
years or more ago were to return to
earth today they would feel perfectly
at home In Soviet Russia.
For many Of the social and economic
experiments now being tried under
Moscow dictatorship. according to DR..
Edmund A. Walsh, s. j., vice president
OF Georgetown University and lead
ing authority on Russian affairs, can
be traced back directly to the ideas
proposed In fully developed and
scientific form In ancient Crete, Sparta
In Plato's ideal republic"
The Georgetown educator made 1t
plain last night In the opening lecture
OF a series on THE Evolution OF Com
nninism" that the social experimenters
In modern day Russia are merely bring
ing up to date some OF the better
known theories discarded centuries ago.
An audience that packed CASTOR Hall
attended the opening lecture, approxi-
mately 1000 persons having enrolled
In the present series, which are being
presented as a public academic course
Of the School Of Foreign Service, of
which DIR. Walsh Is the regent. The
series was started in 1920 and has been
followed from year to year by many
serious students of Russian affairs.
Traces Soviet Theory.
This year DR.. Walsh is tracing the
development Of Soviet theory from its
earliest manifestations in recorded
history and in succeeding lectures he
will show how these doctrines are be-
ing applied In the direct action OF
bolshevism
Or. walsh declared last night that
there was warning, perhaps, to the
Soviet comn1issars, who are seeking to
impose these discarded social expert
ments on helpless people at the point
Of the bayonet In the fate Of one of
the earliest doctrinaires, Pythagoras,
who lost his life when his exasperated
neighbors burned down the Communis-
tic colonies he had founded.
"The Communists promised equality;
the people wanted liberty-and got It,"
DR.. Walsh explained.
The present Soviet practices regard
ing marriage race propagation and
other social reforms widely heralded In
the press of today, he pointed out, are
expounded and practiced by these
"They all failed, as nature revolted
against the unnatural practices" he
added. Dispatches from reliable
American correspondents in Russia.
picturing the revolt of the population
give rise to the question: Is history
repeating itself?"
A Throwback to Plato.
One of the latest Russian innova-
%l,n ia ont< 1rsa 1ok ok0rSyaT
women, at which the authorities have
introduced the breast pump to lessen
the working hours lost in feeding, was
cited by DR.. Walsh as an example of
one Of the earliest known Communistic
theories.
"The idea, minus only the suction
pump, q as old a. Plato, who provided
similar facilities for female laborers In
his ideal republic" he said.
Russian conmissars even now, In the
face Of approaching famine, are
Duplicating the same methods, in ex-
terminating the bourgeoisie and kulaks
as were employed by the ancient
,Bpartans In killing their slaves to de-
Iease the population.
Comparing the methods Of social
control proposed by Plato in his re-
public with the present Communist
dictatorship, DR.. Walsh said: plato
frankly admitted that his program
functions only In the dreams OF
doctrinaires. The Soviet commissars,
with their usual contempt OF human
rights and the warnings Of history
have snatched up all the discarded
theories of social experimenters and are
seeking to impose them anew upon the
helpless Russian people at the point Of
the bayonet AS a result, human
nature is revolving as another appalling
famine looms over that unhappy land"
In his lecture next Friday evening,
DR.. Walsh will develop his theme by
tracing the early Christian ard medieval
Communism. leaving to the last the
problems dealing with recognition OF
arises in Congress after Match 4 that
warrants earlier treatment Of those