The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-09-22
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WHO'S
NEWS
THIS
WEEK
By LEMUEL r. PARTON

BY LEMUEL +. PARTON
NEW YORK.-If this means .'the
IN end of civilization" it might be
better just to hand Herr Hitler the
works now, accept a slave state,
Qualification Will lives lives picb u 10
Not Be Ended the goose-step
By a Madman ana I, nope e,,t, ,or
Spartacus to lead us into a return
engagement. The phrase, "the con-
temporaneousness of the past" is,
/ believe, Dr.. Charles Boards.
Along with DR.. Boards book, "The
Rise Of American Civilization" it
has reminded this onlooker that no
mailman ever has wrecked the
world and that the creative and hui
name spirit has never failed. His
tory did not sustain Lord Grey when,
in 1914, he said, "The lights of the
world have gone out, and doubt if
they ever will be Lit in our lifetime"
In the spirit of these mediations,
this department will, in the forth
coming dark days, keep sharp eye
out for lamplighters, men of creative
intelligence, and their names will be
carried on this masthead whenever
possible.
For a start, here's Eduard
Benes, former president of
Czecho-Slovakia, an old story i'm
personality columns, but news
today as a wise, calm spirit in a
world of bowling demagogues.
The belch Of the guns in Poland
was answered almost to the min
ute by his book, Democracy
Today and Tomorrow" Here is
what he says about "the end Of
civilization:
"We hear very often the slogan
that war or revolution in Europe will
mean the end of human civilization.
That is a mistake. Modern civiliza-
=. ton cannot be
Will Continue can destroy in
through war or
revolution, some of the remarkable
monuments of human culture and
civilization, ancient and modern;
but the present organization of the
world does not allow anybody to de-
'stroy human civilization. Human
civilization is, first of all, the moral
conception of modern mankind, al
though including, of course, all eco
nomic values, all achievements of
chronological progress, all great
cultural monuments, buildings, cit
les, universities, libraries, museums
of art and science; many of them
are of inestimable value, and could,
of course, be destroyed in great
catastrophe. And that would be a
loss which could never be replaced.
But that does not mean the destruc-
ton of human civilization. The hui
man spirit, in its great creative pow
err, having saved in innumerable
places the results of modern science,
technology and progress-material
and moral-will continue in any
case its great creative work."
4 There is no bland optimism in Mr..
Benes' book. He invokes no easy
formulas and sees salvation only in
the collective work and intelligence
of men of good within desperate
endeavors, perhaps, but sure to win
in the end because they always
have 3tli'
At another moment of tension,
when the lend of civilization
seemed near, I remember talking to
the great DR.. Masaryk, Mr.. Benes'
intellectual and political mentor. He
CURLY refused to discuss the par
ticularized rights and aspirations of
Czecho- Slovakia.
'sWe could state them only in
terms of world morality and JUS
s. tice," he said. "If we are right
in thus cCaceiving our undertake
ings, we may be assured that
they will prevail. If our hopes
are not so based, they should
not prevail"
Without a hint of bitterness for
powers recreant to their obligations
to his country, or to its assailant,
Mr.. Benes puts his hope for freedom
:, and democrat
Base Hopeson cy = and for
World Justice Czecho Slova-
AL McYrg;s~ kia - in this
m e wider
context, and he is calmly assured
Of the high destiny of human per-
sonality because ''This is the ma
ture of man and Of human society,""
Mr.. Benes is unique among states
men in that he did not resort to any
single trick Of the demagogue. In
fact, he expressed and displayed
contempt for such artifice. Fragile
in person. careless in dress, blunt in
speech, he is conspicuously lacking
IN what is called personal magne-
tism. In the pre-war and war years,
he was q conspirator against the
Austrian captors of his country. He
was arrested as spy six times.
Peasant born, youngest Of
= - 49,.