Glacier County chief., 1939-09-22
WHO'S
NEWS
THIS
WEEK
By LEMUEL F. PARTON

By LEMUEL F. PARTON
NEW YoRK.-If this means "the
' end of civilization" it might be
better just to hand Herr Hitler the
works now, accept slave state,
Civilization Will lives, pick up
Not Be Ended the goose-step
Rv a Mailman and hope for
some future
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, 1.-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 a 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 in
personality columns, but news
today as 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 1.-THE end Of
civilization: -
1--WE hear very often the slogan
that war or revolution in Europe will
mean the end of human civilization.
That is mistake. Modern civiliza-
?, :. ton cannot be
Will Continue can destroy in
Creative Work one country,
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 a 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
er, having saved in innumerable
places the results of modern science,
technology and progress-materia
and moral-will continue in any
case its great creative work"
At another moment of tension,
when the lend of civilization
seemed near, 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.
1--WE could state them only in
terms of world morality and JUS
tice," he said. IF we are right
in thus conceiving 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
Base Hopes on CIV and for
World Justice Czecho Slova-
And Morality kla - 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.
Peasant born, youngest Of
eight children, brilliantly edu-
Gated in law and the humanities,
stubborn and tireless in his
championship Of the humane
spirit, Eduard Benes believes
civilization win, in the end, be
saved by . new leadership
which will be both inssssned and
enlightened.