The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-09-25
PHYSICAL sc.
IS KEY TO
Difficult TIES
Bv KAY ELLES

In commenting on the American
scene this column, for the past several
months has called attention to the
various predominant trends in our eco
nomic and social life, in their relation
to current events The viewpoint of
the writer is not that of the conven-
| tional economists, commentators or
politicians; nor of the witch doctors
of any Of the many "isms," which are
seeking to propaganda their way into
the public feed trough.
By personal experience through the
last half century, this writer noticed
that our amazing progress was based:
1. On our unlimited resources. 2. On
our ingenuity In their use. Also that
these two factors arrange themselves
under certain branches of knowledge
and their application to our way OF
| life; as for instance: The resources
are great quantities of matter, studied
by men skilled in the arts of physics,
geology, minerology, chemistry and
the like; while "the ingenuity of the
use" Of these materials comes within
the province of these same men sup
plemented by the engineers and me-
chanics, etc., while permeating the
whole is the mathematician. All of
them can be grouped together under
the words scientists and technolo-
gists."
So it is SCIENCE and TECHNOL-
OGY, the only rightly proven method
of approach to and solution OF prob
lens, which is responsible for the
changes in our way of life.
The potentialities of this progress
are boundless; but along with it GER
tain distractions have arisen THAT
threaten to halt our forward march
These must have a cause, too; and
that cause is necessarily in the con-
trolls we use to handle the great pro-
ductive mechanism we are building.
These controls are not hard to find,
for they are rules by which we live;
by which we acquire our food, clothing
and shelter and carry on our relations
with our fellow men. And the agencies
responsible for these rules are govern
ment and business; or politics and
lu0- 6COllOnlC OJot OPOi oSSo ~ eA@S
politicians and the financiers
We hear of political science or the
science of government and the science
of economics; and we dismiss further
consideration of the subjects, content
to accept that magic word science
as proof positive of the rightness OF
governmental setups and economic
systems Let us see if we should so
hurriedly accept this self-applied halo
of responsibility; see whether these
controlling factors of our political and
economic structure are decedents by
the right Of scientific origin.
First, what is SCIENCE? The gist
Of several definitions is that SCIENCE
is a gathering of the correlated meas
urable FACTS, from which an analysis
can be made to determine the most
probable result. Notice that word
measurable; in other words, in or
der to be FACTS things must be
metrical. Notice, also, that the scien-
fist says most probable result be-
cause a scientist is always open mind
ed; but that is his way of saying in
evitable result"
If we memorize that definition and
call it to mind every time we see the
word SCIENCE it would save US lot
of grief.
Now are governments of the world
set up or determined in any such man.
ner? Didn't they just grow out OF con-
ditions which gave some man or group
of men an opportunity topromulgate
an idea or put forward a concept of
idealism, which they claimed would
remedy existing abuses? Governments
as we know them are all based upon
some traditional idealistic, philosophic
concept and depend upon the faith of
the people in that concept, or the fear
of being caught without faith in it,
for their support. Thus 1t is clear that
as far as science Is concerned there
is nothing scientific about the origin
of governments. Back as far as we
wish to delve into history, govern
ments appear to be pretty haphazard
sort of an affair. The people governed
take about so much abuse from their
rulers, then revolt and new group
takes over. Time goes on and the
same sort of thing repeats itself, the
people revolt again and new lineup
of rulers is set up; ad infinitum. 1t
appears from the historical record
that to use the word SCIENCE In con-
CONTINUED on Page Four)