Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-08-23
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY estbrook
Peeler

VqIE word robot which we
have applied 10 that Ger
man flying bomb Is not pro-
nounCcd roe-bot. as SO many OF
uS think. Nor roe-boe aS
though it might be French, but
rubbut. II was introduced 10
tins country IN the early l92OS
BY the Fheater Guild in a play
presented al the old Garrlck,
which has since burned down.
called r. L. r. meaning Ros-
sums Universal Robots.
The author was karel Capek,
pronounced Chapek, OF Prague,
who later surpassed r. u. r.
with another called, VarlouSly.
The World We Live In and The
Insect Play, in which the whole
disgusting human race, re-
duced TO the scale OF insects.
went TO war because the red
ants and the black ants got into
a dispute over the pathway be-
tween Two blades of grass.
Capek. being himself a
Czech. or anyway a citizen OF
2echo-SloVakla, lived right in
that very pathway but when l
suggested this 10 him during a
call at his Office. in news
paper shop in Prague IN the
winter of 1896. he patronIzed
my alarms in d lofty way.
I believe he figured that Rus
STA and France would prevent
the Nazis from overrRning his
country. Anyway. II was his
good luck to die of natural
causes before II happened.
ID I. r was q little Seant on
IL, logic but so noisy and eX-
citing that II took few days
for our inteligentsia TO get
over their shudders and detect
the little flaws.
Miss Theresa Helburn, The
administrative director Of the
Guild, has filled me in with
some off hand recollections of
the story and with her own stab
al the moral which Capek was
trying 10 make The scene was
an island where the RoSSom
Co. was manufacturing a soul
less, Sub-human. heSh-and-blood
creature roughly in the form Of
man and, generally very dumb,
doclle and durable, 10 take over
the laborious tasks OF the hui
man race.
Miss HclburnS idea of the
moral is that Capek wanted to
say that labor IS necessary for
the Wcll-belnG. of man, This
seems lneonslsfest TO me- how
ever, if | am correct in my be-
lief that Capek was, If not a
Communist. then anyway a
great friend of their philosophy
which constantly promises a
world of longer and longer va
cations. shorter working hours
and increasing luxury.
The ultimate goal would be
a life of effortless ease never
interrupted by toll. And here,
If Miss Helburn is right. Capek
was warning the human race
that man would degenerate and
destroy himself if he quit work.
THE robots were d great sue
Il cess. They were shipped all
over the world to relieve the
human race of physical work,
but Helena the heroine nf the
piece. there on the island where
She married the manager OF
the robot factory. felt sorry
for them and wanted 10 give
them souls. Her father was
president of the company, in
cldentally.
Encouraged by Helena, a sci
enlist in the plant continued
To improve the robots. who
then began to have ambition
and TO resent their status in the
world However. the human be-
ingS were oVer-confldent and
slow 10 take alarm because
about the nearest thing to an
expression OF emotion OF which
a robot was capable was a
kind OF FIJI
IN THE end there was an
awful uprising with blood
all over the sky and the people
on the island wiped out. all but
an old gardener. At his age
and, IN the absence of any
human mate he was IN no posi-
ton 10 get the human race eff
10 fresh start but, thanks TO
the scientists experiments.
couple of. very tasty Young
robots, male and female. APP
peared who actually were hui
man and he sent them forth Al
the close of the show, saving.
Go man, 60 woman - or some
thing very close 10 that
~