The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1944-04-20
News "a
BEHIND
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ByRAULMALLON

I;sc;nl;ne and scholarship in the
schools strikes at the heart OF
democratic institutions-leavlng a
raader to suspect that discipline
would overthrow democracy.
Now where in the world did he
rot that idea? The truth is the
ennosite. as any reasonable man
Should be able to deduce for him.
~ Why did Naziism, Commun-
S;sT and Tokyo dictatorship rise
to their present power in the
world? Because they said demo-
cracies were weak, our people un-
disciplined, and our systems de-
ficient?
Democracy failed in Germany
before Hitler on this very ground.
The Weimar Republic was moral
forerunner of what weak France
later suffered before her fall. The
people were not strong, well or
dered. but confused and lax in
all ways.
say we shall suffer the same
fate unless we mend our easy
ways and resstablish discipline in
home, school and church. Juve-
nile delinquency is only first
crack that shows in our guilt.
Deficient scholarship from pro-
qressive education is another. So
IS adult delinquency.
These are warning of the de-
generating road that is leading on
into business tcondoning Of black
markets. stc.). into politics tsasY-
going acceptance of lack Of COM
mon integrity and respect for
promisesj. and into personal at
titudes Of some Of our people
who have no righteous indignation
AGAINST chsapness. ignorance. lazi-
ness-or even dishonesty.
They are more apt to ScOrn
work than crimes against nature
They not only tolerate sloth, they
worship it. These are weaknesses
when we ned strngth. At the
1lind of this road is dictatorship, not
democracy.
BY discipline, ! do not mean
German .heel-clicking. Rug ian
servility, OF Tokyo bootlicking of
an emperor. These critics even
seem to have forgotten the mean
ing of democratic discipline as well
as its operation.
It is only a national standard
a state of national mind-main-
tanned insistently by a majority
1t is custom established by the
people themselves.
Fix Just Standard ,uF...1S...
The army and navy do not main
tain discipline with a cat-o'-nine
tails. They fix just standard to
which all must subscribe, and all
save very small minority of the
misguided do subscribe. The
guardhouse is maintained for them
as last resort of punishment
based on fair trial under majority
democratic standards and customs.
If you think the example of the
army too strained for civilian ap-
plication, consider how order is
maintained in your church. There,
you have no guardhouse or serg-
eant-at-arms, or even written rules
OF conduct, yet the sternest dis
cipline is maintained by majority
demand.
You see very little vandalism
such as carving of seats, such van
dalism would be practically elm
mated also in the movie houses,
street cars, and other public places
where it is now rampant if a
lsnajority of this country only firm
ly insisted.
Schools Can Have II - .. ......
Discipline can be restored to the
schools the same way. So can good
scholarship. Parents can thus be
induced or compelled by scorn
alone to take the reins at home,
and churches invited to assert
themselves again.
This then is the democratic way
OF maintaining a strong and
orderly nation, and when it fails
you get dictatorship; in fact, you
must have dictatorship as a neces-
sary consequence of your own de-
generation.
All today who condone the
easy-way doctrines, easy learning,
easy discipline, who have only
sympathy and understanding" for
everything weak, wrong and in
efficient, are the ones who are
striking at the heart of democracy
and will kill it by leading it to its
inevitable ruin.
The majority must maintain
standards of behavior in home,
school and church, in business, in
politics, which will require both
children and adults to express their
better selves, to study, to work, to
develop themselves, to obey, to
stop condoning and sympathizing
with rottenness and laziness, to
eliminate the standard of sloth
and ease, to make this nation
strong within itself and stronger
than its dictator enemies or COM
petitors.
* +sE
oxlahoma's True Meaning
True meaning of the somewhat
surprising Oklahoma special cleo
uon result seems to have been lost.
II simply suggested the Democrats
can win if they offer the best
man.
Their candidate for the con-