The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-09-12
Observations
Future Prospects
Look Frightening
to Some Observers
BY HELEN EssARY

This self.important capital, now
that the hour OF surrender has pass
ed, seems to me like a world swept
clean by a great tornado.
Peace. after the worst holocaust
in the history Of mankind, has
come to US at last. But It is a
peace bought at an awful price.
As we creep out OF the storm eel
lars In which each OF us hid after
our own fashion while the war
ragged, we are shocked at the extent
OF the destruction. We see trees
down, cities fiat. houses wiped out.
Many are homeless, jobless. with
out much hope for the future.
The task ahead is grim and dis.
piriting. No more hurrah 10 whip
us on. No more beating OF drums
and shouts OF patriotism and world
saving. No more orders to report
next Tuesday at some spot which,
however hateful II may prove TO be
at the moment, gives promise OF adj
venture and a deed gloriously done.
We must look after ourselves for
a while now. Nobody will tell US
what to do and lend us unchecked
sums with which TO do IT, You and
will have TO prop up our own
tumbled down civilization. Clear
away the wreckage OF insanity.
Start life fresh. Change TO a new
gear. Turn a clean, white page.
ut
cially since science. having sprung
ahead so ferociously. has made the
human being into the tail that wags
the scientific dog. We think we
are everlastingly smart. We are
smart. But we are still lopsided
thinkers. And mostly crazy with
victory.
Recently we sat in our homes and
listened to Gen. Douglas Macarthur
accept the surrender OF Japan in
Tokyo-l2,0OO miles away. Then
came pictures of the surrender
ceremonies shown in newspapers
across the nation. Pictures made
q few hours before. transmitted by
radio across half the surface of the
earth and presented to US at the
breakfast or dinner table.
Magic, all OF this? Undoubtedly
black magicl Not very long ago,
anybody who had prophesized such
goings on would have been locked
up in a mad-house under irons.
The idiotic part of the black
magic was that, owing to the vag-
aries OF that non-existent boundary
known as the International Date
Line, we heard and saw these
events half a day before they had
happened. "Foolisher and foolish
err. said Alice to the White Rabbit.
Foolisher and foolisher will be
the inventions that science and the
manufacturers will thrust on us.
I'm sort of slow moving female.
I had only caught up with the sci
entific wonders OF the last era dur
ing the non-productive calm of the
war. Had barely learned to plug
an electric toaster cord into the
side wall without blowing out a
fuse. And now / tremble at the
new Appliances and labor-saving
devices that will hound me.
The contrivance that most fear
Is a thought-reading machine.
insist on keeping a few thoughts
to myself and quite believe that
language is given US to conceal our
good and evil ideas.
Had some evil ideas V.J-day
when | heard about a few OF the
sermons that had heralded the
coming OF peace. Many Washing
ton clergymen went "sectarian'.
They adroitly advised their congre-
cations to remember that the
church in which they were praying
was the only true church. They
urged their congregations to follow
the teachings OF their particular
faith and to be forever aloof from
other religions.
Splendid way, this, to create
peace on earth! The clergy is sup
posed to speak with the voice OF
God And yet there some OF them
were. on the day that formally an
nounced the worlds return to SAINT
ty. standing in the pulpits in the
capital OF the world. setting creed
against creed and sowing suspicion
in already anxious minds.
Churches, all churches, should
look earnestly into themselves.
They should take some OF the
blame for the recent horrors that
overlook the universe in the last
war. A wave of anti-religious feel
ing is certain. to sweep the world
when gratitude for the end OF the
war dies down. Communism Is
going to do It's destructive work too
easily II the churches are not pre-
pared to Justify their own exist
ence and the faith offered them by
millions OF eager people.