Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-12-07
Washington Digest
Attitude Against Postwar
Service Swdys Congress
Public Joins Influential Organizations in 0bjec.
tons to Training; Need for Interim
Security Force Argued.
By BAUKHAGE
Nesos Analyst and Commentator.

fear into the peoples attitude and
since fear starts the adrenalin flow
ing that usually means action.
Meanwhile, there are those who
feel that complete preparedness not
only is essential in the interim, even
though a future world security or
ganization Is moving swiftly to
fruition, but that 1t will also act AZ
stimulus toward such a goal.
The argument runs, briefly: We
must prepare to enforce peace, or
prepare to fight a war. Many men,
bers Of congress realize this and
would undoubtedly support the
Presidents program II they felt they
could do SO without flying In the
face Of the majority opinion of their
constituents. I do not intend to use
this column as a platform upon
which to debate the issue now but
would like to present a viewpoint
expressed by a medical man which
made considerable impression on
the comparatively few Washington
ians who heard him address a re-
cent meeting in the capitol. The
speaker was DR.. G. B. Chisholm,
one Of the worlds foremost psy-
chiatrists, who served as chief medi-
cal officer of the Canadian army
and is now deputy health minister Of
Canada.
Maturity Needed
For Peace
His thesis is that "this is a sick
world, with an old, chronic but ever
more extensive and serious sick
ness. Its sickness has recently be-
come acutely dangerous and the fu-
ture is uncertain indeed"
It is a sickness which has made
us "the kind Of people" who fight
major wars every IS or 20 years.
The cure is education. Just as in
dividuals become neurotic because
they are not mature, and thus are
unable to cope with the situations
they must meet, so the world has
developed behaviour pattern
which produces something which no
body wants: war.
We must have enough people who
can show tolerance, be patient, and
above all have the ability to COM
promise. These are qualities of ma
turity, DR.. Chisholm points out, and
people, mature in this sense,
would not want to start wars and
would prevent other people from
starting them.
But the doctor realizes that edu-
cation will not produce such matur-
ity in one generation. But such a
state must be realized or we face
one of two alternatives. Either we
must become race of trained
killers, or a race of slaves.
Until we can achieve education
sufficient to avoid such horrible
fates, "for so long as it may take
to change the bringing up of chill
dren enough in this world, our close
watch on each and everyone in the
world should not be relaxed for a
moment" The first step in eradicat-
ing war Is an attainable stopgap,
DR.. Chisholm believes. Security
must be achieved and the valid
fear of aggression eliminated. This
means Legislation backed by imme-
diately available combined force
prepared to suppress ruthlessly any
appeal to force by any peoples Of
the world. The administration of
such force is delicate problem
but it can be devised If and when
the great power really wants it.
The second step would be to pro-
vide the opportunity for all peoples
to live on economic levels which do
not vary too widely, either geo.
graphically or by groups within q
population. This means redistribu-
ton Of material. This is possible
since there are enough resources
in the world to 60 around.
It is impossible in this space to do
justice to DR.. Chisholm's views but
the main points are these: he feels
that man has developed one consist
ent pattern of behaviour which
causes him to indulge in a major
war at frequent intervals; that 60.
ing to war represents immaturity;
that immaturity can only be cured
by education beginning at childhood
with an accent on the sciences Of
living"; that until we achieve ma
turity we must unite ruthlessly to
suppress the effort on the part of
any nation or anyone in any nation
to start war.
Psychiatrists may not solve the
problem Of world peace but 1t is safe
to say that immature laymen won't
either. Meanwhile, what congress
must decide is how dry the country