Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1945-01-17
BEHIND
The NEWS
By Paul
~ Mallon

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16-Ex-
w cerpts from a recent talk
Of mine, The Revolution In
Values"
Ours is a capitalistic system
which depends for its strength
and power upon soundness-not
only in finance, taxation, prices,
and such economic matters, but
also political Soundness built
upon the confidence of It's
people
In red ink, we must write on
our books the burden OF the
greatest debt of history, event.
ually 10 be 800 billions of dol
lars. We must service and pay
this debt. carry it as our war
burden. for we financed this
war. not only our part OF IT,
but that of every one else, In
Guiding Russia TO some extent.
But Russia will have no such
burden. She has for herself
destroyed our concept OF tinan-
cial values =.
THIS war indeed is only a
Il superficial phase Of the revo-
luton in all values, the decline
of morality in politics, interna-
tional diplomacy, education, and,
indeed, the individual lives OF
men.
Consider politics. The prom
iSed word no longer has popular
value. You seldom hear the
word Honor" any more. 1t is
considered victorian to be hon.
orable.
The people have come to ac-
cept the doctrine of immediacy,
of doing what sounds best at a
given moment. They scorn ira
ditional values as restraints and
inhibitions. They themselves
are no more tied to soundness
than the money of the world.
Take international diplomacy.
Regulations of treaties before
ink is dry represents the same
departure from soundness in
values, as that of the political
leader from the promised word,
and that OF money from the
shadow of substance.
In education there has been
the same corruption of realistic
values which we have noted in
money, politics, and interna-
tional relationship doctrine
that children should be raised
also according TO their own de-
sires. Education is TO be a sight
seeing affair. They even taught
the philosophy of following de-
sire in sex, which hardly seemed
to me a matter to require teach
ing.
THERE is no phase of exist
Il ence which has not been
touched by the revolution in
values. the erection of ideals of
immediacy.
In the end, all the world must
come back 10 values. But is it
TO come back TO the realization
of soundness only after thor
oughly exploring and suffering
the collapse of the fabulous
foolishneSS Of immediate desire
as a guide to life?
Will we have to go completely
through the revolution to the
bottom and let each man know
the falSity of these indulgent
fictions before all can grasp the
solid fact and truth? Or
will the resurgence of reason
founded upon the experience Of
the war catch definite hold now
and lead our people on TO re-
alism and common sense?
Above all, no matter what
the immediate future course,
there must be no compromise
of ideals. Those who know the
true values of life also know
that one day these will be re-
stored TO popular acceptance.
That too is inevitable.
WHEREFORE, il is the duty
Il of those who believe in
SoundneSS to stand steadfaSt in
this wandering drifting condi-
ton. 1t is their duty TO nurture
the light in darkness for the
future time when il will again
tighten the fires in every home
and bring warming comfort to
future people.
OF the realization of simple
substances must sound knowl-
edge and sound value eventu-
ally come. Money will be worth
only what circumstance or
some future authority declares
il TO be worth. Our interna-
tional safety will be only such
as our ingenuity and constant
alertness can prescribe.
There is no safety in num-
bers, even in modern weapons,
because these become obsolete
overnight. Planes in which we
trusted at the outset of this
war can hardly be used as
trainers today. Time is fast. So
is obsoleScence. Only alertnesS
can endure.
Wages, hours, prices, all the
other economic factors have
suffered the same swift deteri-
Grafton of their values as the
planes in the past three years.
A wage is no better than the
goods it will buy.
BY such considerations should
values be truly measured, not