Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-03-23
Whats
New?
By
Eduard Duck
On Leave
With The
Army
CLANS AND STUFF


fact, two of them. 1t was at
Longchamps, hoity-toity Man
haitian restaurant. What was
l doing there? Well, you see,
one of the Army's favorite in
door sports is a game called
poker, and l had set aside my
inhibitions long enough to in
dulge in the pastime to the ex-
tent that my comrades invol-
UNFAIRLY financed a trip to the
big city. In plain language, l
won couple of bucks.
l decided to play Pygmalion,
or Cinderella, or whatever one
is when he steps out of his
class. So there | was, at Long
champs, rubbing elbows with
the upper strata - infantry
boots and all.
Two middle aged ladies
were sitting at the bar, next
to my buddy and me-and
somehow or other one of the
group butted into the others
conversation, and the first
thing we knew we were old
friends.
Mrs. Gus Rosander, of Eliz-
abeth, New Jersey, was one of
the ladies. She was born in
Sweden, and came to this
country quite some time ago.
Naturally, the conversation
was soon steered to the SUBJ
ject of consumers coopera-
tives, with yours truly doing
the steering. The Scanda-
naVian countries are famous
for the economic progress the
people have made through
building the co-ops, and
Sweden in particular has
flourished because of this
movement.
NO PAUPERS
We had quite a conversa-
ton. | found that the union
movement is well developed
in this part of Europe, that
there are practically no pau
pers, and very few really rich
people there. The Scanda-
navian people have a differ
ent scale of values than most
Americans have. Their life is
simpler, but less artificial than
ours. They are very realistic
people, who prefer not to be
fooled by bunko artists or
press agents.
Mrs. Rosander thinks Amer
lea is wonderful. But she finds
it hard to understand why
there should ever be unem-
ployment or poverty in a
country of such vast natural
resources and opportunity.
My answer to the question
of why" is that the American
people have much to learn,
and have been told so often
about how fortunate they are
to be living THE American
Way that they have blind
folded themselves to further
progress. They do not seem to
be striving for perfection, and
they let a few people do their
thinking for them.
EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM
Yes, Americas problem is
an educational one, We have
our slumS in the north and
our sharecroppers and poems
in the south. We must get to
those people, eliminate the
evils brought out in the film,
"One-Third of Nation" some
years ago, of poor housing, di-
sease, unemployment and NAL
nutrition, and when this war
is over, step into an era which
will guarantee more security
and dignity to the individual
than he has ever known at
any time in any country.
Union member must be ed
ucated to the fact that there is
more to a union than a wage
scale or a pay increase. Be
fore the war began the chief
topic of interest in this
country was social uplift.
Now, and rightly so, it is war.
We must stop playing "os-
trich." We must not be so
nationalistic that we consider
the mention of some other
country's social accomplish
ments as treason. America is
not the best country in the
world simply because it Is
America. 1t is the best coun-
try in the world because its
people appreciate freedom
and were willing tc fight for
that freedom. But even at its
best, il could take the cue
from Sweden, Denmark, or
even little Finland or Nova
Scotia, and awaken to the
possibilities of a strong con-
sumerS movement.
The hierarchy of the Cath
olic, Protestant, and Jewish
faiths have solidly supported
both the union movement and
consumers cooperatives. The
United States Government has
spent money (not enough, tho)
In a program of education of
the masses of wage earners, so
that thoU ,oioht Ioar.. - A.