Evening star., 1949-04-01
British Leader Views
Collapse Of China
As Major Disaster
BY the As,oeiotsd Press


ing Is the tert OF Winston
ChurchilPs address last night
at the ntdcentury conuocdtton
of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology:
am honored by your wish that
should take part in the discussions
of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. We have suffered in
Great Britain by the lack Of COL
leges of university rank In which
engineering and the allied subjects
are taught. Industrial production
depends on technology and 1t Is be-
cause the Americans, like the pre-
war Germans, have realized this and
created institutions for the advanced
training of large numbers Of high
grade engineers to translate the ao-
vances of pure science into indus
trial technique, that their output per
head and consequent standard OF
life are so high. 1t Is surprising that
England, which was the first coun-
try to be industrialized, has nothing
of comparable stature. If tonight /
strike other notes than those of ma
terial progress, it implies no want
of admiration for all the work you
have done and are doing. My aim,
like yours, is to be guided by bal
ance and proportion.
The outstanding feature OF the
goth century has been the enormous
expansion in the numbers who are
given the opportunity to share IN
the larger and more varied lie
which in previous periods was re-
served for the few and for the very
few. This process must continue,
and we trust at an increasing rate
If we are to bring the broad masses
of the people in every land to the
table of abundance, 1t can only be
by the tireless improvement OF all
our means of technical production,
and by the diffusion in every form
of education of an improved quality
to scores of millions OF men ana
women. Even in this darkling hour
I have faith that this will go on.
I rejoice in Tennyson's lines:
Men, my brothers, men. the work
ers, ever reaping something new;
That which they have done but
earnest of the things that they
shall do" ,
I was however a little disquieted
that you find 1t necessary to debate
the question, to quote DR.. Burchard's
opening address, whether the prob
lem of world production yielding at
least minimum living to the whole
population can be solved, and
whether man has so destroyed the
resources of his world that he may
be doomed to die of starvation" II,
with all the resources of modern
science, we find ourselves unable to
avert world famine, we shall all be
to blame, but a peculiar responsible
ity would rest upon the scientists.
do not believe they will fail, but
II they do Or were not allowed TO
succeed, the consequences would be
very unpleasant, because 1t is GER
tain that mankind would not agree
to starve equally, and there might
be some. very sharp disagreements
about how, the last crust was to be
shared. This would simplify our
problem in an unduly primordial
manner.
Speaks With Diffidencs
On Profound Issues.
I feel somewhat overawed In ad-
dressing this vast scientific and
learned audience on the subjects
which your panels are discussing. I
have no technical and no university
education, and have Just had to
pick up a few things as I went
along. Therefore I speak with q
diffidence, which I hope to over
come as I proceed. on these pro-
found scientific, social and philo-
sophie issues, each Of which claims
a lifelong study for itself, and are
now to be examined, as schoolmen
would say, not only in their integ-
rity but in their relationship, mean
ing thereby not only one by one
but all together.
7 was 30 glad that in the first
instance you asked me to talk about
the past rather than to peer into
the future, because I know more
about the past than do about the
future, and I was we'll content that
the President of the United States,
whose gift of prophecy was so re-
markably vindicated by recent elec-
toral results, should have accepted
that task. We all regret that his
heavy state duties prevent him from
being here tonight. I shall there
fore presently have to do little
Of the peering myself.
For us in Britain the 18th century
ended amid the glories of the VIC
torian era, and we entered upon the
dawn of the 20th in high hope for
our country, our empire and the
world. The latter and larger part
of the 10Th century had been the
period of liberal advance 0iberal
with q small 81" please. In 1900
a sense of moving hopefully forward
TO brighter, broader and easier days
was predominant. Little did we
guess that what has been called the
century of the common man would
witness as its outstanding feature
more common men killing each
other with greater facilities than
any other five centuries together in
the history of the world. But we
entered this terrible goth century
with confidence. We thought that
with improving transportation ma
tions would get to know each other
better. We believed that as they
got TO know each other better they
would like each other more, and
that national rivalries would fade
In a growing international con-
sciousness. We took it almost for
granted that science would confer
continual boons and blessings upon
us, would give us better meals, bet
ter garments and better dwellings
for less trouble, and thus steadily
shorten the hours of labor and
leave more time for play. and cul-
ture. In the name of ordered but
unceasing progress, we saluted the
age of democracy expressing itself