The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-05-05
THE WORLD
TODAY
BY JAMES MARROW

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excited.
That was the time of the grand
guessing game, when everyone
seemed sure the new mob in the
Kremlin would be at one another's
throat in no time.
Everybody had theory. Malen.
kov was on shaky ground. IBERIA
was on shaky ground. Molotov was.
low man on the totem pole.
Pretty soon, the guessing went,
there'd be an awful struggle for
power and maybe Russia would fly
apart.
The little man really didn't ex-
pect that but it was the kind of
thing he wanted to hear. He. ate
it up. But it didn't happen.
Now the little man is reconciled
to the idea that maybe it won't
happen and that Russia and the
Communists may be here for a
long time, intact.
But it made him start thinking.
He was paying higher taxes on
account of the Russians. He felt
il was about time he found out
something about these people who
were costing him 50 much money.
He got q book on Russia. Every
night after supper he sat on the
sofa, tilted the lampshade just
right, and for at least an hour
read some Of the history out loud
50 his wife could learn at the same
time.
She was polite about it. She'd
rather see a Tv program. But this
was an hour she felt she was
spending in good cause: giving
her husband something to do.
She knew II he wasn't reading
out loud he might be changing the
TV program every five minutes
and then she wouldn't be able to
watch one all the way through
anyway.
One hour OF reading aloud took
some of the bounce out of him.
And maybe for an hour after the
reading she could watch one pro-
gram all the way through. till he
got his bounce back.
He had q hard time getting
started because 1t was the Com
munists who interested him. But
he knew he might understand the
Russian communists better If he
knew something about the Rus
slams before the Communists. After
all, the Communists were Johnny
come-latelies in Russian history.
But going back to the very be-
ginning was painful and embar-
RAISING. He couldn't pronounce
some Of the names Of those early
Russian tribes which kept shifting
around.
After 4 while everything straight
ened out and Instead of the Rus
SLAMS moving every which way,
they seemed to be moving in a
straight line at last: they had a
government.
They really didn't have anything
to do with picking the government,
even In those early days. any more
than later on when the Commu-
nists came In and set up shop.
Pretty soon be was reading about
Ivan the Great, back in the 18th
century, and his endless war on
Poland. He ran across q passage
where Ivan said:
There could never be any real
peace with Poland, only s'truces
in order to catch the breath."
He didn't think much OF it while
reading it. Later, lying awake In
the dark and trying to 60 to sleep,
he began to think of Ivan's heirs,
the Communists. who succeeded
where Ivan didn't: they took Pc.
land without firing shot after
World War III. Aud they've been
pushing everywhere else ever
since.
The little man suddenly thought
OF what the Communists have been
doing since Stain died: talking
about their pious and peaceful in
tentions. He wondered. lying awake
In the dark:
L. this Ivan all over again,
He mentioned il b his wife the
next morning Ut breakfast but she
said she didn't remember that part
about Ivan in the book.
He said he wondered II human
nature ever changed. or rather.
could the Russians ever change.
Not the Russians themselves. The
leaders. II was 4 hir country and
the Russian big shots always GOT
big ideas.
He didn't know the answer. But
he made mp his mind the next
time something happened and the
guessing game hssxn over here
he'd take Il with . grain 81 sali
until be really saT . change. in
the Russian leaders or their M.
ture.
us. MEDICAL CARE