The Durant news., 1953-04-23
THROUGH
HAZEL
EYES

To continue our report on the
lecture given by George Sokol-
sky, eminent columnist at the
lecture-forum sponsored by
Loyola University in New
Orleans several days ago
which we talked about in this
column last week:
Following the lecture, given
in the ball room at the Roose-
welt Hotel before q full house,
an open forum was held in
which the speaker answered
questions from the floor
In response to query on how
American citizens can best
fight Communism Mr.. Sokol-
sky suggested two things: l..
Constant exposure--such as the
Federal Bureau OF Investiga-
ton and Congressional Com
mittees are doing. 2. Don't sup
press the Communists in Amer
ica--instead strengthen your
own forces by studying and
knowledge-especially become
educated in your own beliefs.
In connection with this Mr..
Sokolsky said the schools in
this country are failing to give
children today that feeling Of
American patriotism which we
normally associate with our
own childhood. This opinion of
his is undoubtedly based upon
personal observation and prob
ably shared by large segment
Of our population. However !
believe. at least hope, that
this does not apply to our
southern schools en- masse.
Certainly one Of the finest
things a school can do is to
educate q child on the history
and traditions of its country.
Only when our school children
become acquainted intimately |
with our history can they ap-
preciate their heritage and un-
derstand why it should be pro- !
tected by them and handed
down to their own children.
The smart alec history /
teacher, sometimes found in
our American colleges, who de-
ounks this country's heroes is
not doing his country or his
students any good. He may be
brilliant-but he is dumb. |,
have long felt that Ameri-
cans generally do not under
stand or care why they should
love and protect their country
against onslaught of the social
lists and the communists.
We feel that our system Of free
and private enterprise is worth
protecting not just because it
gives us the highest standard
of living in the world
although that is a practical fac
tor we can all understand. But
this thing we call American
ism" goes deeper than the mere
materialism of more bathtubs,
automobiles and telephones. 1t
involves whole way of living
in which the individual has
real freedom to conduct his
life and affairs as he sees fit
as long as he does not violate
the laws Of man which govern
all society for the common
good.
That is the whole concept of
the American way-freedom
of the individual based upon
the laws of God. !
But" you may rightly say, ,
1--WE don't have the freedom we
used to have in America to con-
duct our affairs-almost every
thing is controlled by the gov
ernment."
And you would certainly be
correct.
The reason for this is the !
creeping socialism that came
in with the New Deal as a tenn
porary measure against de-
pression) which has continued
10 grow until we have lost a
large measure of our freedom
as Individual citizens-and in
business. This happens in every
country where socialistic mea-
sures are enacted into law
look at England.
Even so we still have more
freedom than any other country
in the world-this is something
for which to be thankful.
We can be even more thank
full that the present trend to-
ward socialism has slowed
down in this county-and
there is some hope of complete
ly reversing the trend under
the present administration,
But there is definite danger
in the fact that we have, in the