The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1954-08-06
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or Iueonsidsrsfs

Less than half a century ago. every American
believed with really religious conviction that
one can be completely cultured or educated without
visiting foreign countries There was universal and
unquestioning acceptance Of the dogma that travel
does something splendid for the human soul A
was somehow more refined for having smoked
Pittsburgh stoge before the pyramids of Egypt and
for having Wrangled over fees with gondolier on
the canals of Venice. No person might hold up his
head in distinguished company unless he had seen
Paris and smelled Verona.
The settled assurance with which all citizens
high and low accepted 1.-The broadening effects Of
travel" had the character of bland and blind pre-
iudice which disregards all contrary eWdence Peo-
pie would still talk Of travel As a cultural and re-
finng influence despite their awareneSs OF the fact
that ships crews are not particularly brilliant and
that international agents and smuggers are not
conspicuously cultured, although these people are
travelling all the time
II is, Of course, easy TO understand that, long
ago, before jet propulsion, man who came home
from far countries to his quiet town, held place
OF prominence. He had new things to tell, new
places TO describe strange ad entures TO narrate.
He stirred imagination. he excited friendly envy,
he drew admiration to himself. His familiarity real
or pretended with alien things seemed to make
him a superior being: his easy gsbble Of foreign
phrases( genuine or fietonab appeared TO indicate
a mind Of cosmopolitan sweep and an experience
Of boundess value
The restlessness of man. which is product Of
the primal fall shows that lie is not completely at
home in this world he has an urging that prods him
towards heaven But too often man seeks 10 satisfy
his urge by mere movement,-going places, doing
things,-Without considering, with any clarity OF
purpose the real goal for which his soul longs. Man
sees something worthwhile IN veng on his way. So
did the Prodiga Son when he took his bank-roll
MyaI I'd fop npYfb
Prodiga, when he sat dsconsolate in the sty and
ehewed on husks had some reyisions to offer 10
the exponent Of the GospeI of Travel
Ii is. as we say easy to understand how the
notion OF travel for travels sake grew popular
Rat il is not SO easy to understand the persistence
with which that notion endured and endures
10 this day For there is still some dim belief that
travel broadens or is cultural although that be
lief had its first tremendous setback IN the days
following the First World War and ITS next re-
versal in the days following the Second World War
For after our young men, and latterly our
young women too had been, IN millions up and
down all the ways Of the earth ard back and forth
over every sea. the distinction of mere eontin-
entail tour diminished TO the vanishing point The
world traveller today is likely to start paroniz
ing conversation with his taX-driver only to find
to his chagrin that the humble man at the wheel
has done far more world travelling than himself
And yet neither world traveller nor taximan
would claim that the soldiers and sailors and
marines and armen and the womenS auxiliaries Of
all these branches Of armed service, are, by rea-
son Of their wide foreign travels more cultivated
cultured, and refined body Of citizens More ex-
perieneed they are certainly Yet 1t would be
difficult TO discern deep cultural value in that ex
perience.
This travel dogma in a lesser phase is found In
other popular beliefs For instance, there are de-
voiees Of walking (alaS, not many now who speak
as though "a good walk were the one means Of
keeping health and strength PoStmen walk miles
every day in all sorts OF weather Yet postmen
not noticeabIy the most robust and rugged men
among us.
Traditions even poor and ,nlounded traditions,
die slowly They are never killed suddenly. And If
some new phase or circumstance can be introduced
into their claims, they do not die at all. II may
no longer be fine distinction 20 have the
pyramids But il is still something distinctive to
have gone TO Cairo by air Millions have seen The
dull grass and the white coral of Bermuda But
not many have gone to Bermuda in submarine.
II appears then that the lure OF travel is not
entirely the restless desire TO see new places and
new faces and TO have new experiences II IS also
the wish 10 have experiences that most other peo-
pie do not or cannot have. Ii is kind OF desire
TO stand out to excel in some manner The person
who makes 4 great journey today does not really
expect on his return, to impress the man next door
but he does expect to impress the man IN the mir
ror. lie does expect to find in travel lift for his
sefesteem II he cannot excel in the eyes of his
neighbors he can at least find himself excel
lent for having done what the neiehbors have not
done
But surely the notion of travel for cultures
sake must some day surrender to the power Of
fact When all the world is racing like mad, not only
on railways and ships and highways, but through
the air and under the sea- when the ever improving
gadgetry Of eleetronics brings more and more Of
the world into every hamlet and hut, and subjects
the nauSing population TO continuous cinema show,
there is promise Tor threatl that there will be
unfreqnented lanes OF travel unseen corners
Of The earth and one to stand still for the re
turned traveller 10 tell his story To- We're all on the
run. But We arc not therefore cultured
The cult Of travel. exclusive to the rich
and eisured, has gone general and therefore has
gone flat But II Is mere recent cult recently
fourishng and recently checked There must have
been lot Of it in old Roman days, for Horace
made the somewhat caustic comment. They who
across the sea get change of climate but not
change Of character Nor do they get an accel