Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-12
Only Death Stands Still

Some months ago the ebullient and
bibulous Nikita KhruShchev declared chat
the West would have to wait until
shrimp learns to whistle" before the
Soviet Union would abandon the teach
ingS of MarXiSm-LeniniSm But Secretary
of State Dulles, who is by comparison
a very noneffervescent and abStemiouS
man, now begS to differ. Indeed, he
predictS-in the most optimistic state
ment he has yet made on the subject
that the yeast of freedom currently at
work in the Soviet Union eventually will
become so irresistible that the world can
look forward to a great and benef1cent
international transformation by 1865.
Of course, as people like Elmo Roper
and George Gallup will testify, nothing
could be more subject to change than
forecasts of the future. Mr. Dulles, how
ever, has not gone overheard with his
optimism. He has been reasonably care
full. Aiming himself with number of
''ifS," butts" and "maybeS," he has been
at pains to observe that the present trend
toward liberalization in Russia is by no
means irreversible and that "only the
tionS"-such as free-press truly in
dependent judiciary, the existence Of
lively opposition political parties and
completely nonregimented parliament
can wipe out Soviet deSpotiSm and insure
against its revival Still, with that said,
it must be added that our Secretary of
State has certainly left the distinct i'm
preston that he expects the best to hap
pen within the next 10 years.
Quite obviously, all factors conSid-
cred, this is matter that nobody-not
even Mr. Khrushchev-can comment on
with certainty at this time. Who knows?
The year 1865 Is still rather long way
off, and anybody can make a guess about
it now with approximately as much au-
thority as anybody else But Mr.. Dulles,
right or wrong, can cite certain realities
In support of his roSeate though qualified
prophecy Thus, for one thing, he can
point to the fact that Marxism-LeniniSm,
besides being one of the worlds least
musical combination of words, represents
peculiarly pernicious and Supertyran-
nical form of state capitalism dreamt
up by sour men In an age that has long
since been dead and buried. In this rev.
dictionary era of the atom what sense
has 1t? Actually, frustrated and baff1ed
by 1t themselves, the biologists who
preach it, and enforce it because they
have vested interest in it, must some
times experience the most profound
doubts about its workability twas it ever
workable?) in year so full of flux as
1856
Moreover, wholly apart from the ex-
plosively FESTIVE feelings of the peoples
caught behind the Iron Curtain, there is
a solid philosophical basis for optimism
on this subject. After all, only death
stands still in life: everything else that
is Misunderstanding Mr.. Khrushchev'S
shrimp-moveS, grows, evolves. undergoes
transformation, in one way or another,
until breathing or vitality itself stops.
Change, in short, is fundamental and
unacceptable law of existence for men and
nations alike, and the Soviet system is no
exception. Accordingly, what can happen
between now and 1865 may we'll make a
fact of Mr. Dulles bright prediction. And
how good it would be to live to see that