Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-04-20
Spires OF The SPIRIT
Sparta and Sputnik
BY DIR. FREDERICK BROWN HARRIS
Chaplain Of the United states Senate

sputtered into oblivion. They
fell 10 earth we know not
where. The quartet OF tiny
satellites America has sent
Skyward will share the same
fate. Other larger and more
intricate orbs will follow In
this game OF celestial bowling.
IL is all very thrilling and
prophetic Of what the future
holds, Man Is taking his first
uncertain steps into the vast
ness OF the cosmos whose
very dimensions overawe his
imagination,
With the thrill OF a child
whirling around a lighted
rocket out OF which balls OF
colored fire speed skyward
for a brief moment OF fam
ing glory. so man, his face
aglow with the wonder OF Il,
is viewing ecstatically the
work OF his brain and hands.
on that face turned upward
toward the spangled heavens
is mirrored an assurance that
at long last he is on the
way TO explore other worlds.
Twinkle twinkle little star,
how / wonder what you are"
is changed now TO a travel
folder promising TO personally
greet the man in the moon
and then. on TO Mars and
Venus. Already a boys world
is the space world. They are
living in II now. They expect
to take of in their lifetime.
The dog laden Russian
moon, weighing, we are told
by American scientists, sew
eral tons, attained as the
high point Of its orbit over
1000 miles. That such a mass
OF metal could be lifted so
far indicates a propulsive
force which is tremendous.
Some Of our wise men de-
clare that We are so far be-
hind In our hurting power
that only a crash program
can save us from a perma-
nent inferior status. And so
the cry is sounded: Train
scientists-refashion our ed
ucational system-rearrange
the priorities in our whole
order Of life-make the main
goal the turning out on a
vast production line techni-
clans for the space race"
But admitting that our
place in space is important,
II is a solemn time to realize
that a balanced life on earth
is much more important than
the h-discussed balanced
budget for the Nation or
reaching the moon first.
With this in mind let US
scan a significant page OF
history, 500 years before
Christ. 1t is a picture OF
Sparta, the Grecian city,
state, in whose goals and
emphases and conquests we
find a striking and startling
microcoSm OF Russia since
1917. Sparta's revolutionary
leaders decreed that all the
gracious traditions of the
past be strapped. Everything
else was to be Subordinated
TO the greedy passion OF con-
quering the rest of Greece
and the territories beyond.
Now look and listen care
fully! 1t was decided to
create a corps Of specialists
in warfare and destruction.
The warriors were to be the
elite. Spartans were to be
trained scientifically to be
brave. merciless and hard.
Weak or defective children
were to be liquidated. After
the age Of 7 a boys training
was taken over by the state.
He became a cog in a cruel
system. Such things as music
and literature were rated as
unimportant. Physical exer-
else was the thing. At 20 the
Spartan youth, a fighting
automaton. was ready for
military service. The wealth
to keep the elite in luxury
came from "helots," slaves
who cultivated the ground.
Property was to be equalized
in a sort Of communism. This
theory proved an utter fail
ure. Sparta raised a race of
arrogant specialists who had
developed abnormally only a
part OF their personality.
They held themselves aloof
from the outside world. They
built an iron curtain around
their domain. They turned
from a great heritage and
challenge. for science was
= growing in Greece as it would
not grow again until the
Middle Ages had come and
gone. But Sparta, a nation of