Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-04-25
For O Better World

lating and its conclusions
reasonable-just as are many
Of DR.. Oppenheimer's con-
corning disarmament. Yet
due to honest necessity 1t
concluded on a note Of pes
simism.
II political nations say
that the security Of the peo-
Piles depends upon a larger
arsenal OF weapons than is
had by q neighbor nation
land the 1CBM makes all
nations neighbor9, and a
few people like DR.. Open
heimer believe that real Sc
curity depends upon "a trans
formation Of the human
mind and spirit" Then whot?
Can this handful Of persons
transform the mind and
spirit Of the political rulers
themselves? DR.. Oppenhei-
mer's expulsion from the top
secret inner sanctum of a
free world" nation would
indicate a definite no. To
which truth would the mind
Of the peoples be transformed
the East's or the Vests?
Maybe neither one has the
true answer for our saliva
ton.
1t is true there is the need
for q Transformation Of the
human mind and spirit" In
deed, over 1900 years ago
the Bible writer and apostle
Paul said as much and more
when he wrote: do not be
conformed to this world but
be transformed by the re-
newal Of your mind, that
you may prove what is the
will of God"
This world. whose nations.
The Star editorial agreed,
probably never will be able
to establish genuinely effec-
tive control over (their) UNI
imaginably terrible weap-
onS," is. according to the
Bible. on its way out. Il
John II, I'D This is good news
the good news Of the
kingdom" in fact. Why? Be-
cause those who will trans
form their mind and spirit"
to the will of the God In
Heaven can optimistically
look forward to a utopian
new world Of Gods making,
wherein dwelleth righteous
ness" III Peter Iii, 49,.
Christian Witness.
49,
Your April 20 editorial says
DR.. Oppenheimer before the
International Press Institute
"downgraded the quest for
disarmament not because 1t is
too Utopian. but because 1t
really isn't Utopian enough"
Before the same group there
was another attempt at
"downgrading." John Davy,
science editor Of the London
Observer. took issue with DR..
Oppenheimer's opinion that
many aspects Of science were
beyond the understanding Of
laymen and jabbed at what
he called the "infantile pre-
occupation with space trav-
ell" He attached more i'm
portance to work on mental
disease than to trips to the
moon or to Mars.
Few scientists will agree
with this unitarian, do
gooder" approach to their en-
deavor. Erwin Schroedinger,
eminent theoretical physicist,
expresses doubt in his Sci
ence and Humanism 1882
that the human race has
been made happier because
Of the practical applications
Of rapidly progressing natu-
raj science. These applica-
tions. he points out. tend to
obllterate the true import of
science. which is. he says,
that I'VE try to find out as
much as we can about the
spatial and temporal sur
rounding of the place in
which we find ourselves put
by birth. And as we try, we
delight in 1t, we find 1t ex-
tremely interesting" Science,
like art. is valued as a sheer
delight and for the light 1t
sheds upon whatever there
is whether this helps us or
not.
This spirit gets a great lift
from the widespread interest
in space travel" II 1t should
be downgraded 1t is not be-
cause 1t is too infantile but
because 1t is not infantile
enough. To the infant grad
ually developing conscious
ness all space is "outer
snare " and ~ does mt fake