The people's voice., 1959-07-24
By EDMUND FREEMAN, Missoula


kind of a man know Leslie Fielder
to be and describe the unbelievable
attack which was made against him
in a pamphlet entitled 'Ts This Your
University" published by Ken Neils
some months ago.
| have known Mr.. Fielder for the
eighteen years he has been a fellow
member of the English staff of the
State University. l also know his
wife and his six children.
He is a man of great intellectual
energy. He does much more writing
and more speaking than any other
member of our staff, in addition to
his full share of teaching.
He has lecured at many leading uni
versities in America and in Europe.
He has been visiting professor at
Princeton for year and at the Uni
versity of Rome for two years and
is teaching this summer at New York
University. Many good students from
over the country have been drawn
to study in our department because
he is on our staff, and several excel
lent members of our staff have been
drawn here for the same reason.
He is fine teacher and very
gifted speaker. I think it can be said
that no other faculty member is so
frequently asked by all kinds of stu
dent groups to speak to them. His
speaking almost always excites good
discussion. With moral courage he
speaks his mind when many of us
would find some reason for keeping
silent.
He is a person with deep convic-
tions who works hard to get students
to face the real issues of life. l have
heard him speak boldly and frankly
to many large classes. l have seen
them react with surprise and some
times with disagreement, but l think
I do not remember any time when |
thought they felt offended. A good
student friend told me just lately that
the only students she knew who dis
liked Leslie Feidler were some who
had only heard about him or who had
read parts of things he has written
He is a Jew with the full pride and
experience of his faith. He does not
speak disparagingly or unkindly of
anyone's faith. Let anyone who Won
ders on this point read his magnifi-
Gently long introduction to Simone
Wells waiting For God".
Representation of him as person
who delights in iconoclasm and in
despair over the horror of the human
condition are as misleading as the
representations of him as a person
who revels in the salacious and the
obscene His mind and spirit do move
abundantly to the limits of depression
over the degradation and weakness
in our being and of joy in the whole
physical and spiritual experience of
life. An approach to either of these
limits is distasteful to some persons.
But we should not dispute about each !
others taste.
Anyone who has read what Leslie
Fielder has written or has heard him
speak and then represents him to be
some kind of Communist or pseudo
Communist must be either dull or dis
honest. He is one of the strong voices
in our country against the evil aspects
of Communism.
DISTORTIONS IN THE PAMPHLET
There are unbearable distortions
and misrepresentation of his ideas
and attitudes in Mr.. Neils' pamphlet
as This Your University" Mr.. Neils
assumes full responsibility for the
but it is not clear that he
is wholly responsible for the distor
tions and Misrepresentation. He
states in the pamphlet that material
about Fiedler's writing was submitted
to the State Board of Education by
Professor Robert o. Bowen, and adds
'1Iis material contained many of the
Fielder quotations quoted here
that is, in Mr.. Neils' pamphlet. i
Let me examine some Of the quo ;
tations which Mr.. Neils Cor Mr.. Bow s
en?) have included, without COM '
ment. but with clear intention, in s
section headed Writings of Leslie t
Political" The section is t
preceded by the teachers oath Fielder S
las taken to "promote respect for the \