Evening star., 1961-09-30
LETTERS TO THE STAR
Stotesmonship, Brinkmonship, Portisonship, Etc.

dom by the United States.
A small booklet entitled
Success Story" recently
prepared by the Philippine
Information Agency in Wash
ington, commentaries Phil
ippine independence and the
friendship Of the young re-
public for this country.
There is appended to the
booklet a footnote by A. L.
Valencia, Philippine cor
respondent and writer. which
is so unusual that 1t deserves
wide circulation.
Beside the footnote is a
photograph of "a Filipino boy,
fairly glowing with a broad
smile and sitting astride an
immense carabao or water
buffalo. equipped with sweep
ing, Saber horns. The foot
note follows:
once, more years ago
than I care to remember, I
had a carabao like the little
boy in the picture on the
right. I called him Toro.
From dawn to dusk, he
worked my fathers farm,
pulling the plow, dragging
the carreton, a clumsy car,
with great, Squeaking wooden
wheels.
"Toro was i'm m ensely
strong. docile and gentle. But
he had as much spirit as the
finest fighting bull in Spain.
II have never forgotten
Toro, the warm smell Of his
hide, the sweet scent of the
ripening rice through which
we wandered.
"The hilippines are
changing rapidly. keeping
pace with the modern world.
Inevitably, one day, the trac-
tor will replace Toro and
his brethren.
But to me, Toro will al
ways remain symbolic of my
country: enduring and brave.
And to the man who, long
ago, was a boy riding his
carabao through the fields,
Toro will always represent
the spirit of freedom. Like
the little boy in the picture,
freedom has a happy face. E"
1t is interesting to recall
that the water buffalo, gen.
tie as he is toward small
boys, is perfectly willing to
engage a tiger in mortal
combat, and has often come
off the victor. with the tiger
dead at his feet. Therefore,
perhaps there is point to Mr..
Valencia's symbolism. The
great fighters, and the truly
courageous, are the ToroS of
this world. They are not in
clined toward bombast and
snowy displays of power.
Felix Gotten.
Il \ 4
In it's editorial Let Us Not
Tie Our Hands," The Sunday
Star proposes that negotia-
tions with Russians have to
be based on realities" since
"the facts OF life," including
the existence of East Ger
many, should be recognized.
Realism, opposed to tradi-
tional American idealism,
still implies not only cogni-
zance of the existing facts,
but in no lesser degree the
knowledge of their true ma
ture. A crime is also a fact
of life in our society, and so
is a state Of affairs, estab-
lished as a result of some
foul and arbitrary action. AL
though we do not overlook
the existence of such facts, we
in no way take them for
granted. We fight the crime
and will never allow any con-
cessions to criminals.
BY deliberately ignoring
the true nature of similar
facts of life made by the So
viets, and by sacrificing our
convictions for expediency,
we step on the slippery road
of opportunism. History re-
cords that an opportunistic
policy which offers conces-
sions on principles usually
ends in disaster.
We are in a fight, but not
defeated. We cannot be de-
feated because of our moral,
material and military superb
ority. Our enemies are well
aware of this, or they would
not have hestitated a minute
to start a lust" shooting war
against us. Why then to Of
fer concessions? Only those
who are defeated or surren-
der pay tribute to the enemy
we have received back little If
KarliS Kalnlns.