Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-12-02

can Ieeu 80 people, IN emma
even today, although there
have been many technical
improvements during the last
Is years, lack of farm ma
chinery and Of scientific fer
tilizers makes the ratio one
farmer to three people. 1t is
easy to see how difficult 1t is
to find manpower for medi-
cine, education, the inevitable
army, industrialization, the
development and stockpiling
Of atomic bombs, and the
bureaucracy to rule a people
whose sole governor and mo-
tivating power is the state.
That China is a Commu-
mist country is completely
true and quite false. Mao is
both a practical and a theo-
retical Marxist, and the blue
print Of the founder Of the
party, is followed religiously,
although its lines may not
always been seen in Peking
as in Moscow. Yet in 1858,
1.-THE Great Leap Forward"
a bold attempt to m axe
every Chinese a Communist
(there are only approximate
ly II million party members
in the TOO million popula-
tom almost resulted in COM
plete disaster. In a mistaken
belief that the Marxist time
schedule could be telescoped,
the government sent out word
that confiscation of peas
ants property would take
place at once, and that ito
teach according to his needs,
from each according to his
ability" was now in effect.
Communism was not the
result, but almost total an
archy. In the $4,000 unpre-
prepared communes, no one
knew just what to do. In
some places, the authorities
began to serve free meals, to
take away houses, bicycles,
and even pots and blankets
from the owners, and to at
tempt to assign average la
Dor to every individual. The
lazy stopped working, the
Woodworking accelerated,
the crafty took advantage Of
the chaos. If the government,
realizing almost too late that
incentive was still a prime,
though imperialiStic, neces-
sity in China, had not res
cinded the order and restored
the status quo at once, the
entire country would have
collapsed overnight. AS it
was. property was restored.
pay was re-established on the
basis of work done. and saw
ings were again respected.
Another episode, in some
ways the most fascinating in
the whole book is the Hun
bred Flowers" of 1857. For
what may be the only time in
the history of relationships.
Mao. saying "let a hundred
flowers bloom and q hundred
schools of thought contend"
granted complete freedom Of
speech for a period Of six
weeks, promising that no re-
prisals would be made on
anyone who said, wrote, or
printed what he thought. He
perhaps was willy in provid-
ing an escape valve; on the
other hand, believing that
all words and actions that
deviate from socialism are
completely mistaken" he
may have hoped that crit
icism would be limited to sug-
gestions for change within
the framework Of Commu-
nism. In fact. however, press,
radio. and bulletin boards
were deluged with radical
and violent criticism from
every species Of dissident,
and for six weeks the gov
eminent did not reply with
a word Of rebuttal. Mao kept
his promise Of immunity.
small recompense for so
much wisdom.
But most men are not ar
ticulate, and most Chinese,
even today when education at
all levels is farther advanced
than ever before, are not
even literate. There is little
question that today the aver
age Chinese is healthier, more
self-assured, more productive,
more informed. and hap
pier than his forbears Of any
other single epoch. His cities
are clean, his countrysides is
more and more productive
hundreds Of dams-one on
the yellow River the third
largest In the world. bigger
than Grand Coulee and Boul-
der combined 49, and other
flood control projects, are
among the greatest achieve
ments OF the Communist gov
ernment). his armies are
strong. and his children can
see horizons obscured for
centuries. His greatest mis-
fortune. thinks Mr.. Snow. is
that his leaders consider i'm
perialism as synonymous with
war. as ours are equally mis-
taken in regard TO Commu-
nism. Mr.. Snow believes that
America has done little TO
make China's anti-capitalism
campaign difficult TO defend.
America In Korea. in For
mosa. in Laos. in South Wet
Nam all could have been in
evitably predicted by Marx,
all are confirmation Of Macs
doctrine.
What should be done2 Mr..
Snow says win China by rec
npnizinp her. As President