COMMUNISM . . . system
We use the word Communism
nowadays to mean a particular
system of government which has
been adopted in Russia and to
which the Russians are trying to
convert the rest of the world. It
would mean a complete change in
the special and economic order
from that to which we we ac
customed. The Russian system
is actually not one of Commun
ism in the literal sense of equal
or common ownership of all prop
erty. In Russia everything, in
cluding the lives and liberties of
the masses of the people, is con
trolled by a small minority call
ed the Communist Party. Its
membership is limited. When
ever the Party gets too many
members the leaders kill off or
exile a few thousand, so as to
keep control in a small and well
disciplined group.
The Rusian system, therefore,
is not real Communism, but a
tyrannical system of - minority
rule.
GHRIBTIANITY . communism
At various times throughout
history the idea has taken root of
true Communism, in which no
one had any advantage over any
other in material possessions, but
all contributed to a common store
of wealth, which was at the dis
posal of every member of the
community.
That was the principle under
which the early Christian com
munities and congregations liv
ed. They took this pure form of
Communism to be the direct
teaching of Christ. Brotherhood
meant to them literally that all
men were brothers and all should
share alike.
This got them into trouble with
their non-Christian neighbors,
and with the political powers of
the countries in which they lived.
It prevented the politicians from
taxing them, because if nobody
owned anything he couldn't pay
taxes.
Since people existed chiefly to
provide revenue for their politi
cal rulers, this early form of
Christianity was so persecuted
that after a few hundred years
Christians gave up the struggle
and accepted the existing politi
cal system.
UTOPIA real
More than four hundred years
ago Sir Thomas More, recently,
elevated to sainthood by the Ro
man Catholic Church, wrote a
book about an imaginary country
which he called "Utopia." It was
a description of a whole nation
living happy and contented lives
under a Communistic system in
which wealth was shared, every
body contributed his labor to the
common welfare and everyone's
needs were met out of the com
mon store of wealth.
Recently it has been learned
that sir Thomas had heard from
a sailor who had been ship
wrecked on the coast of Peru, an
account of the still mysterious
kingdom of the Incas, long be
fore the conquest of Peru by the
Spanish. The treasure of the
Incas was stolen by the con
querors, its leaders were slain and
the people reduced to slavery.
But such authentic records as
still exist indicate that this
strange people, whose origin is
unknown, lived for thousands of
years in the nearest approach to
the perfect state that has ever
been achieved by humanity.
They were able to make Com
munism work because they were
completely self-sustaining and
shut off from envious neighbors
by high mountains and impass
able rivers.
PERFECTION . . . experiments
The word "Utopia" has become
a common noun meaning an ideal
and perfect community or state.
Scores of philosophers have writ
ten books telling how universal
■contentment might be achieved,
and hundreds of attempts to work
It put on a more or less limited
scale have been made. All but
one or two of these attempts
have failed utterly, and the ones
that survive have done so by
abandoning most of their orig
inal Communistic principles.
Nearly all of these experiments
have been tried in the United
States, beginning with the settle
ment of the Pilgrims at Plymouth
where everything was owned in
common. After seven years Com
munism was abandoned because
the younger men rebelled at
working to support other men's
families.
The Mormons have succeeded
better. than any other group in
building a community life in
which, though all are not equal,
none is allowed to starve. The
Mormon empire has been built
on the foundation of rigid re
ligious control of the lives of its
members.
That is also true of the only
other surviving experiment of the
TWO SIDES
To Every Question
By LYTLE HULL
HISTORY
If American children were
graduated from their schools and
colleges with a thorough educa
tion in world history—this coun
try would probably never even be
tempted to mix up in other peo
ple's wars.
A thorough knowledge of his
tory doesn't mean the useless
smattering with which the great
majority of graduates is endowed.
It means a deep fundamental
comprehension of the whole vast
subject; so deep in fact that the
student actually "thinks in his
tory." It doesn't mean that he
shall be an expert on American
history, or on English history, or
on French history. He must
grasp them all as they relate to
one another.
Current events—a knowledge of
which one gets from reading his
newspapers—is like the froth on a
glass of beer. The beer is re
sponsible for that froth just as
the events of history are re
sponsible for what is happening
today.
How can we expect to know
what course to follow in these
great political crises, like the
World War and the present war,
unless we have a thorough his
torical knowledge of the age-old
causes from which they spring, or
unless we understand clearly our
own responsibility—if any for
these causes?
How can we know without
some knowledge of the past,
whether we owe other nations a
debt of gratitude or whether they
owe us, and, if the scales are
against us, is that debt so great
that our sons shall die again to
pay it?
The popular belief that France
sent Lafayette to this country to
help us out of our misery had
probably a great deal to do with
our entry into the last war. His
tory, however, records that the
French Government tried to ar
rest Lafayette to prevent him
from coming here. He avoided
arrest and did a fine Job as a
young officer in Washington's
army. He is a national hero in
this country—and should be.
But Louis XVI, who was the
French Government, didn't send
his troops and ships and money
until several years later when we
had won the Battle of Saratoga
and it became obvious that with
outside help we could free our
selves from England, but without
it we would probably be recap
tured. Our recapture by England
meant the end of French hopes
in this hemisphere—our freedom
would deal a terrible blow to the
British Empire.
Louis wasn't thinking of the
happiness of a lot of colonists
seeking freedom from royal au
thority. Poor Louis was guillo
tined as the enemy of freedom.
He was thinking of saving his
American possessions and of the
desperate wound he could, and
did, inflict upon France's ancient
foe.
Prussia sent us great help dur
ing our Revolutionary War, but
don't let any German ever make
you believe that foxy, old Fred
erick the Great did it for reasons
of affection for a lot of colonists
who were rebelling against the
principles of monarchy. The
Czar dispatched his fleet to New
York once to help checkmate a
French move to split the Union.
But without wishing to be un
grateful, there were other rea
sons beside passionate affection
for America which induced that
statesman to make this Russian
gesture.
No nation on earth has ever so
much as dreamed of doing for us
what we did for some of them in
1917—and no nation ever will.
sort, the Oneida Community.
Both the Oneida Perfectionists
and the Mormon Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints had
to abandon some of their orig
inal principles in order to sur
vive.
INDEPENDENCE . . . efforts
All of the early efforts in this
country to establish something
like the communal system of the
early christians were made by
groups of individuals acting in
dependently of any government.
It did not occur to the founders
of the most famous of the com
munal enterprises of a century
ago, Brook Farm in Massachu
setts, that their venture was any
thing in which government was
or ought to be concerned. The
most eminent intellectual and re
ligious leaders of the time joined
in the Brok Farm experiment, or
gave it their support, because
they saw no other way to dem
onstrate the ideal way of life
which they had visualized.
Brook Farm failed because its
people failed to recognize in
equalities in talent and ability
between individuals, and were so
completely committed to the
ideals of Democracy and Indivi
dual liberty that they would not
subject any member of their col
ony to discipline, either religious
or political.
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, ELKIN, NORTH CAROLINA
And why should they? Nations
are "out for themselves" in this
world. They are realists not
emotionalists. They know their
history books. They understand
each other. They know that one
nation will keep a treaty with
another just so long as it is to
that nation's advantage—and no
longer.
Practically every combination
of nations in Europe has, Just
within the last ISO years, fought
every other conceivable combina
tion. There hasnt been a ten
year period between 1800 and
1918 when one or more of the
frreat nations were not at war.
And each side was fighting for
some "noble cause." Now there
just ain't that many noble
causes.
If American school will give up
the teaching of Latin or Qreek or
trigonometry—or all three—and
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devote a large part of that time
to a study of history, our chil
dren, when they grow up and are
managing the affairs of this
country, will know far more than
we did in 1917 or do now.
They will know how foolish it
is to sacrifice one iota of our
well-being, unless by so doing we
are helping or protecting this
country which God has born us
the trustees of. They will know
that a Good Samaritan among
nations will slowly give of its
strength until the others fall up
on it and devour it. They will
realize that they must steer clear
of the centuries-old struggle of
other nations which today we
don't understand, but of which
they will have a clear knowledge.
A knowledge of the history of
one's own country breeds patri
otism. Every generation of
Americans must be taught that
this great country is placed in
trust with it during its term of
management. That this trust is
sacred beyond all others. That it
must hand it over to the follow
ing generation in as good or bet
ter, condition than it was when
they inherited it. And its pres
ent trustees have no right to
waste and destroy it because they
might lack knowledge of the
facts.
Beau-Legged
Father—What's the idea, Kath
erine, running after boys all the
time?
{Catherine—Why. Dad, I don't
do that.
Father—Oh, but you do. Why
you're getting absolutely beau
legged.
Patronize Tribune advertisers.
They Offer Real Values.
KIWANIANS TO
HEAR SPEAKER
(Continued from Page One)
ning-like speed and unerring ac
curacy.
"News in the Air" is the title of
the exciting motion picture which
will show actual pictures of the
bombing of the United States
gunboat "Panay," near Shang
hai, and how the news of this
grim disaster was flashed to the
United States across seven thous
and miles of space, in just four
minutes.
Little Elmer—Dad, what do you
call a man who drives an auto
mobile?
Dad—lt all depends on how
near he comes to hitting me. son.
ErilPT't i W ! TBf a r V* ■ • W-
Thursday, June 6, 1940
May Be Style
Dinocan—Did you see that wo
man? Why, she had a blob of
paint on the end of her nose.
Izzard—Well?
Dinocan—Shall we tell her
about it?
Izzard—Better not. It might be
the latest style.
Leap Year Drive
Hollowyng What has come
over Miss Oldgirl? She's dressing
better and fixing up her face so
you would hardly recognize her.
Cryeng Guess she's taking
part in the big leap year drive.
He Went Up
She: "I'm glad to meet a man
who started at the bottom and
worked his way up. Tell me,
how did you begin?"
He: "I was a bootblack and
now I am a hairdresser "