UKat if;
u.hir\oc/nc€-
\ecTo
Advice To A Draftee
gy County Leo Tolstoy (1899)
only opportunity for ,
havf> n-' — •-
LBJ: ‘'Not In
A sliocked nation listened to tlieir radios and watched their
televisions Sunday night as President Lyndon B. Johnson dra
matically, and not without emotion, stated that he would not be
a candidate for reelsction o he Whie House.
Apparently, the average American w^as not the only one
shocked, for even the leaders of the Democratic Party w^ere quick
to admit their own complete surprise. It seems that only Vice-
president Hubert H. Humphrey and a very few close friends of
the President were informed of what he was about to do.
How will Johnson’s bowing out effect the presidential election
is only speculation now^ Should the President back a Humphrey
for President’’ move, then, indeed, the present Vice-president
would be a formidable opponent to other Democrats such as
McCarthy or Kennedy at the Democratic convention, where he
could very easily obtain the party’s backing; and would be an
even more formidable opponent to the winner of the Republican
convention, who will very likely be former Vice-president Richard
M. Nixon.
Johnson’s reply to newsmen following his Sunday night mes
sage seems to indicate a hands-off policy towards the upcoming
election, yet it is hardly acceptable to believe that with all
tne power the President wields in his party, that he would not
endorse the man he feels most apt to be friendly towards the
presently established policies.
Nevertheless, the President's withdrawal from the race opens
the door a little wider to let in a possible Kennedy or McCarthy
ballot. Should the President not back Humphrey, or should
Humphrey decline to run for the chief executive’s oifice, tnen
that floor would be nearly flung open.
Kennedy and McCarthy are both hard-working candidates,
are cxtu-nuly popuiar with the youth of America, especially
college students, and both are in favor of greatly deescalating
tne Vitnam war. At present, however, it would be very difficult
tor anyone to guess the mightier of the two, especially in the
South where McCarthy, until very recently, was virtually an
unknown and Kennedy, while being known, was virtually ignored
because of his apparent backing of civil rights legislation and
school integration while serving under his brother, the late Presi
dent John Kennedy.
At any rate, the upcoming party conventions and the 1968
Presidential race seem very exciting and extremely interesting.
If only our student body could become interested and active ir;
the elections and campaigning. Who knows, maybe the enthusiasm
could spread into our own campus politics, and someday the
candidates might face opposition in their bid for student offices,
and that would give our students a choice—but, then, we’r
dreaming!
: re just
Congratulations!
Our congratulations go to the Wilson Daily Times on the
paper s recent shift to offset equipment.
Very few people in the area realize the magnitude of such
a shift in operation—through money, man power, time and effort.
But the change will allow the Daily Times to continue to progress
and grow as Wilson advances.
Congratulations to a very meaningful and vital segment of
the Wilson community—Tne Wilson Daily Times, who are again
following their motto: “Not Just A Newspaper, But a Com
munity Institution.”
The following letter was writ
ten by Leo Tolstoy in 1899 to
a young candidate for conscrip
tion.
Count Tolsoy’s letter was ad
dressed to a Hessian, Ernst
Schramm, who evidently wrote
a second time in an effort to
evade Tolstoy’s arpment that
he refuse conscription.
The letter is Tolstoy’s response
to Schramm’s second letter,
and apparently *t seems to
have ended correspondence be
tween the two.
The document has recently
been added to the rare manu
script collection at Harvard’s
Library by means of a gift from
the “Atlantic Monthly.”
The magazine recently printed
the letter, translated by Rodney
Dennis, with the following note;
“In reading Tolstoy’s words
against killing, one should bear
in mind that both parties under
stood that the Hessian army in
1899 was a peacetime army but
that the penalty for evading con
scription was death. Tolstoy ad
dressed the letter to Schramm
in Darmstadt, and the Hessian
post office forwarded it to
Aschafenburg in Bavaria, leav
ing us to infer that Schramm
decided not to join up but to
change countries instead.”
In my last letter I answered
your question as well as I could,
it is not only Christians but all
just people who must refuse to
become soldiers — that is, to be
ready on another's command
(for this is what a soldier's
duty actually consists of> to kill
all those one is ordered to kill.
The question as you state it—
which is more useful, to become
a good teacher or to suffer for
rejecting conscription? — is
falsely stated. The question is
falsely stated because it is
wrong for us to determine our
actions according to their re
sults, to view actions merely as
useful or destructive. In the
choice of our actions we can
be led by their advanteges or
disadvantages only when the ac
tions themselves are not opposed
to the demands of morality.
We can stay home, go abroad,
or concern ourselves with farm
ing or science according to what
we find useful to ourselves or
ethers; for neither in domestic
life, foreign travel, farming, nor
moral. But under no circum
stance can we inflict violence on
people, torture or kill them be
cause we think such acts could
be of use to us or to others. We
cannot and may not do such
things, especially because we can
never be sure of the results of
our actions. Often actions which
seem the most advantageous of
all turn out in fact to be de
structive; and the reverse is also
true.
The question should nt;* b'"
stated: which is more uieCul, to
be a good teacher or to go to
j'ail for refusing conscription? but
rathgr: what should a man do
who has been called upon for
military servece — that is, call
ed upon to kill or to prepare
himself to kill?
And to this question, for a
person who understands the true
meaning of military service
and who w'ants to be moral,
l-'iere is on]y one clear and in
controvertible answer; such a
person must refuxe to take part
In military service no matter
what consequences this refusal
may have, it may seem to us
that this refusal could be futile
01 even harmful, and that it
would be a far more useful
ning, after serving one’s time
to become a good village teadh-
1^“.! Christ
could have judged it more usefiil
for himself to be a good ear-
enter and submit to all the
principles of the Phariseds than
to die in obscurity as he did
everyone.
from°'all distinguished
th7 tS ^ the fact
of anl n. independently
y predictable advantage to
ourselves or to others. xNo mat
ter how dangerous t'ne situation
may be of a man who finds
himsei in the power of robbers
who demand that he take part
in plundering, murder, and rape,
a moral person cannot take part.
Is not military service the same
thing? Is one not required to
agree to the deaths of all those
one is commaded to kill?
But how can one refuse to do
what everyone does, what every
one finds unavoidable and neces
sary? Or, must one do what no
one does and what everyone
considers unnecessary or even
stupid and bad? -No matter how
strange it sounds, this strange
argument is the main one
offered against those moral acts
which in our times face you and
every other person called up for
military service. But this argu
ment is even more incorrect
than the one which would make
a moral action dependent upon
considerations of advantage.
If I, finding myself in a
crowd of running people, run
with the crowd withou knowing
where, it is obvious that 1 have
given myself up to mass hj'S-
Teria; but if by chance 1 should
push my way to the front or be
gifted with sharper sight than
the others, or receive inforrna-
tion that this crowd was racing
to attack human beings and
toward its own corruption, would
I really not stop and tell the
people what might rescue them?
W'ould I go on running and do
these things whih I knew to be
bad and corrupt? This is the
situation of every individual call
ed up for military service, ^ if
he knows what military sdrvice
means.
I can well understand that
you. a young man full of life,
loving and loved by your moth
er. friends, perhaps a young
woman, think with a natural
terror about what awaits you if
vou refuse conscription; and per
haps you will not feel strong
enough to bear the consequences
O' refusal, and knowing your
weakness, will submit and be
come a soldier. I understand
corrpleteiy, and 1 do not for a
msment allow myself to balme
you. knowing very well that in
your place I might perhaps do
the same thing. Only do not
say that you did it because it
w useful or because everyone
does it. If you did it. know (hat
you did wrong.
In every erson's life there
are moments in which he can
know himself, tell himself who
he is. whether he is a man who
values his human dignity above
his life or a weak creature who
does not know his dignity and is
concerned merely with being
useful (chiefly to himself). Thi;
is the situ.■'(ion of a man who
goes out to defend his honor in
a duel or a soldier who goes
into battle (although here the
conceps of life are wrong'. It
is the situation of a doctor or a
priest called to someone sick
with plague, of a man in a
burning house or a sinking ship
who must decide whether to let
the weaker go first or shove
them aside and save himself. It
is the situation of a man in
porvery who accepts or rejects
a bribe. .And in our limes, it
is the situation of a man called
to military service. For a man
who knows its significace, the
call to the army is perhaps the
have T' n
^ a* a morallv f.
fulfill the h i
of his
to keea hi, ' ®
'■raain slartshi, ,* "•«!
these reasons ] ?
>’our question vvhefh«. !
'v>th a categorical
>ou understand tho
military service
not understand it If
“-i if you Ha V™"*
as a moral person ,
times must.
Please excuse me if . r
words are harsh. The «ilii« r
so important that one caSl*
'*4
Whitehurst
'Continued From Page Oj.| i
Of
In August, 1962, he ws
assistant principal of a Byrl'. ’
ton junior high school, a
hf held for two years.
hurst inen served as asstfe ,
pnncipal of a Buiiingioj ii.>,
school After one year, keg“
named principal of the j*l;
high school where he
teaching career.
Whitehurst said one of ijl
immediate Interests in
sc:,iQols concerns buildin’ ».■!!
tenance and the updalinj i(,'
some of the plants and Msi;.!
meiU. I*
In an effort to categorize J
most pressing curriculum Dfftj'
I feel there is need for a t/
ful review of all instnictiB
materials thereby ensuring i
quate and up ■ to
supplementary books and aiini
the areas that now need sli'eifi'
etiing," Whitehurst mtimed. [
P'urther, } am inleresl:d:!
the establishment of a jpSj
education program on Ik
high school level. The pBsj
program for the cdiicable hi:',
tally retarded is terminal it tkl
junior high school level. It «ii|
be a great value to esltr
this program to the higli s(to!|
leveo, eventually leading iii
vocational program. |
“The Wilson Ciiy Sdiool P»
gram could be preatly eiitoBil
bj’ inaugurating a formal p-,
gram for the acadeiiiial I
talented beginning in the t
mentary grades and sd n|i
cording to guidelines estaiilfj
by the State Department i« if
struction. I am interesleii|
seeing that Wilson cily
receive the same federal 1
sistance for such pro?ramsi“
many other N, C, schools
receiving.
“I am very much a"'®*
the problems facing N. C, stW
today, and 1 would like W
portunity to serve thi^ cowt
nity as we face thQt
lems and strive for c®™
progress and the best cd* I
possible for our children
iSatioiial
(Continued From Faff
6 p.m. in the new cafetena>
will leave Wilson SuikIs)'
the collegiate
>‘ubUsbed Weekly by Stadenia Attendia*
**einh«. ChrJstUB College, Wilson, S. C.
’’ States Students Press AsMciation.
the facuT<* this pare are not necessjril; Ito'
or administration at ACC.
Business Manager: Karen Casef.
Clrcuu« Copeland; Sports EdUor; Ronaie
Griffin; photognpher; JtH^‘ j
AJ Cooke, Beth Best, Scooter^
Bn Edw«rda, Carl Tyer, Pat Banks, Michael
g rsoB, Bonnie Lane and Lynn Johnson.