U.U.C. luVtiTtTj
Serials Dept.
Chapel Hill, II. C.
f 1 n ir-rts.
VOLUME LX
CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1952 .
UMBEK 101
Editorial
In' I he N a
171
Of Freedom'
Two State Department Officials J Spea
Today At International Relations Meet
IV
Many of the events hashed over in the following letter
letter have been long hidden from the public eye. Other inci
dents have been virtually hidden by insignificant mention in
the public press. -
Tor these reasons, and for the reason that the ideas ex
pressed are of such great significance to all agencies of the
University and to the state, and indeed, to the nation, we are
publishing this letter as a front page editorial, expressing the
official policy of this newspaper Editor
Madam Editor:
I wish to take this opportunity to comment on your edi
itorial of Tuesday morning and the dangers to which it called
attention.
For the past few years I have viewed with the greatest
alarm acreeping intellectual paralysis that has come to grip
the American educational community. This paralysis finds
its roots in fear and conformity generated by the nature of
the cold war. In our efforts to combat the grave menace posed I
by the actions of Soviet Russia, we have allowed ourselves to
become the prisoners of a doctrine of negativism which has
led us to repudiate the historic principles for which we claim
to .be fighting.
Under the guise of anti-communism we have allowed pro
fessional, patriots and opportunistic politicians to equate
change with communism, and dissent with disloyalty. Para
doxically, this nation, which was once known because of its
belief in freedom, as the country where a permanent peace
ful revolution was continually taking place, to extend f he
benefits of the "good life" to more and more, has abandoned
its historic role in favor of becoming a nation in which a
premium is placed upon conformity and advocacy of the status
quo. No segment of American life has managed to remain un
touched by the growing notion that to conform is the proper
and safe -thing to do.
Our schools and colleges have manifested the most serious
case of this illness the very place where it can be least toler-
INTIMIDATION PREVAILS
During the past few years, through my association with
the XLS. National Students Association and the National Com
mission for UNESCO, I have seen at close range the disastrous
effects of such practices as loyalty oaths, bans on speakers,
'the outlawing of student political groups, the prohibition of
text books, the political phenonenon known as "McCarthy
ism," and the intimidation of students and faculty members
who did not conform to the majority view.
The effect has been to stifle free thought and discussion
to make people afraid to think on their own and doubly afraid
to act on their own. Political curiosity of mature men has been
seriously reduced through fear of joining political organiza
tions or of signing petitions, and we have come to parrot, as
would children, the majority view.
In short, our generation has come to be known as "the gen
eration of jelly fish" (in ihe Wisconsin Cardinal), or ihe "silent
generation" (Time Magazine), or ihe "fearful generation"
(NY Times.)
For a long time, I used to compliment myself that the Uni
versity of North Carolina, with its long-standing tradition of
freedom and Tar Heel common, sense, had been able to wea
ther this storm relatively unscathed. Gradually, however, I
came to see that such was not the case. On the contrary, what
has been taking place here in the last few years is in many
ways much more insidious than that which has been happen
ing at other colleges more insidious because it operates large
ly under-cover and in silence.
INSIDIOUS PRACTICES
I think the time has come to make public many of the
insidious practices that have so cleverly laid low our once
cherished intellectual independence in the hope that we can
better understand and combat these forces by first identify
ing them. I offer the following observations to which I have
given serious thought during the last several months.
(1) The post-war years have seen a marked and shockmg
decline in the political interest and consciousness of the stu
dent body. Much of this is due to what can be termed normal
apathy, but this apathy has grown to such huge proportions
that one must look elsewhere in order to understand and as
certain the significence of the decline of such organizations
as the Carolina Political Union, the International Relations
Club, the. Collegiate Council of the United Nations, and the
Students for Democratic Action. ..
Several National organziations have looked into this prob
lem extensively and have found a direct correlation between
the growing apathy and the tendency toward fear and con
formity. Students whoss views are substantially to the leit
of Robert A. Taf t or Joe McCarthy are strongly reticent to
identify themselves with organizations which may later turn
up on the lists of an SBI or an FBI aent and several non
partisan organizations have appeared on such lists.
iSee "IN THE NAME OS FREEDOM", page 2
Dr. Richard H. Heindel, deputy
director, UNESCO Relations staff,
U.S. State Department, and John
A. Hamilton, Office of Public
Affairs, State Department, will be
among principal speakers at the
one-day Conference on Interna
tional Relations to be held here
today. - 1
.Dr. Heindel will give and ad
dress on "Learning and World
Peace" at the opening morning
session at 11 o'clock in Gerrard
hall, and Hamilton will discuss
Freedom and Security Aims of
U.S. Foreign Policy" at an 8 p.m.
session. V
Also addressing the evening
session will be Dr. R. J. McMolleri,
Chapel Hill, former president of
Greater Religious Emphasis
Needed Says Prof Fair child
A noted English scholar told a
group of faculty members and stu
dents last night that he believed
"the only final solution for the
predicament of modern man" lies
in a greater emphasis on religion.
Dr. Noxie Neale Fairchild, pro
fessor of English in Hunter Col
lege. N. Y., declared, in an address
in Gerrard hall, that "bad as the
present situation certainly is,
there is reason to believe that
American higher education has
already begun to rediscover the
fact that the only way to pre
serve human values is to affirm
religious values.
"From year to year the progress
may seem to be very slow," he
said, "but those of you who can
look back with me over a con
siderable time will agree that
some astonishing changes have
taken place, and that the rate
of change has grown more rapid
of recent years."
Dr. Fairchild, who was intro
duced by Dr. A. F. Hudson ofi of :COUrse, is the -academic phase
tne University .English depart
ment, was sponsored by the Inter
Faith Council, student organi-
Team Departs
For Debates
Ken Myers, Bob Clampitt and
Bob Evans leave this afternoon
for Boston, Mass. to participate in
ar invitational debate tournament.
Evans will represent the Uni
versity as an extemporaneous
speaker, while Myers and Clam
pitt will debate both sides of -the
question: Resolved that the
federal government should adopt
a permanent program of wage
and price control.
James M. Parrish of - the Uni
versity's school of economics
will act as judge at the debate.
The University debate team will
meet with 30 other major teams
from all sections of the nation.
North Carolina placed fourth in
the last tournament in Boston.
zation, and the English depart
ment. Referring to the joint sponsor
ship, Dr. Fairchild said "30 or
even 15 years ago, nobody would
have been invited to the Uni
versity of North Carolina or any
where else through the coopera
tion of the Inter-Faith Council
and the Department of English.
In the old days the Council
would not have known what to
do with a scholar, and the De
partment would have shrunk
"with horror from anyone who
would have been acceptable to
the Council." ; " . .
Taking "Religion and the Col
lege Teacher" as his subject, Dr.
Fairchild, who described his
specialty! as the impact of re
ligious ideas upon English poetry,
said he believed the changes to
wards more religious emphasis
in the colleges "indicate a trend
in the direction of positive super-
naturalistic religion. This trend,
Want Your Room?
Today is the last opportunity
for men wishing to retain their
dormitory room for the spring
quarter to sign ihe lists now in
ihe hands of dormitory advi
sors. : -'
Residents f ailing to initial
ihe lists ioday will lose heir
room assignment for next quar
ter, according io Housing Di
rector James E. Wads worth.
It is ine responsibility of
each dormitory resident to con
tact IhV&dTisor sd Islilil ths
lisi, Vadswozlh said.
of the general religious revival
which has recently become so
marked in the western 'world as
a whole. And I emphasize that
the university not only moulds
but reflects its environment."
He said that the task of the
free American institutions of
higher learning " is to foster all
that is genuine in' this religious
trend and at the same time re
sist all that is spurious in it.
"I do not advocate the trans
formation of college teaching in
to an aggressively evengelistic
campaign of indoctrination," "Dr.
Fairchild said. "I merely urge,
on behalf of the rapidly increas
ing number, of - scholars who .de
sire a fair hearing for Christianity
in higher education, that the
right to teach from a religious
point of view stands on exactly
the same footing as the right to
teach non-religiously or anti
religiously. It is wholly legiti
mate for the teacher to give
religion all the importance which
it actually possesses for the study
of a given subject, to engage
freely but temperately in class
room discussion of pertinent re
ligious questions, to make it plain
that he possesses a religion, and
to state what -that religion is."
A luncheon meeting will be
lield for Prof. Fairchild today at
one o'clock in the club room of
the Carolina Inn. Reservations
for this meeting may be made- at
the YWCA office today. Places
for 150 persons will be accepted.
Tonight he will lead a seminar
on the religious aspects of Eng
lish literature at ths Lutheran
church social room.
Hangehow Christian College,
China, and Centre College in
Kentucky, who will discuss
"American Imperialism in the
Far East?"
President Gordon Gray will ex
tend a welcome, and Mrs. Grady
E. Kirkman, Greensboro, chair
man of the Department of Inter
national Relations of the North
Carolina Federation of Women's
Clubs, will preside.
Group discussions on U. S.
foreign policy . throughout the
world will be held during the
afternoon, beginning at 2 p. m.,
with the following moderators
and topics: Lt. Col. Mark T. Orr,
professor of air science in the AF
ROTC unit, the Far East; Claude
T. Shotts, University YMCA Sec
retary, Near East; Dr. Eugene E,
Pfaff, Woman's College, Greens
boro, Western Europe; Dr. S. E.
Leayitt, UNC professor of Spa
nish, the Americas; and Russell
M. Grumman, director, Univer
sity Extension Division, who will
preside over a panel to summarize
the Conference and make recom
mendations. Preceding the evening session,
there will be a demonstration of
the first in a series of film forums
on world affairs to be held at 7
p. m., with" D wight -C. - Rhyne,
University Extension Division, as
moderator. -
The Conference, second to be
held, is arranged by the Univer
sity Extension Division, with the
following organizations participat
ing; N. C. Federation of Women's
Clubs,- State Federation of Home
Demonstration Clubs, Southern
Council on International Rela
tions, State " Division of the
American Association of Univer
sity Women, N. C. Congress of
Parents and Teachers, N. C. Dio
cese of the Episcopal Women's
Auxiliary, State Baptist Women's
Missionary Union, second district
of Altrusa International, State
Nurses Association, and the Wo
man's Society of Christian Ser
vice of. the TTorth - Carolina
Methodist Conference. . ' " .
Wa I en born
Recital Set
ght
or I :on i
One of the world's leading ac
companists, Robert Wallenborn,
will give . a recital in Hill hall
tonight at 8:30.
Wallenborn, American pianist
and lecturer on music, has assist
ed Mary Garden, Richard Ronelli,
and Helen Jepson. He is noted
for his interpretations of the
works of modern composers.
The program will include com
positions by Debussy, Ravel, and
Stravinsky.
A graduate of the American
Conservatory of Music, Chicago,
and the University of Chicago,
Wallenborn studied - in Leipzig
under Max Pauer and in Berlin
with George Bertram. After
World War IL he served with th
American Army of Occupation in.
Vienna and also gave many cosv
certs. ; -"The
public is invited.
. ..r r-ff T'