Show Jf Elections Will Bring Out Those Cave Man Instincts By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator r r. r WASHINGTON 1 I know you may find it hard to believe but I was not greatly stirred up over up-over over ove the election campaign and its ite outcome I have a job and It its it's s as tough under one party as another I have no vote and between you and meI me I f am not agitating for a civil rights bill which will get me one one am Tike Like all ff of the citizens of the District of Columbia I share the tho delightful delight delight- ltd ful irresponsibility responsibility with minors Idiots and criminals who dont don't have a vote either affiliation af af- without political Thus I am obligation or prejudice Well sometimes t ji i-ji- ii I j do JQ have nave one j ff i. i l prejudice a a race I prejudice SomeI Sometimes Some Some- I times I get awfully awful awful- I ly prejudiced against the human I race L I Another reason that I am not politically politically po po- ri excited this year Is that I have been watching watching watch watch- 1 ing the Washington Washing Washing- c ton vaudeville show from a good seat In the gallery B Ba a ago age press and radio gallery most gallery most of the time tune for the ther past three decades and although the performers have changed there hasn't been to much alteration of the script A Republican or a Democratic Democratic Dem Dem- politician to a reporter smells no sweeter by any name It Is my my business to report what they do and say and of course from Crom my standpoint the more they do and say the better let better let the brickbats fall where they may I have observed a good many acts on the Washington scene that got top billing billing and and deserved It I have also listened to a lot of pretty pretty pretty pret pret- ty sad comedians and seen a lot lotof lotof lotof of hams But on the whole I believe that regardless of who happens to be Inthe inthe in inthe the cast taking it all in all its it's a pretty high class drama In fact I think as we compare the Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington program with most of those that are offered by the other capitals capitals capitals capi capi- of the world its it's really the greatest show on earth However during campaign time I must admit I would rather be right where I am than President On any ticket Now dont don't think I am obJectIng objectIng object- object Ing lag to our good o-ld o knock-down knock out drag-out method of electing Presidents or any other officials I not only think its it's a wonderful thing that we have this free free- for all every four Cour years but I think both parties would wither witheron on tho the vine vinc If U we didn't In fact I think the abandonment of our method would probably bring crashing to the ground the palladium palladium palla palla- of our republic would destroy destroy destroy de de- de- de stroy our opportunity to pursue life liberty and happiness happiness and and the weekly pay envelope envelope and and would reduce these United States to such sucha a condition that the Indians wouldn't take the property back if 11 we offered it to them I base this statement not upon L mere guess but upon sound scientific scientific studies of the question of why we behave like human beings when we do Now I dont don't know how far you will go along with the psychiatrists who claim your athletes athlete's foot is due to a complex created when you you were two years old by having your youx big brother drop a baseball bat on os I your toe Nevertheless I think one thing has been established by psychiatry psychIatry-a a truism confirmed byI by writers and poets of all ages and I which you can confirm yourself by going over some of your yourl own inner innet thoughts Especially when you yot I think what you'd like to do to the theman them m man n who crumpled your fender while you were attending prayer meeting I refer to the accepted truism that even the most benign and mild-mannered mild Mr l Milquetoast has a caveman deep within him One has only to observe ones one's i iown own child angel-child who on his way home from Sunday School and in cooperation with the children angel-children of ones one's neighbors will tie a can canto canto canto to a dogs dog's tail or engage in a dozen other humane activities that would give a visiting cannibal from the South Seas something to write home about We DO O have a caveman within us we rio iio have primitive aggressive aggressive sive instincts We have the Instinct to give pain to to destroy to t take e advantage of ot our fellow fellowman The early period of our lives is s spent in being taught to turn these Instincts to good p purpose pose The call It sublimating them The sadistic Inclination of a medical student can be bel tr transmuted under the ln Influence of civilized society to make him the finest surgeon The desire to tn plunder and rob and destroy to even the most angelic angello little e ones can be channeled Into the Ingenuity nul Ing ty which th the by engineer moves mountains and captains of 01 Industry In In- push railways railway through the forest and thus benefit Instead In Ln- a. a stead of harm barm mankind Do you suppose we could put on that greatest of all aU exhibitions a 8 World Series Serles game game l if It weren't f for or the old man cave-man I have heard It said that baseball base base- b ball all has become the monarch of s sports ports because it brings into play s so o many of the primitive emotions F First we have pursuit without which primitive man could not get the food necessary to sustain himell himself himself him him- s self ell and his family or even a wife t to o raise the family Then Then another another primitive pastime u used sed in baseball pity baseball pity ll-pity pity the poor c man cave ave man who couldn't accurately h heave eave a rocki It only requires plenty of practice In hi a summer camp plus what was learned In the s sandlot to turn that basic desire into the ability to pitch a hit no-hit norun norun noun no- no r run un game Take one more example As the man cave-man progressed he learned to use a club So there it Is is base base runner pitcher batsman Primitive Urges Basic in Democracy Just as the sublimation of primitive primitive primi prim tive instinct has formed the great sport of the greatest democracy inthe in Ii inthe I the world world world-so so the sublimation oi 01 I some of these instincts behind ancient an dent tribal customs has made out oui democracy itself Itsel possible In a successful democracy Instincts are not repressed They are merely modified so that they fit Into a human and humane society As you know by by- bythe the time marhad man mar had reached the point where he hc had bad organized himself into a clan it was the papa who ran things He was the chief because he had hac I the one quality most essential in ir I those days for self sell and group protection pro pro- strength strength His term of office was not limited limited lim Urn by statute Some of the chiefs chief even ran for a fourth term But the older older- as papa grew l If 11 not wiser wiser wiser-he he also grew weaker But his sons were growing stronger Finally they felt it was time to hold holc holdan I an election They had had their I primaries of course and had hat I picked a candidate Then the tin campaign began It was usually quite short short but but very snappy Both Boti I candidates were armed with good good- sized clubs The debate took place at some point where the nonvotIng nonvoting non vot ing but interested electorate this 3 was before women's suffrage could I watch with as little personal danger 1 as possible Of course the best man finally won Inauguration ceremonies took place immediately attended attend attend- ed by all of the tribe except a couple who were delegated to bury the defeated candidate Then the younger brothers and the females settled down to maintain peace prosperity and the pursuit of happiness Let me quote one or two paragraphs paragraphs para para- paragraphs graphs from the work of that ver very I fascinating book by Dr Gregory Gregor r Mind Hind Medicine ant and I Man It is difficult to find any function function function tion of our democratic society which 1 surpasses or even approximates at an 1 electoral campaign in intensity ant and I blatancy of aggression Acrimony anger hate slander venality appear appear ap ap- appear pear everything except actual 1 homicide The proverbial lid is literally literally literally lit lit- of off the reservoir of patricidal I drives and society hurls itself itsel or on 1 its symbolic victim with all the energy energy energy en en- ergy of a primitive cannibaL It Iti s 3 primitive cannibalism whether i it t expresses Itself itsel in campaign slander sian der whispering campaigns political 1 maneuvering or flattery of the indolent in in- dolent who do not care A father is h. to be killed by way of democratic ceremonial and a new one will at once be set up by way of the same ceremonial In other words we wo had a healthy fight In November and got It out of our systems The Tho man cave-man within us was satis- satis fled fied Weve We've got ourselves a a. President and nobody has bas committed com com- murder And there In we have an advantage advantage tage not shared by some other coun- coun tries For here even between elections elections elec elec- we allow the man cave-man to roar In the tte press over the radio and from the rostrum He can br brandish his verbal club and hurl burl his barbed epithets In the very face of the President the and the town meeting congress congress' And thereby likewise We prove our strength a strength which derives derives derives de- de rives not from the atomic bomb but cut from a power that can and does penetrate peacefully even through an Iron curtain |