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Show TODAY'S EDITORIAL From Adversity Comes What? Some Americans have met the recent Russian scientific successes in ostrich-style by trying to ignore them or deprecate them. Some, at the other extreme, reacted with panic and despair an all-is-lost attitude. They showed themselves lacking in the "virtue of adversity" of which Sir Francis Bacon wrote many years ago. But these people were very much in the minority. The great majority of Americans fully understand that there is work to do and that we must get on with it. The problem, then, is how to do it. Russia has been showing the world some of the fruits of a harsh materialistic system. Her achievements and only a fool will now try to minimize them have been brought about by force. The abilities of the people are carefully, efficiently, rigorously rigor-ously channelled into whatever avenues best serve the purposes of the state. The rewards for success are often high; the penalties for failure are often very extreme. In any event, the individual has small command over his destiny. The state makes the important im-portant decisions and provides the directions. Can a free people rival and surpass the achievements of such a system and still keep their freedom, their traditions and their national heart and soul? History tells us that we can. Time and again the forces of freedom have defeated the forces of tyranny. But the exact opposite also has occurred. Great civilizations have fallen to the barbarian hordes. This has happened when those civilizations grew soft and sleek, contented and slack, (Continued on Page 4) Adversity Comes What? (Continued from Page 1) immersed in luxury and degenerate in character. It' has happened when faith was lost in principles and institutions, insti-tutions, that led to greatness to be replaced by overwhelming cynicism. It has happened in some, when fortitude did not come out of adversity, when defeatism prevailed and the people turned to the "weeping walls." We do not yet know the extent of the efforts that will be needed to build and to maintain the strength necessary for survival. But we do know that they will be great, and future events may demonstrate they will be greater than anyone now realizes. The burden will fall upon all industry, labor, government. Restraint and wisdom will be needed by all the national interest in-terest must come ahead of self interest. But no one should look on this burden with distaste and fear. The times have brought the challenges and opportunity and a people which value freedom and honor will rise voluntarily volun-tarily and in full willingness to meet the challenge and exploit the opportunity. |