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Show Howe About: The Arctic Circle Communism Farmers in Russia . 1933. BU Syndicate WNU Service. By ED HOWE I HAVE lately been wondering, if I am a less Intelligent, efficient and moral man because of my long contact with reformers. In 1930 a man named Robert Marshall went to the town of Wiseman, north of the Arctic circle, and remained more than a year. Recently he has written a book about his experiences experi-ences while there. The Inhabitants Inhabit-ants numbered 127; 70 whites, 4-1 Eskimos, 6 Indians, and 1 light mulatto. Forty-five of the whites are native born, and 32 foreign born; Germans, English, Scandinavians, Scandina-vians, etc: a fair cross section of the people of the United States. Living Liv-ing so far from what Is commonly called civilization, and being snowed In six months of the year, one would think they lived like savages. On the contrary, their average In all respects is higher than ours. One white and two native women profess to be religious, but the rest of the Inhabitants pay less than usual attention to the subject, and there Is no disturbance about It. When there is an occasional case of poverty or distress (both very rare) It Is promptly and generously gener-ously relieved, although there are no welfare workers In the town. Nor Is there any stealing, and violence vio-lence Is unknown, except a tradition tradi-tion that a crazy man once killed a native; sentiment Is strongly opposed op-posed to quarreling. There are no newspapers, politicians, pastors, po llcemen, judges, lawyers, doctors teachers, movie plays, welfare work ers of any kind. Mr. Marshall gave forty-five of the adults, and most of the children, chil-dren, the commonly accepted Intelligence Intel-ligence test, and found that 40 per cent ranked above our average. Times are always hard, and nature harsh, but the people manage to get along comfortably and decently. Some are well-to-do, some middle class, and some poor, but there Is no rioting about it, all being given the same opportunity. This history seems to Indicate that the troubles of the average civilized civ-ilized community are . largely artificial, arti-ficial, and Introduced by reformers; also, that those of us In civilization, civiliza-tion, in trying to get rid of our troubles, trou-bles, become less intelligent, less effective, and less moral. I believe one bugaboo with which men have long frightened themselves them-selves may be safely given up. I refer to Communism. Men will continue con-tinue to be mean. Idle, foolish, but the worst of them have lost respect for the contention of Karl Marx that the best solution of the human problems Is for all men to pool their work and earnings, and at the end of the week divide equally. Everybody knows and admits now that individualism-capitalism (every man handling his home, his Job, his family, to his own taste) Is the best way because It Is the human hu-man way; we have at last admitted some men will not work, and that the Industrious will not divide with them. I think we may also dismiss the old fear of general rioting, burning and murder. Men are still mean enough to do these things, but are discovering' there Is no common sense in burning such houses and food supplies as we have; that it Is easier to possess them through election booths or Judges; that Instead In-stead of killing Industrious men, It Is better and easier to let them accumulate more that may be stolen. The friendliest critic of the Russians, Rus-sians, Walter - Duranty, says the Russian ' town people and soldiers have plenty of food, but that millions mil-lions of farmers are dying because of malnutrition: which means disease dis-ease caused by lack of food. In the United States town people have never been that rough with farmers; farm-ers; we have made fools of them, but always allowed them enough to eat a I have known men a long time, and had occasion to remark many cases of extreme shiftlessness, but believe men are more shiftless now than ever before. A man of forty-five (and who confesses he Is healthy), in writing to me for help, says: "I have no one to appeal to except my sister Ruth, but she has been sick three years, and unable to do anything for me." I have observed also that more men than U6ual are lately "working" the women. wom-en. Note any woman who has achieved considerable prosperity as a result of the new freedom, and you will find a lot of men hanging to her skirts ; one successful actress confesses she Is supporting seven families. . It Is frequently said during the present hard times : "The honest and thrifty are In no better state than the crafty and wasteful." All have been cruelly hurt, but there never was a time when the honest and thrifty were not a little better off than the careless and dishonest The young contentedly accept the old arithmetic Why not the old phl-J phl-J losephy ? - |