"Careful You Don't Set the Whole Dormitory on Fire" Z'PrmtdiigallBatty Seventy-First Year EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN "Where Opinions Are Free UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Truth Will Prevail" STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG. " ANN ARBOR, MICH. * Phone NO 2-3241 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. TUESDAY, MAY 16, 1961 NIGHT EDITOR: CAROLINE DOW INTERPRETING THE NEWS: Summit Won't Stop Red Expansionism By J. M. BOBE RTS Associated Press News Analyst NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV is doing what he has to do in Asia and nothing President Kennedy might say to him is likely to change the Soviet Premier's concept of the forces to which he must react. Against the bacground of a Laotian situation in which the United States has been made to look something like a paper tiger, Kennedy is reported to be considering private talks with Khrushchev. The United States has started out at Geneva by compromising on the makeup of the conference over Laos. She now faces a situation in Toynbee' s Assimilation Would Corrupt Judaism ARNOLD TOYNBEE, the important and con- troversial British historian, has again stir- red up passions over what appears to be one of his favorite topics-"the Jewish question." Since Prof. Toynbee has spoken at the Uni- versity and issued several statements which have recently appeared in The New York Times, it is particularly appropo that an attempt be made to understand his position and the violent reactions which it constantly seems to engender. Toynbee has long been known for his strong views on the "Jewish nation-he feels it simply should not exist. His rationale is only apparent after one knows the rudiments in- volved in his systematic approach to history. Toynbee holds that the historical process can be explained by a rise and fall of civilization (for better still by their response to particular challenges) at first patterned after what he thought was the path and fate of ancient Hel- lenism. Afrter a certain point, a civilization supposedly will decline and will eventually cease to exist. OST OF THE CASES that Toyngee chooses to discuss appear to fit into his pre-conceiv- ed pattern. One bothersome exception, however, seemed to be the Jews. Although their national homeland had been destroyed, in some peculiar form they seemed still to be alive, they were persecuted, hated or admired as merchants and scholars, and continued to preserve their strange and demanding religion. Furthermore they carried through all the motions of "being alive" for nearly 2,000 years. Very obviously, somthing was amiss-either with Toynbee's in- terpretation of history or with the Jews. Toyn- bee chose the latter. The Jews, he pointed out, were not really "alive" in the ordinary sense of the term; no, quite to the contrary-they were "fossils." From the English historian's viewpoint, they had no real "right"to perpetuate their sep- arate existence. They should yield to assimili- lation. When this "clannish," self-imposed shell has disintegrated-then their religion could oc- cupy its rightful place "as one of the great spiritual possessions of the whole human race." As he is recently reported to have said, Toyn- flee, in the most "liberal tradition" is in per- fect agreement with a type of Jewish inter- marriage which would break down "the tradi- tional caste barriers between Jews and non- 'ews." QUITE NATURALLY, when Toynbee first said things like this, a great cry arose from certain segments of the Jewish "People." They seemed to object violently to this version of "Jewish assimilation." These people, like the well known Anglo-Jewish critic, Maurice Swan- son, and those "professional Jews" who com- prised such "self interest groups" as the Or- thodox Rabbinate, maintained that assimila- tion would most certainly bring with it the an- nihilation of a unique and desirable religious- cultural tradition-which they felt was very much worth preserving-even in the wake of a renewed cry for a "world civilization." These people were charged with having "closed minds," "being medieval," and "clannish" and "illiberal." Quite a few of their most outspoken critics were themselves Jews. AT THIS POINT it is worth noting that since the appearance of his massive eleven-vol- ume "Study of History," Arnold Toynbee has retreated from many of his original positions. At the strong insistence of a good number of historians, Toynbee has himself admitted that perhaps he had twisted facts a bit and been ignorant of others which would have served to threw serious doubt on his whole system. He has, to a degree, shifted his position on the Jews. They are no longer classified by that strange geological appelation "fossil." And ac- cording to Prof. Hans Kohn in the Literary Supplement of the New York Times, Toynbee, in his latest work-Volume XII entitled "Rec- ommendations" has now become aware of the "ambivalent character of Judaism which is a national and universal regilion, and of the tension between these two 'incompatible alter- natives'." Out of context this statement does not appear to alter matters to any significant degree. Yet Toynbee seems quite aware of his now admitted ignorance of Jewish history and of his error in talking about it is an authority in his former works. Now a bit more enlightened, he is said to attach a greater degree of importance to the almost previously overlooked 2,000 years of Jewish Diaspora culture, where he admits some quite significant Jewish contributions to Editorial Staff THOMAS IAYDEN, Editor NAN MARKEL JEAN SPENCER City Editor Editorial Director Business Staff JUDITH NICHOLSON, Business Manager MARJORIF BLUESTEIN...Associate Business Manager STEVE AUGUSTYN..............Finance Manager BETSY UNDERWOOD...,...........Accounts Manager KENNETH McELDOWNEY......Associate City Editor JUDITI ADNER... ............personnel Director THOAMAS KAB~AKCER..................-Maazine Eitr civilizatio nwere made. He still seems to main- tain however, that the Jews should cease to be a group to themselves. They ought to, "in the best sense," assimilate with their neigh- bors.,. RECENTLY, certain remarks by Toynbee were brought to the attention of the University community. In effect, Toynbee reaffirmed his belief in the necessity for Jewish assimila- tion. Several orthodox rabbis replied that without a traditional prohibition in intermar- riage, Judaism would disappear. This was not to be desired, they implied, since Judaism, the peculiar religion, was perpetuated "for the- benefit of all mankind." It appears that Toynbee and those who in- tepreted his position do not take issue with this last point. It is assumed that there is some- thing intrinsically-valuable in the ethical, moral or religious teachings of Judaism. Rather, ar- gued Toynbee, the Jews, by keeping their reli- gion to themselves-by defusing intermarriage -are actually placing limits on the scope of their culture and certainly were not, as the rab- bis arrester, really preserving it. The point is made that a strong religion need not tremble when confronted with assimilation-for if this faith were as strong as it purported to be, it could withstand the so called "dangerous ef- fects" of out-marriage. BESIDES an obvious ignorance of Jewish his- tory, philosophy and general sociological theory, this view contains at least two blatant and very dangerous logical mistakes. How can a culture that considers itself unique and significant maintain its values or expect others to carry them on if it "assimilates" into a mass culture which, is not a more ideal or ethical civilization? If a more satisfying "culture" is found that the Jews might assimilate into, the proposal warrants very serious considera- tion. But this humanistic "world culture" does not yet exist in any realistic form. And until it does (call it the "Messianic age if you like") -I will argue for the existence of a particular Jewish religion-not the suburban country club type phenonemon but a monotheistic-and high- ly ethical faith, with a strong contemporary re-emphasis on the prophetic teachings of the importance of the individual and of the com- munity. In the same vein, I would argue too, for the particular faiths, among others, of the Catholic personalist, Dorothy Day, the Prot- estant theologian, Paul Tillich and the ex- dstentialist atheist, Albert Camus. YET WHAT IS EVEN MORE shocking than these assimilationist views, is a popular comparison of the Jewish concept of unique existence with Adolf Hitler's doctrine of "the pure race." Traditional rabbinic opinion on this point is quite clear. Anyone, (except for a few ancient Cannanite tribes enumerated in the second book of the Bible), provided he is of serious intent, may become a convert to Judaism. Once he be- comes a Jew, there is no distinction made be- tween the convert and the person who is born a Jew. Need it be emphasized that no one who was not an Aryan to the nth generation could ever become a member of the "pure race?" And to call the Jews a race is obviously erroneous if we mean it in any acceptable way, A strange race it is which includes the long nosed East European, the blue-eyed Swede, the swarthy Yemenite, and the black Ethiopian Jew who now resides in Harlem. Among other things, this editorial has point- ed out the difficulties and misconceptions in Toynbee's approach to Jewish history and the trouble that the "living fossil" has given him. It has been shown, I hope, that there are two serious errors in a recent interpretation of the British "meta-historian's" view of the Jews. To assert that a "strong faith" need not fear intermarriage-assuming that a good portion of those intermarriages remain outside the fold-is absurd. Study the history of the Jews in Hellenistic Greece, Golden Age Spain before the Inquisition, and post enlightenment pre- war Germany. To compare the much misused Jewish "racial"label with the Arayan theories of Hitler is plainly erroneous. YET MANY WHO HAVE READ this far prob- ably see this position as unrealistic and dangerous. Perhaps this viewpoint has even confirme their ideas of the "clannish" and "anti-social, anti-democratic" nature of the Jewish religion. All one can say to this is to ad- vise a bit more reading into the original sources of the Hebrew religion, study its social, eco- nomic and intellectual phases, and then we shall be better able to intelligently discuss my boldest and perhaps most shaky assertion- that at the present moment, the Jewish reli- gion should be preserved at all costs. Finally, one can be fairly certain that the most vociferous critics of this view may come from amongst the Jews. I think that most people will agree that Jews are easily and quite passionately brought into any intellectual dis- cussion that touches on the subject of their Jewishness. Even if they are only "marginal Jews" and usually care little about their reli- gion, they often feel qualified to speak with remarkable forcefulness and authority on some- thing which so obviously seems to concern them. Let me simply note that sometimes BIRCH SOCIETY: Battle Against Democracy (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the final article in a two-part analysis of the aims, values and methods of The John Birch Society.) By HARRY PERLSTADT Daily Staff Writer ROBERT WELCH. founder of the John Birch Society, de- fends the Society's use of ques- tionable means by saying that he is promoting Americanism and is not making any sacrifices to mor- ality. This is important for Welch; both he and Capt. John M. Birch were raised as fundamentalist Baptists who believe that religion is an essential part of life. Welch wants people to be religious Pro- testants, Catholics, or Jews. He does not aprove of the hollow re- ligion he thinks is prevalant in the United States today. A member of the American Jewish Committee in Detroit said that there is no evidence at pres- ent that the Society is anti- Semitic. However there are Birch- ers who hold anti-Semitic views, he says, although there is nothing in the ideals or doctrines of the Society that would suggest ant - Semitism. * * * IF WELCH does not come into conflict with the American way of life on the religious question, his views of government certainly challenge current U.S. institutions. The essence of Welch's view is "less government and more (in- dividual) responsibility" on all levels, but primarily federal. Welch is for the abolition of federal in- come tax, less federal welfare spending and more economic re- sponsibility for big business. The fear of financial power con- centrated in Washington through tax power is of great concern to John Birchers. Dr. Vernon P. Johnson of Detroit, a member of the Society's Committee of En- dorsors, says that "all the money is going to Washington and being doled out. There is too much power concentrated in Washington and no funds are left for local government." But the Society is lead by big businessmen and has their inter- ests at heart. Welch views the government as a giant business concern doing rather poorly: "It is basically a non-productive ex- pense, an overhead cost supported by the productive economy." These big businessmen are the first to feel the pinch of new taxes, "wel- fare legislation," or any "New Dealism. * * * THE SOCIETY and Welch have a real contempt for federal gov- ernment. "I am convinced America would be better off with a govern- ment of three hundred thousand officials and agents, every single one of them a thief, than a gov- ernment of three million agents with every single one of them an honest, honorable, public servant . . . The increasing quantity of government, in all nations, has constituted the greatest tragedy of the Twentieth Century," Welch writes in The Bluebook. The Society believes in "the rule of law, not men." One motto of the group is "This is a republic- not a democracy-Let's kemio It that way." Republic, for Welch, means rule according to established law-tra- dition and precedent. A republic may be in the form of a monarchy or oligarchy as well as a represen- tative democracy. But unlike the democracy, where mob psychology supports disdain for the restric- tions of law, the republic's law cannot be changed except by due and deliberate process according to established precedent. * , WELCH'S AIMS would in effect establish an oligarchy of big busi- nessmen to run the governmen'. He sees the Reutherite mobs run- ning the government into collec- tivization and ruining free enter- prise. If the federal government existed as a mere skeleton crew, there would be less taxes for big business to pay, less anti-trust leg- islation and big business could ef- fectively control all other forms of local government. This un- doubtedly is one of the ideals of the Society. Welch states that the Founding Fathers nowhere mentioned a democratic form of federal gov- ernment in the American Consti- tution. He charges that the demo- cratic system provides no protec- tion for minority rights, and the whim of the majority can change the political and economic struc- ture of the United States so that "it can be comfortably merged with Soviet Russia." To be sure, many liberal and democratic thinkers from John Stuart Mill onward have been con- cerned with the great problem of protection of minority interests. Welch is true to the tradition of the eighteenth century liberal who believed in "laissez-faire". But in today's world, such thinking is a reactionary mask to cover fears of "welfare" legislation and gov- ernment regulation of business. THERE are approximately 20 Birch Society Chapters in Michi- gan of which 18 are located in metropolitan Detroit. The Society 'itself does not take an active :n- terest in local politics although members of the Society can be found in various local political organizations. Naturally, when they do enter local politics it is to support right wing candidates. Because of high dues, most Birch members are adults. There are, however, independent stu- dents who sympathize with the Society but for one reason or another have not joined. Over a year ago at the Univer- sity of Detroit an approach was made to a group holding a seminar on Communism to form a Chapter. The people who approached the leader of the seminar said they would be willing to subsidize the dues, but no Chapter was formed. The society apparently has had difficulty attracting students to the cause of Birchism. This lack of support clashes with the al- leged "conservative surge" among the nation's youth and seems to indicate that it is more than money that keeps students out of the John Birch Society. Hack,? THE INTERNATIONAL social- 1 ists... took a meretricious hack named Arnold J. Toynbee, who just by the intrinsic evidence of 'his own pages is one of the worst charlatans that ever lived; they had Toynbee interpret and rewrite history in such fashion as specifically to supplant Spengler's cyclic theory of cultures with Toynbee's half-baked nonsense. -Robert Welch which the Communist position of tecting Western interests. Like- wise, the Geneva discussions of an atom test ban are floundering. THE WESTERN objective, then, would seem to be to prevent the situation from deteriorating to the point where the only pieces left for play on the international board are force and the threat of force. Such a situation would be danger- ous with the Berlin issue coming to a head. Under the circumstances, Ken- nedy may feel like backing away from his original concept that any summitry on his part would have to be based on an improved Ameri- can position of strength and care- ful diplomatic preparations at lower levels. Neither has happened. Summitry, however, must be weighed against its chances of success, just as military interven- tion in Laos was considered against the chance of success. THE FORCES AT WORK on Khrushchev do not contribute to American chances of such success, no matter how much he wishes to reassure the Soviet people that his program for international Com- munist' conquest will not involve them in war. In the Korean War the Chinese Reds found they could stand up and fight the Europeans who had dominated Asia for so many gen - erations, and the Americans who stood as the chief bar to tradi- tional Chinese (not merely Com- munist) expansionism. * * * NOW THEY ARE OUT to extend their sway beyong their southern perimeter. They were prepared to take over Laos, and now they are preparin gto move in South Viet Nam and Thailand, toward all of the Southeast Asian peninsula and Sumatra. Moscow had to anticipate Pei- ping with arms in Laos, and join the general Communist political pressure on Asia, or else see the Chinese Reds expanding without Soviet aid or influence. The Kremlin's uneasy leadership of the Sino - Soviet expansionist movement hashbecome more im- portant to Khrushchev for the moment than his campaign for co- existence. LETTERS to the EDITORR Semitism . .. To the Editor: IT IS SAD to see that The Michi- gan Daily continues on its path of irresponsible journalism. The derrogatory treatment of Com- mander Shepard's flight was very disappointing. Very disappointing, and at the same time uninformed and irresponsible, was also the name-calling in Sunday's editorial by Gerald Storch on "problems of free speech." Here Storch accuses an Arab consulate official of "markedly anti-Semitic" state ments. In this same editorial Storch claims that the official presented the United Arab Re- public view of the Israeli-Egyptian problem. How irresponsible can you get? Since both Arabs and Jews are Semitic people, it is in- correct to call someone anti- Semitic, unless he also is anti- Arabian, and the Arabian official certainly was not the latter. It is high time to realizce that the Arabian antipathies are direct- ed against the Israeli nation, and not because the Israelis happen to be fellow Semites, but because they are.a people who invaded the Arab lands., -Uldis R. Golts, '61 strength leaves small hope of pro- DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN The Daily Official Bulletin Is an official publication of The Univer- sity of Michigan for which The Michigan Daily assumes no editorial responsibility. Notices should be sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to Room 3519 Administration Building, before 2 p.m., two days preceding publication. TUESDAY, MAY 16 16 General Notices President and Mrs. Hatcher will hold open house for students at their home Wed., May 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. A Special Meeting of the University senate will be hld on Tues, May 16, at 4:15 p.m. in the Rackham Lecture Hall. Engineering Freshmen: "Program Ad- viser's Day," for all second semester freshmen in Engineering will take place all day on Wed., May 17, to help fresh- men select their degree programs. Ad- visers and other faculty counselors will be available in their offices for individual consultation with freshmen who wish to obtain information con- cerning their programs. All student concerned are encouraged to take feull advantage of this opportunity. Phyical Therpy Meetling: Students planning to concentrate In Physical Therapy orinterestteid in knowing about Physical Therapy. Wed., May 17 aa 7:15 p.m., Room 1603, first floor, Main Bldg., University Hospital. Movie fol- lowed by disussion and demonstra- tions in the Physical Therapy Clinic. Graduate Student Council will elect officers at a meeting to be held at 7:00 p.m., Mon., May 29, in the West Con- ference Room, Rackham Bldg. All Coun- cial representatives are uged to at- tend, Seniors: Caps and gowns should be ordered immediately from Moe's Sport Shop, 711 N. University, Mon. thru Sat., 8:30-5:30. Seminars: Pick up your announce- ments from SAB first floor booth on Wed., Thurs., and Fri., May 17, 18, 19, from 1 to 5 p.m. Approval for the following student- sponsored activities becames effective 24 hours after the publication o (this notice. All publicity for these events must be withheld until the approval has became effective. May 18 Voice Political Party, speaker Wayne Smith. "The Government's Posi- tion on Cuba," Union Ballroom, 8:00 p.m. Agenda Student Governmeit Council May 17, 7:30 Council Room Constients' Time 9:00 Minutes of previous meeting. Officer Reports: President, Let- ters; Exec. Vic President, Appoint- ments to U.S.N.S.A. Congress; Admin. vice-President, Appointments - Cine- ma Guild Board; Treasurer. Standing Committees: Calendaring Committee, Recognitions Committee, Iraqi Student Club-extension of tem- porary recognition, Final Report. Ad Hoc Committees and Related Boards: SGOC Cinema Guild Board, SOC Student Activities Building Adminis- trative Board, Committee on Member- ship in Student Organizations. Special Business. Old Business: Peace Corps, Confiden- tial Reports in Residence Halls, Michi- gan "Daily. New Business. Constiuents and Members' Time. Annuncements. Ad journmnent. Foreign Visitors Following are the foreign visitors who will be on the campus this week Son the dates indicated. Program ar- rangementseare being made by the International Center: Mrs. Henry J. CMeyer. Warwick A. Ruffle, Supervisor, Sci- ence Teaching, Middlesex County Schools, England, May 18-19. Program arrangements for the follow- ing visitors are being made by the School of Education: Claude Eggert- sen. Dr. Julio Larerra, Professor of Peda- gogy, Faculty of Philisophy, National Univj of Tucuman, Argentina, May 14- 16. Mrs. Elva Larrea (accompanying her husband, Dr. Larea), field of educa- tion, Argentina, May 14-16. Clarence T. Ford, University of Can- terbury, New Zealand, May 15-16. (Continued on Page 8) 14 A 4 A I .. FEIFFER W0 M Oulse TO tlfv6 4OAR 186 M6) OFF ~A~ U I q~-r) M M q T)6 fNfMY! x W ~FUG A wCAON TH{AIr [ , T M6AN) OUA1' k I~m~gmepT orC iIH&5 OF~ iVRAi4NY-/ FROM ANY 6ACY OffNR NOW T: CA) ON6 60Ar AVO A,!6 t~o*KAROUND 4(00, rHiwges.. M i'OP~Mt'AN 15(I H6'5 "U AWT' !KC A110 CH(W~4-A PRISON- ?-. 'tA'T tIC - .HAu WHJO OWfl5 AUG 186U MO~qI TOL2A&( WOMNti IK EC65lo03, TO 120 qOO66- 6 CSL O GT0 ,KD?-i APJ'.t, AMP2 C c ' R S r . vECKAfr IM?~X - NOT1 V'AT r gtleV6 Vi06mc- our' Rg11HemkP' hq voaY Mft4 aVG O; ~POWfR? 60CA ARW ~i6 A ret2M NAV