THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, IQ69
A 'Great Soul' living a great life changes world course
." by Taj A. Khan
Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth
of Mohandas Gandhi, called Mahatma (great soul)
:.by millions who adopted his philosophy of non
violent resistance. The day is being observed
throughout the world.
A great teacher appears once in a while.
" Several centuries may pass by without the advent
of such a one. lie lives and tells others how they
may live likewise. Such a teacher was Gacdbl.
Gandhi was born Oct. 2, 1869 at Porbander,
a village on the west coast of India. After graduating
from high school, he studied law in London.
Later in life he went to South Africa as a
barrister in search of fortune. One of the first
things he felt was an oppressive atmosphere of
racial snobbishness. White settlers looked on his
native Indians, same settled as professional men
but most Indentured laborers, as pariahs.
His sense of justice aroused by personal in
dignities which he shared with his countrymen,
he called a meeting of the Indian community. He
suggested they form an association to safeguard
the welfare of Indian settlers, offering his time
and services.
Harboring no hatred, always ready to help a
downed opponent, Gandhi challenged European ar
rogance and resisted injustice, it was this rare
combination- of resistance and love which baffled
enemies and compelled their admiration. Several
years in prison failed to damp his ardor.
When he returned to India in 1915 with an
ambition to serve his people, he went largely un
noticed. "The Great Soul in beggar's garb," as
the poet Tagore later called him, was unknown
in his country and unknowing of his country.
By 1920, though, he dominated the political
scene. His life story became India's as his Congress
Party fought for and won Indian independence.
Like a magician, Gandhi roused storms of en
thusiasm with his call for non-cooperation. He
began his personal campaign by returning a
number of British government medals and decora
tions to the viceroy.
Indians followed in masses. Nobles renounced
titles, lawyers gave up practices, students left
schools. Thousands of city dwellers went into
villages to spread his doctrine of non-violent non
cooperation against "the satanic government" im
posed by Britain.
Soon, bonfires of foreign cloth lit the skies
and the hum of spinning wheels rose like a
sacrificial chant. Women, secluded for centuries,
marched in the streets with men.
In speech after speech, article after article
in his two weekly publications, Gandhi poured forth
his passionate utterances, electrifying the people.
Thousands went to prison and thousands more
prepared to court arrest.
Himself arrested, Gandhi spent six years in
prison, emerging with a pledge of complete In
dependence. The pledge was taken by millions of
Indians.
Addressing a historic session of the All-India
Congress Committee in 1942, he said: "Our quarrel
ACTV ? : i
Official U.S. Marin Corp photo
Gandhi the four ages of a great man
is not with the British people, we fight their im
perialism. The proposal for the withdrawal of Brit
ish power did not come out of anger. It c a m e
to enable India to play its due part at the present
critical juncture."
Indian won its independence Aug. 15, 1947.
Gandhi was the first man to extend the principle
of non-violence from an individual to a social and
political plane. He entered politics to experiment
with non-violence and established its validity.
He continually insisted that Indians adopt
civilized forms of non-violence and suffering.
"We must hate the sin but not the sinner.
For me patriotism is the same as humanity. I
am patriotic beccause I am human and humane.
I will not hurt England or Germany to serve India,"
he said.
Gandhi believed he served the British, helping
them to do the right thing. The result was not
only liberation of the Indian people, but an increase
in the moral resources of mankind.
Measured y character or achievement, Gandhi
was one of a handful of men who have most
changed our world in the last century. His hundreds
of millions of followers made the Indian Revolution
perhaps the largest single political movement in
history. His life and thoughts exemplify the three
political dynamics of our time: the drive for na
tional independence, the search for racial and
religious equality and the quest for peace.
Gandhi was killed by an assassin's bullet three
years after the world entered the nuclear age.
As his life was spent in pursuit of justice
without violence, so also the time and cause of
his death are moving symbols of our continued
existence between the threats of personal, im
mediate violence and the final violent end of man.
Nebraskan editorial page
Conscience-conscious
by Ken Wald
The relatively large number of students who
; showed up at the Union to hear Dr. Benjamin
Spock last Thursday is generally construed as a
reason for exultation.
When 1600-plus bodies congregate for any reason
other than a football game or Drop and Add, there
Is cause to be happy. It appears that apathy,
while not banished from the Lincoln campus, does
not rule as absolutely as in the past.
Yet here is also reason for concern. Having
talked to a number of students who attended the
Spock speech, one gets the feeling that the Doctor
disappointed many of his listeners. "He was much
too emotional" or "He said the same thing
everybody else has been saying" were two frequent
criticisms. Both of these points are undoubtedly
true yet they are not grounds for dismissing
the Importance of Dr. Spock's message.
Need for emotion
That the pediatrician was emotional is beyond
question. But why should anyone object to a display
of emotion?
As MIT Unquist and leading New Left theoreti
cian Noam Chomsky has quite rightly pointed
out, "By entering into the ring of argument and
counter-argument, of technical feasibility and tac
tics, of fooLnol.es and citations, by accepting the
presumption of legitimacy of debate on cer
tain issues, one has already lost one's humanity."
Certainly there is a time and place for a
scholarly attack upon the assumptions underlying
American policy and the ramifications of their ex
ecution. However important such a critique may
be, we must never forget that the central issue
of the Vietnam war is the killing of human beings.
This very human trait explains Spock's
vehemence. As a man who has devoted his life
to improving the childhood of Americans, he recoils
in horror at their senseless, brutal deaths. He can
not understand why human beings must stop living
in a war without any, sort of reasonable justification.
Doubtless we need the low-key analyses of such
men as Galbruith, McCarthy and McGovern. To
preserve our humanity we also need the gut reac
tion of Spock and his complete repugnance at the
thought of murder.
It is equally true that Dr. Spock repeated many
Previously heard arguments. The fact that something
i old, as conservatives never tire of reciting, does
not Impugn Its validity.
The destruction of Vietnamese villages, as a
means of "saving them." is just as compelling
a reason for immediate withdrawal today as it
was five years ago. Secondary Gallup polls Indicate
that while many Americans have been exposed'
to the arguments for Immediate withdrawal time
and time again, few have been listening very
carefully.
Not listening
How else can anyone explain away the absence
of a firm national consensus demanding immediate
disengagement? Despite the existence of a
formidable body of literature which totally
discredits our war policy, large numbers of people
still claim to see validity behind American actions.
The arguments must be repeated until everyone
understands them and unequivocally fights for an
end to the war.
Dr. Spock was one of the best speakers this
University has ever entertained. He is a great
man, both for what he has done and for what
be Is doing. All his words last Thursday contained
a note of urgency and traces of despair. The im
portance of his speech derived directly from those
qualities.
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BuwiiiimiiiiniuiiuiiiuiiiuiiiiiuuiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiuiiuiiiiiiiuiiiijHiiiiiHiiiiiii
"Seel I told you a military solution wot posiibltl"
dDHJTSIIIlDIE
the tower
by Michael Egger, David Paas, Tom Sledcll
Two weeks ago the House of Representatives,
yielding to the demands of discontented liberals,
passed a constitutional amendment providing for
the direct election of the President. The action
abolishing the Electoral College will, in our opinion,
have disastrous consequences for the American
political system.
Spector'
Direct election of the President carries with
it the spector of total realignment in national
politics.
Not only direct election, but a national primary,
federal voting standards, centralization of elections,
and the emasculation of national political parties.
The individual states will be reduced to convenient
electoral districts with little control of voter
qualifications, constantly watched by Washington
to insure absolute uniformity.
The philosophical basis for this change In the
Constitution Is that complete democracy Is somehow
more just, more moral than the limited form of
democracy we now have.
But "what of the presumption that the
democratic society is virtuous? What are the
hallmarks of the virtuous society? The people must
be free, and should live together peaceably, in
order, justice and harmony, guided by prescriptive
and traditional norms. I see no fixed correlation
between the democratic society and the just socie
ty; and certainly none between the stable society
Electoral College
Open forum
Dear Editor:
It is early October, .J69,
and U.S. Involvement iu
Vietnam still continues. We
believe Involvement In this
war to be a national tragedy.
Complete withdrawal Is long
overdue. The time has never
been more Immediate for
Americans to standup and
speak out against this in
volvement. To expresfl this commit
ment there will be a National
Moratorium on Vietnam Oct.
13. The purpose of the
Moratorium Is to unite and
re-activate a base of citizens
as broad as possible to
demonstrate their concern.
Plans for the University
community's participation In
the Moratorium are ebing
laid and will be announced
In the next few days. Support
stems from individuals and
groups, student and faculty,
alike, throughout the Univer
sity community. Support from
the Lincoln community Is
also with us.
By bringing this broad
base of concerned people
together on October 13,
throughout the nation, we
hope to pressure the ad
ministration In Washington to
end U.S. Involvement In
Vietnam.
We urge this University
community to participate
October 14 In a suspension of
"business as usual" to spend
the day working for peace.
Vietnam Moratorium
Steering Committee
Mike Shonite.v
Dun Srhlltt
Carl Clrco
Bruce Hoberman
AI Siporln
Bruce Maine
Jim Evingcr
Steve Tiwuld
Dear Editor:
Betty Friedan, author of
"The Feminine Mystique,
"maintains that the reason
housewives so often fuel un
fulfilled with children and a
husband Is because the only
thing they've really ac
complished is the simple and
elementary act of having
children. Anyone can do that
... at least, almast anyone."
Friedan seems to ex
emplify apathy and ig
norance in our culture
towards child care and the
family. She Implies tftat
women should direct their
attention to the "bitch-goddess
. of Success" IDH
Lawrence).
For many reasons, child
care fails miserably in most
leading to depression, apat
hy, vandalism, lack of con
fidence or Identity and other
m a 1 a d j ustmentis which
parents discuss at the
hairdresser, over cocktails,
or at the job, and for which
parents seldom accept
responsibility.
To the single female, rill
In hand or denying her
uterus, this may seem Ir
relevant. However, the high
divorce rate and overt pro
blems of youth today ought to
Indicate that the familial
aspect of our society lis not
"the simple and elementary
act of having children."
"Some women are content
to be unpaid di)niv:-tk-8.
visualizing untold romance In
dirty diapers ami a slnkful of
dishes. . . But for thou? who
are not, the women's libera
tlon movement, still struggl
ing for official recognition,
seems to offer hope."
This reveals a female who
cannot cope with babies or
eating. So female stomps her
feet for escape and says,
"We can hire a nice, elderly
'colored' woman to mind the
house." Sure, "egalitarians"
maybe In a color to match
the rest of the appliances.
Babies and eating are tough
problems for every species.
Has Homo sapiens Invested
Its development resources in
these areas or Into weaponry
and Instant pleasures?
Look at the American
mule: completely prostituted
to the "bltch-goddess of Suc
cess," he exists In a tinker
toy and G.I. Joe world of
Boardwalk and Park Place,
collecting $200 every time he
pusses the buck.
Winding one's way thru
schools and corporations,
most of our creativity Is
stifled by the demands of ef
ficiency and conformity.
These are the demands of
society, and I suggest that as
society assumes more
familial functions It becomes
a more totalitarian state. The
real challenge to creativity
and intellect for females Is to
break the vicious circle
where parents Instil their
children with the same
frustrations and malad
justments that their parents
instilled In thorn.
E l a 1 1 1 a danism and
amoving the double stan
dard Is a must for women.
Males arc different Indeed,
liom females, a H a o u.
neither posses any special
claim to wisdom or "com
prehensive pro pensities"
(Fuller). Is there a woman
who would like to be Presi
dent of the U.S.A.? Secretary
of Defense? Pres. of DOW
Chemical or Winchester
Western? What would she do
today? What would she have
been doing five years ago?
This letter Is not meant to
be a guide-line for such
women's liberation groups as
WLM, NOW, or WITCH, nor
Is the following reading. It is
only a conversation of con
cern for males and females.
Specific: Love Against Hate,
Karl Mennlnger M.D. anid
Lady Chatterly's Lover, D.
H. Lawrence. General: Love
and Will, Rollo May,
Psychology Today August
1968 and Operating Manual
for Spaceship Earth, It.
Buckminster Fuller.
B. A. Sayles
PARENTS:
Do you want your son taught
by Instructors who:
Do not have the rights of
free speech, press, and as
sembly, and what's more
don't even mind;
Have as their highest ethic
the carrying out of orders
from their "superiors", and
the giving of order to their
Inferiors";
Will judge students largely
by such things as the polish
on their shoes;
Have no roots In this or any
other community;
Teach only courses whose
contents are dictated In de
tail from Washington.
If so, then have your son en
roll in ROTC.
Edgar Pearlslelu
Professor of Physics
and the democratic society." W. F. Buckley, Up
from Liberalism.
It goes without saying that political freedom
In direct elections guarantees freedom to the col
lectivity, in which the individual might be enslav
ed. Democracy, in the fullest sense of the word,
Is nothing more than a procedural device aiming
at Institutionalize liberty. The efficacy of one elec
toral system over another must be measured la
terms of whether it can elect a President who
has the confidence of the people and is best able
to govern.
For the college
In this light, et us examine two of the major
objections to the Electoral College.
First, the Electoral College may miscarry
in a close race and elect th candidate with the
lesser popular vote, frustrating the will of the peo
ple. But In a close election, what Is the will of
the people? Obviously the people do not know or
they would have given one candidate a clear man
date. When the votes are evenly divided among
two candidates or split among three, as In the
elections of 1960 and 1968, there must be other
criteria for choosing a President. The Electoral
College provides just such criteria.
Furthermore, what makes up this ephemeral
"will of the people?" To assume that political
equality automatically makes the people equal In
possessions, opinions, and passions is absurd. The
fickleness of the electorate is such that it votea
for a man one day and hates him the next.
In electing a President, we must seek not the
will of the people, but the sense of the electorate
tempered by Institutions that will avoid candidates
with talents for low intrigue and the little arst
of popularity.
The second objection has it that In the winner-take-all
Electoral College the votes cast for the
losing candidate are totally worthless.
This comes about because a state's total elec
toral vote goes to the winner in that state. But
is it not also true that In all elecions the votes
of those on the losing side are always
"worthless?"
As we see lit, instituting direct election of the
President will mean eliminating those Institutions,
that have balanced the fickleness of the electorate
against the bosslsm of professional politicians. Th
Electoral College, national conventions, local
circumstance opposed to national necessity, all these
have effected compromises between the extreme
political viewpoints held In America. Direct election
Is a step toward eliminating these methods of com
promise. What will be introduced in its place seemi
hardly capable of compromise or good government.
DAILY NEBRASKAN
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