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PAGE TWO
SUMMER SCHOOL STAFF
The West Georgian
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jesse Lee Fox
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Bill Anthony
FEATURE EDITOR Vanvoorst Simmons
SPORTS EDITOR John Acree
CIRCULATION MANAGER Lonnie Bell
BUSINESS MANAGER Ruby Traylor
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $1.25
THE WIDENING GULF
CHARLES B. CLARK
Professor of History and Political Science and Chairman of the Social
Science Division, Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland —
Visiting Teacher at West Georgia College, Summer
Session, 1947
"Informed persons everywhere
are alarmed ut the widening gulf
between technology and politics.
The scientist, the engineer, and the
industrial executive have teamed
together to produce miracles of
mechanical power and biological
growth. These feats and others
promised for the future can raise
mankind to new heights of material
well-being. But science and tech
nology are just as capable of wreck
ing civilization altogether, unless
the social scientists and the states
men can devise effective controls
and get them to working in time —
and time is running out.” Thus did
the Princeton University Bicenten
nial Conference on the Develop
ment of International Society state
the problem.
Social Sciences Neglected
The teacher and student of the
social sciences have generally used
the term "cultural lag” to describe
this widening gulf between tech
nology and politics. But whatever
name is applied, it is a problem
the importance of which cannot be
overestimated. In America, and in
the world in general, the social
sciences have been neglected. Too
often they have been scorned. What
better illustration can be offered
than the practise in many schools
of turning social science classes
over to teachers utterly unqualifi
ed. Too often the rule has been
that any teacher with a free period
could do the job. This, on the sur
face, might seem plausible, consid
ering that courses concerning poli
tical, social, economic and other re
lated matters are of such general
interest and actually so close to
each individual as to appear easily
comprehensible by anyone assigned
the job. But this is just where the
trouble rests. An effective social
science teacher must be as careful
ly trained, if not more so, than
teachers in other fields to get the
best results Although not exact
sciences like Chemistry or Mathe
matics and others, the social science
courses require diligent concentra
tion with a scientific approach for
a solution to the many problems
they pose, problems close to every
person.
Until our national leaders, our
educators, and John Q. Citizen rec
ognize and then do something to cor
rect this deplorable lack of empha
sis on and the improper handling
by and large of social science cours
es, we can expect no relief from
"cultural lag.” And. expecting no
relief from it, we can expect an
other and perhaps the final global
conflict as soon as the mood strikes
one or more countries. The en
tire world is mastered by the fear
of atomic bombs and all the other
frightening weapons which science
and technology have given us.
Is There a Solution?
Where does all this lead us?
Every person in this and other
lands, properly guided in thinking
and planning by leaders every
where, must come to realize the
uwful significance of the new age.
We must arouse from our slumber
and seek the truth about our na
tion and other nations. We must
exert every ounce of strength to
ward understanding the complicat
ed political, social, and economic
problems of today and attempt to
think clearly, without prejudice
and pre-conceived notions. We do
not care to curb our physical scien
tists. But we must create a bal
ance between them and social scien
tists. We are discovering the right
things but in the wrong order as
one writer recently put it. In other
words, we are learning to control
nature before we have learned how
to control ourselves. We need a
broader basis of research, a more
vigorous backing of objective and
competent efforts to define and
analyze the intricacies of human
relationships. We need to know
what our social organization is,
how it operates, how it will react
to alterations and changes. Our
society is so interdependent that is
sues are no longer simple, indivi
dual, and local; they are complex,
social and world-wide.
Some Progress
It would certainly be unfair to
state that some progress has not
been made. But generally speak
ing, the public, some of our legisla
tures, and many of our schools do
not recognize that problems in so
cial relations cannot be solved by
literary pontification, by speeches,
by partisan appeals, by emotional
surges and amateur efforts. Where
as we are all potentially social scien
tists, economists, political scientists,
and so on, few yet have the special
knowledge required. We need dis
ciplined minds and the high integ
rity of objective scholarship; and
the flow of first-class talent into
these fields must be continuous and
uninterrupted. It is a sad com
mentary that when the ill-fated bill
to set up a National Research Foun
dation came before the Senate last
year, all support for the social
sciences was stricken out. A Sen
ator from Connecticut contemptu
ously waved them aside as “various
kinds of ideology.”
Ideology—that is what we need
more of, not less. We are unmoved
by the cries of those who see war
as inevitable and who pronounce
themselves the “practical” people.
What is there practical about war?
Bringing nations together through
the United Nations (and its ulti
mate successor, a world govern
ment, in which national sovereignty
would be waived in matters affect
ing two or more nations—just as
our national government is sover
eign in interstate matters —toward a
peaceful solution of world problems
is far more practical in this writ
er’s book.
Humanistic Studies
What is being said of the social
sciences is also true of the human
istic studies, or the Humanities as
we call them here at West Georgia.
They constitute a counterweight as
THE WEST GEORGIAN
important as anything in the social
sciences if we are to keep our civi
lization from capsizing. History,
the arts, philosophy, ethics, lang
uages, and literature —we cannot
bring our world together in any
kind of unity unless we build a
foundation of understanding in
fields like these, where knowledge
and scholarships are needed. Our
nation needs to take the lead in the
real values of ideas as well as in
scientific and technical fields.
In summary then let us say that
we need more of the social scien
tific study, research, analysis, and
understanding than we make a real
effort to have now. And let it also
be said that while this must be giv
en a great priority it is not argued
that we should discard necessary
controls of security on a national
or international basis. We need
them just as we do our enforce
ment agencies in the communities
where at the same time the social
sciences, the humanities, and relat
ed fields may flourish.
Development of Student
Philosophy
H. M. PETERSON
The college years for most young
people are the years in which their
personal philosophies experience
great development. There is likely
to be a tendency toward cynicism,
and the discarding of idealism, in
the mistaken belief that idealism is
out of place in the modern world.
It is undoubtedly true that indi
vidual good character is likely to
be a “drop in the bucket” that will
not alter the world significantly.
There is too much cultural and so
cial lag in the thinking and behav
ior of man to make the world, or a
nation, a Utopia in any one genera
tion; but it should be remembered
that man’s progress has been in
gradual stages over long periods of
time; and that this progress has
been the result of many individual
contributions, large and small. The
main thing is not to let the slow
pace be discouraging, but to try to
make a positive personal contribu
tion to the improvement of man. If
the forward trend is to continue,
the effect of our lives on future
generations must be favorable. For
this reason it seems to me that to
do other than to make a positive
personal contribution is unthink
able on the part of college-trained
men or women.
Here on campus we should seek
to overcome selfish thinking, live
cleanly, learn to accept responsibili
ty, and develop personal leadership
qualities. We can afford to parti
cipate more fully in campus activi
ties ,and lay more stress on basic
honesty.
It is hoped that some of the ideas
contained herein may prove useful
to some of you in formulating your
personal philosophies. It is certain
that the world has never been in
greater need of leaders, unselfish
thinkers, and participating citizens.
THESE OUR TIMES
The outstanding intelect of our
times, Mr. Albert Einstein once
said that the only thing incompre
hensible about the universe is that
it is comprehensible. This state
men, of course refers to the baf
fling phenomena which occur in
the universe and can be explained
by the laws of Physics and proven
by the laws of Mathematics.
It is regretted that Political Sci
ence is not as understandable and
does not function according to cer
tain immutable laws as does the
exact sciences. One has merely to
scratch the surface of this unstable
science to realize that our problems
are baffling if not insolvable.
It is enough for us as rank and
file citizens cannot be dismissed so
these problems to our foreign dip
lomats. We must have complete
faith that the United Nations Or
ganization is the potential instru
ment of peace and that some pro
gram or policy will be worked out
whereby we can expect peace.
Our duties, however, as rank and
file citizens cannot be dismissed so
easily. It is our job as we strive
ideologically for world peace, to ex
ert the most powerful influence
which we have at our command
public opinion. It is our responsi
bility to see that our opinion is a
precipitation of a belief that there
can and will be world peace. Re
gardless of how efficient our For
eign representatives are they will
be no more efficient than is our
support.
There Is Talk of War
There is much talk of war—the
exponent of human destruction —
it is the newspapers, in the talk of
a group of men as they meet on
their way to work. It is the utmost
in the minds of humans as they go
about their daily tasks, their very
actions, their ways of think, ng and
all the talk of power politics is
about war.
In a recent newspaper article the
following paragraph is quoted, "the
people of the U. S. must be on the
alert for war, I urge preparations
for the next war (World War III).
War is inevitable, it is certain as
the day is long. The United States
will be the scene of the next war,
so we must prepare.”
Immediately following this ar
ticle was an article with the caption
"Next War To Be Determined in
7 Days, the winner will be the one
who can react the quickest, the one
that can pronounce the discipline
and organizational ability of its
military forces and the forces of
the human race.” These two art
icles, made by the foremost lead
ers of the United States, is in
reality pronouncing the axiom of
the next war —World War 111. This
then is the future, a future shad
owed by the threatening of the
civilization of the world.
How Can We Avoid This
Castrophe
Yes! to get around this bulwark
of destruction it is going to take
the combined efforts of all civil
ized nations of the world. To effect
the combined efforts of all the na
tions of the world is going to be
a man sized job. The infant UN,
with its intricate governmental
branches is met day after day with
handicaps of uncooperative nations.
Dissention is running at a para
mount peak, who will get what is
the cardinal question of the nations
over treaties and the setting up of
puppet governments. This is the
question today, will there be a
World War 111 or will there be
peace where civilization will thrive
and the culture of all nations see
the light of day? This I ask you!
The solution of the whole problem
is Education with more Education
of the human race only, with more
liberal understanding will the na
tions of the world come to a peace
ful agreement of the present
world situation. This is one man’s
opinion but is it going to take the
opinion of and cooperation of every
individual in the world to secure
a lasting world peace.
C^ampud
■Spotlicyllt
John William Acree
Alpha Phi Omega, Vice-Pres
ident 4-H Club, Summer School
Staff West Georgian.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. M. A. A
cree, on May 21, 1924, was a bawl
ing baby boy. The 9th, in a family
of fourteen children; after serving
his period of adolescence “Acree”
soon did away with trifles of life
and grew up. Graduating from Sno
orasville High School in Gordon
County in 1924, he attended Bus
iness School for 1 year and then
was employed for 1 year. His great
uncle (Uncle Sam) saw fit to use
Acree in his mighty Army. From
doctoring sore Calf’s legs and cur
ing all kinds of known sickness on
the farm Acree went into the Med
ical corps of the U. S. Army. Serv
ing with the medics and the great
er part of his army time (3 years)
in the pacific—where not only was
the weather hot —Acree is modest
about the ribbons his uncle pinned
on him but he is modest in his
other activities.
A prominent member of Alpha
Phi Omega and the 4-H Club, Acree
is currently making the Dean’s list
for this third time.
His ambitions include a degree in
Medicine and he likes all kinds of
sports. He likes girls, too, his fav
orite is somewhere between a
blonde and brunette. He likes in
sincere people.
John William Acree is the 7th
member of his family to attend
WGC and if his present plans are
completed he will give the people
of Emory University the pleasure
of his smiling countenance in the
coming year.
VAN SIMMONS
It was on February 27, 1922 that
Mr. and Mrs. Simmons of Rome,
Georgia were blessed by the arrival
of a son, later to be named Van.
He was a normal healthy boy with
great big lungs and found time to
cause plenty of trouble for all con
cerned.
VaVn tells us that due to diffi
culties he doesn’t care to discuss,
he had a hard time in high school,
but he finally finished in 1940 after
attending Rome High, Berry, Cave
Springs and Darlington.
Upon completion of high school,
Van did as so many other boys did.
He joined the Army Air Corps,
serving six years and attaining the
rank of Master Sergeant. He was
discharged in January of 1946 and
started his schooling the same
month, although a year later.
Here on the campus, Van has
shown his interest by winning priz
es in short stories and poetry in
the Gen Pen contest. He is on the
West Georgian staff, Historian of
Alpha Phi Omega and a member of
the Veterans Club.
Van says his first loves are beau
tiful horses; fast women, and a
mountain trail; and then let the
rest of the world go by.
Van’s goal is a degree in medi
cine and to be married and settled
by the time he is fifty.
Upon completion of study here at
West Georgia, he plans to go to the
University of Georgia School of
Medicine.
LUCY DUKES
On November 13, 1927, nowhere
in the world could be found two
prouder people than Mr. and Mrs.
Eugene Dukes. A fine baby girl,
later to be named Lucy, had just
been born to them and as we can
see, they were justly proud.
Lucy attended grade school at
Hulett and Sand Hill. Villa Rica
High School said farewell to Lucy
in 1944.
Lucy likes among other things all
sports and hopes someday after fin
ishing at either Georgia or North
Georgia to be a physical education
instructor.
Besides sports Lucy likes cheese,
witty people, and “taking life easy
in the SHADE.” It is just this,
taking life easy in the SHADE, that
Lucy intends to do until Septem
ber. September will find her teach
ing and fast on the way to being an
“ole” maid school teacher as she
dislikes men. Other pet peaves are
bashful people, onions, and peroxide
hair.
JULY 10, 1947