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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1958)
Philosopher Sees Only 50-50 Chance of Human Survival in Event of Atomic War By KINGSBURY SMITH Mineffordd, Wales (LTD A practical world peace plan that could be considered at m United Nations General As sembly meeting, or at a sum mit conference if one is ever held, has been outlined by Lord Bertrand Russell, Bri tain's most famous philoso pher. In an exclusive interview with this correspondent, the 86-year-old intellectual geni us, who wrote a masterpiece on mathematics and won the Nobel Prize for literature, warned that time is running out for the adoption of effec tive measures to prevent a nuclear war that is likely to destroy the human race. "The chances at present seem to me to be about 50-50 whether there will be a hu man being left in the world 40 years hence," he said. "If present policies continue to be pursued, the chances will be very much less than that." Agreements 'in Principle The plan outlined by Lord Russell envisaged agreements "in principale" with Russia which he felt could pave the way for permanent peace and a "paradise" on earth for mankind. The renowned and highly controversial 'free - thinker" developed the points of his peace plan in response to questions put to him by this correspondent who traveled over 200 miles from London to a picturesque hillside in Wales to interview the man who is generally recognized as possessing one of the world's greatest minds. Since the Middle East situa tion . involves a danger to world peace, Lord Russell felt that any U.N. General Assembly or summit meeting on that subject should con sider the broader issue of how to prevent a nuclear war. If agreement could be reached on that question, he is confi dent such problems as those of the Middle East would be much easier to solve than they are likely to be other wise. He thinks it would be a good idea to have two out standing personalities who are not closely associated with either the East or West blocs attend the opening ses sion of a General Assembly or summit conference on the Middle East problem and ad dress the meeting as the "rep resentative of mankind"' on the dangers of nuclear war and unrestricted atomic tests. Names Albert Schweitzer He suggested that Albert Schweitzer, the noted philoso pher and humanist, would be a good man to be one of them. Asked whether he him self, as a recognized spokes man for those who fear the effects of nuclear explosions, would be willing to address such a meeting, if invited to do so, Lord Russell replied: "I would go like a shot. It would be an opportunity in a thousand. I doubt, however, that I would be invited. Both sides suspect me to being sympathetic to the opposite bloc. The Communists have been after me recently be cause I denounced the Soviets for the execution of the Hun garian revolt leaders. If I did address the summit meeting on the dangers facing the human race, I would like to have Premier Nehru of India also speak of the same sub ject. The Russians might pay more attention to him than they to me." The mild-mannered though mentally vigorous humanist remarked: "That is a large question indeed. I think I would say first of all we must recog nize a nuclear war means an irreparable disaster; that neither side would survive, and therefor we must agree that we are going to rale out war. Recognition of that fact must be the major axiom of our discussion. "Having ruled out war by both sides, I would say that nuclear weapons are useless. Is That So? By EUGENE BURNS Ranger-Naturalist That would be the No. 2 pro posal. Proposes Disengagement "The No. 3 proposition would be that since both sides are equally strong in terms of destruction, we should seek a disarmament agreement that will leave them equally strong. There should be no net advantage to either side from a dis armament agreement. The fault with disarmament pro posals that have been put for ward by both sides since 1945 is that they are designed to leave the other side in a weaker position. "It has been said on the Western side that abolition of nuclear weapons would leave the Communist world super ior in ground forces. That is a valid argument unless you can get an effective agree ment to limit the ground forces so that there would continue to be an equal bal ance of military power. It would be difficult, but it could be done. "I would then propose a dissengagement in Central Europe. I would suggest that alien forces be withdrawn everywhere. That would be a sacrifice for the American system of security, but it would be a sacrifice for the Russians, because it would have to include the with drawal of Soviet military forces from the satellite states. Once the Russians withdrew, those states would revert to the West. However, the agreed area of with drawal on either side should be such as to leave the pres ent balance of power unaffected. Favorable Atmosphere "I would propose that this disengagement apply in the beginning to all of Germany, Poland and Hungary. The military neutralization and defense of those states would be guaranteed by the big powers. "I would point out that if such measures as these could be taken, it would make it much more difficult for either side to resort to war and it would create a favor able atmosphere for the ne gotiations of an effective in ternational system for the in spection and control of nu clear weapons. "I would say that if these principles could be agreed upon, at the summit meeting, then both sides could pro ceed . to conclude the neces sary agreements to imple ment them." Lord Russell said he would also propose that all nations be called upon to reaffirm their willingness to . submit all disputes among them to international arbitration, and that the big powers under take to apply an economic blockade against any nation that refused to abide by the verdict. He sid he would fur ther -advocate establishment of a permanent United Na tions police force to safe guard the smaller nations from direct or indirect ag gression. "I would," he added, "say to both sides: 'If you do not want war, this is the way to go about preventing it.' I would ' emphasize that if there is a nuclear war, no body and nobody's system will be left." What Is The Law? This column is prepared as a public service by the College of Law, Willamette University, Salem, to explain basic legal principles, not to provide legal advice. The reader is cautioned not to apply these cases lo his own problems without an attorney's advice, for differing facts may change the outcome. Baghdad In a city be coming as modernized as Baghdad it is difficult to ac count for the large number of goofahs. The briges are good. There are plenty of modern watercraft. So why should there be so many of this goofy type of boat? It is round, woven with wil lows and coated with pitch. The diameter is from six feet up, and it is used to transport just about any form of freight. One that I saw yesterday was hauling a coffin. The rea son was probably tradition, and also certainly tradition is the real reason for the per sistence of this strange craft whose sole virtues are low construction cost and a built in resistance to collision dam age. As for the coffin, called that for lack of a better name, and its occupant, they were on their way to the holy city of Nedjef, the Mecca of the Shia Moslems, five days to the southwest by camel. They had already come a long way, from a place near the Iranian border, and as is the case with some, they may even have been smuggled into the coun try from Iran. For centuries one of the chief articles of transit through Baghdad has been the bodies of the dead on their way to the burying grounds at either Nedjef or the almost equally holy and somewhat nearer city of Kerbala. The remains of any Shia Moslem, from king to peasant, who could afford it were on the final journey that might take months to complete. Millions Buried There According to some accounts, the number making this final journey is so great that over 25,000,000 people are now said to be buried in and around Nedjef. Why that city is so holy is that it marks the spot where Ali, nephew of the prophet Mohammed, is said to have died after being fatally stabbed in a mosque, accord ing to the story, he ordered that his body should be buried where it was found, then walked away into the desert to die. The body was found some centuries later by the fabulous Haroun el-Raschid, ruler of Baghded, while on a hunting trip. He knew it was the holy man's body by its remarkable state of preservation plus var ious other signs. In obedience to the saint's request, he promptly set about the task of building an appro priate tomb. No expense was spared. The dome, which rises above the desert like a great golden bubble, was sheathed in gold. As its fame spread, those who could came there to die. The less fortunate, unable to leave home before death, ar terward. Thus the spot grew into what must be the largest cemetery of the world. (Released by McClure Newspaper Syndicate) Free: By special arrange ment with the editors of the Encyclopedia Americana, my panel of judges will award each week to the reader who sends me the best true-life na ture adventure, the best na ture observation, or the best question on nature and wild life, a 30-volume set of this world-famous reference work in a handsome Sealcraft bind ing. Each week new submis sions will be considered. Sor ry, I simply can't answer your many friendly letters. Please address your letter to: Is That So! co Medford Mail Tribune, Box 1069, San Francisco, Calif. r n i inJ( - i 0;' 3Bhaa Sl 31 TAKING FIFTH AMENDMENT, Teamster Union Vice President Bert Brennan refuses- to tell Senate probers whether a boxer he managed drew $75 weekly salary from teamster's welfare fund. Boxer E. Davidson says he did. Long-tending Obligation Ended Buffalo, N. Y. (WD Army Sgt. 1C Lawrence H. Erb has happily discharged what he considered to be a 13-year-old obligation. In 1945, Erb appeared in Swiss Officials Reject Soviet Statement . Bern, Switzerland (UPD Angry Swiss officials Satur day rejected a Soviet state ment accusing the Swiss gov ernment of abandoning neu trality by deciding to equip its armed forces with nuclear weapons. Official sources said the government has "merely or dered a study of the subject" and that "no final decision" has been reached. More than 100,000 new mo bile homes are built in the U.S. each year. City Court with a $10 speed ing ticket. When he reached for his wallet, he found he had left it at home. But an attorney, William B. Ma honey, stepped up and hand ed the teen-age soldier the money forvthe fine. Ever since, Erb had tried unsuccessfully to contact the lawyer to repay the $10. When he finally got to see Mahoney this year, the attor ney smilingly refused the money. Undaunted, the sergeant went to City Court with the view of finding someone in trouble. He got his man when George Spiers, 16, was as sessed $15 for speeding but had no money to pay the fine. Like benefactor Mahoney 13 years ago, Erb stepped up with the money and saved Spiers from a jail sentence. IF. YOU AREN'T TRADING AT THE GROCETERIA YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH Head Lettuce heads For Cool, Crisp Salad Price Good Through Wed., Aug. 13th GROCETERIA 6TH AND GRAPE GROCETERIA Will Close At 5:30 Tuesday For Employees Picnic Restaurant Not Responsible For Loss of Customer's Coat Jim Unger entered Fielder's Coffee Shoppe to eat. He went to a booth, removed his over coat which the waiter hung on a hook near the booth. Unger ate as he read the evening paper. When he got up to leave, he discovered that the coat was not there. He immediately reported the facts to the owner and re quested return of the coat. The restaurant owner was sur prised and thought it was only a mistake, that the coat would be returned when the mistake was discovered by the one who took it. Unger went back several times to learn whether the coat had been returned. Finally he demanded that the owner pay for it. This demand was refused. . Will the restaurant owner have to pay for the coat? Not Legally Liable Mr. Fiedler would not le gally be liable for the loss of the coat. Certainly it would not be expected that the owner or one of his employees stand Khrushchev Hails As Victory Dam Built on Volga Kuibvshev. U.S.S.R. (UPD Premier Nikita S. Khrush chev hailed as a "great vic tory" Sunday the construction of the world's largest hydro electric power station by the Soviets in one-third the time taken by Americans to build the Grand Coulee dam. Khrushchev spoke at cere monies opening the Kuibyv shev dam on the Volga river 500 miles east of Moscow. He referred only briefly to the situation in the Middle East where he said the threat of war is "still very acute." The Soviet premier taunted the United States for the length of time it took to build Grand Coulee in the state of Washington. He said it took 20 years to build Grand Coulee "the most famous American station" while the Kuibyshev station took only . seven years. Speedy Construction He said the speedy con strution of the Kuibyshev ctam which measures al most 3 Vi miles across and backs up a 2,502 square mile artificial lake was a "great victory" for Soviet tech nicians, scientists and work ers. But, he added, future dams would have to be built even faster to enable "our indus try to develop quicker, so that our industry may pro duce many valuable consumer goods." In Washington, . Federal Reclamation C o m m issioner W. A. Dexheimer said "any time we are given a full pro gram and the money we can build dams just as fast or faster than they can." Dex heimer said it took only seven years to complete the origi nal Grand Coulee program laid out by the reclamation bureau. He said "the rest went in as needed, and we didn't anti cipate that much power would be needed at first." Khushchev said the dam put Russia in "first place in Europe and second in the world" in electric power pro duction. A decree of the Supreme Soviet announced the new power station would be known as the "Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" station. Pace of Traffic Becomes Too Much Grand Rapids, Mich (UPD The pace of today's traffic has prompted an 80-year-old Grand Rapids motorist to sur render his driver's license and give the keys of his 17-year-old car to a son-in-law. Emil R. Kuenzel received only one traffic ticket during his 40 years of driving for an illegal turn. Kuenzel's voluntary surren der of his license was brought to the attention of Michigan Secretary of State James M. Hare who wrote him: "Your fine attitude shows common sense and good citi zenship. We in the depart ment of state would he thank ful if more men and women of advanced age with delayed re'actions would decide for themselves that they are not qualified to cope with present day traffic." The Toyoko department store in Tokyo has under its roof six railway and subway stations as well as a streetcar terminal. guard over coats hung in va rious places around the res taurant. The waiter's help in hanging the coat up was only a courtesy done in the hope that the good will generated would motivate a greater gen erosity when Unger reached in his pocket for a tip. For Fiedler to be legally bound to pay for it there would have to be a delivery of the coat into his possession for the benefit of one or both of the parties and under a con tract either expressed or im plied. There would have to be an obligation to return the coat upon demand. This was not the situation here. Under some circumstances the restaurant owner might have to pay for a coat that would be missing. For in stance, had the customer given the coat to a check girl who took possession of it as the agent of the owner, it would obviously be for the benefit of both the owner and the cus tomer. Contract Implied It would be the same as though the owner had said, "If you come to my restau rant to eat, I promise that should you deliver your coat to the check girl we will pro tect it and return it to you." The acts of the parties imply such a contract which is just as effective as though the words had been spoken. On the other hand, Fiedler could not knowingl watch a thief deliberately take the coat and leave with it. He owes it to the public not to permit thieves to prey upon the cus tomers, if he, as a reasonable man, would have cause to be lieve such a practice were going on. And, of course, he could not conspire with thieves for the theft of prop erty from the clients without being liable for the cost of the property. Springfield Blond Named Photo Queen Gresham (UPD A pert blue eyed, blond from Springfield was named Miss Oregon Press inotograpner during cere monies at the closing session of the Multnomah county fair Saturday night. Nancy Whaley, an 18-year- old beauty, won the title over eight other finalists. She will compete for the national title next summer at the National Press Photogra phers' convention. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John E. Whalley of Springfield. Runners-up were Joan Bur goyne and Reba Burris, both of Portland. Other finalists were Rose Karcha, Shari Wiley, Made lain Farah, Iris Jystad, Len ore Pickens and Iris Brom gard, all of Portland. There has been little change durng the past few years in the length of time the average American can be expected to live at the time he is born. The figure was 69.6 years in 1956, the same as it was in 1954. CROSSING THE BORDER INTO LIFE! The miracle happens time and again because you supported your faith's overseas aid Pro gram. One of these miracles is Lilly X, a young girl who grew up knowing only privation and oppression. Mentally she had failed to develop and seemed doomed to spend the rest of her life in an institution. But through one of the aid pro grams operated by America's religious faiths, Lilly became an expert weaver. She opened her own small shop and now supports herself and her par ents. Lilly is a smiling, cheer ful young woman and ever grateful to you, for your help. Please continue to help oth ers to help themselves-through the overseas Alb Program of your faith. PROTESTANT Share Our Surplus Appeal , CATHOLIC Bishops' Clothing Collection JEWISH United Jewish Appeal Published at a public service in co operation with The Advertising Council and the Newspaper Ad vertising Executives Association. Radioactive Water Grows Strawberries Peveragno, Italy (UPD Radioactive water that is un fit to drink is growing straw berries as big as tomatoes in this northern Italian town. Two of Peveragno's straw berries weighed close to one pound. Peveragno claims that its strawberries are so big be cause of highly radioactive Sexes The Same In Dentist Chair Washington (UPD Dr. Wil liam Wells, assistant professor of psychology at Rutgers Uni versity, decided to get a an swer to the question: Are men or women "bigger sissies" in the dentist's chair? He made a survey which resulted in the disclosure that one sex is just about as good or bad as the other in this respect, except that women were found to be more honest in admitting they are nervous or afraid. Dr. Wells, author of nu merous papers on social psy chology, systematically que ried 50 dentists in the New ark, N.J., area as to whether a man or a woman is worse as a patient. Many replied that men are more tense and anx ious and less cooperative. Then on questioning pa tients waiting in five separate dental offices fort their turn in "the chair," Dr. Wells found that most of them were unable to conceal their jit ters, but that women patients would more readily admit to being afraid. A . vodka-producer found that only 1.4 per cent of the men and 1.1 per cent of the women questioned in -a sur vey said they drank whiskey because they liked the taste. MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Oregon, Monday, August IT, R5! Tl ger to health because the ra dioactivity disappears 48 hours after passing through the uranium. water in the district. The wa ter comes from a small river about two miles away and passes through the heart of a uranium lode by means of man-made tunnels. It was only after the tunnels had been completed that ex perts discovered the high ra dioactive content of the wa ter. Health authorities at once stopped domestic usage, but allowed the water to be used for irrigating the Peveragito strawberry beds. The strawberries thrive on it, and authorities saw no dan- SELBY GLASS CO. 303 North Bartlett 0 lC 1 S W electric heat is Sunshine Warm, For full information, at no cost to you, on the modern efficient way to heat your home, simply call the Home Service Department of the nearest COPCO office. THE CALIFORNIA OREGON POWER COMPANY in YOUR BLOOD IS PRECIOUS . . . whether you need it in the form of a trans fusion ... or whether you ate a blood donor. Red Cross distributes blood to everyone . . . AT NO CHARGE. Won't YOU help us keep ample supplies of blood on hand? The !Ddinfi)bDDe WILL BE AT THE- E3EID) CROSS : BUILDING- 60 Hawthorne St. fueMug..12i!Sdou: - j The quota for the visit of the Red Cross Bloodmobile has been increased 50 per cent because of the steady increase in the use of blood in Jackson County. The quota is 290 pints, for which 350 donors will be required. The need' HERE is ' urgent. Help your neighbor maybe YOURSELF IPhomie 3 MAKE A "DATE" NOW1 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE
