Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 8, 1962)
4 "Everyone In Southern Oregon itead rha Mali Tribune" Q Fubiished Daily except Saturday b MEOFOHD PRINTING CCV 33 North nrSl.. PhSP 2-SUl " ROBERT W RUHU Editor HERB GREY Artvertnins U GEHAL.D T LATHAM But MP ERIC W AU.EN JR., (inn Editor EARl. H ADAMS, City Editor HARRY CHIHMAN Telef Editor RICHARD JEWETT. Sporta Editor OLIVE STARCHER. Women'a Edi'.oi DALE ERICKSONClrculaUon Mir An Indroendent Newspaper Entered ai second class matter at Medford. ureeon. unner aci 01 March 3. 1807 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Rv Mull In Advance. Copy i Dally and Sunday 1 year 115 00 Dally and Sunday 8 moa. 8.0v Daily and Sunday 3 moa. 4.25 Sunday Only One year $4.20 ftv rnrricr In Advance Medtord Ashland, I 'antral Point Eajtle Point. Jacksonville tJold Hill Phoenix, Shuoy Cove Rogue Riv- mr Tnlunt and Ml motor rOUtCS. Daily and Sunday 1 vear S18 00 Daily and Sunday 1 mo T.OO Carriei and Dealers copy toe All Terms Cash lnAdvance "official Paper of City of "Medford Official Paperof Jackson County United" Press International Full Leased Wire 0 ,P.I Tejepiioto Newsplctures ""member of audit bureau of circulations Advertising Representative: NELSON ROBERTS & ASSOCI ATES. Olllces In New York, Chi cago Detroit, San Francisco. Los Annies Seattle. Portland, Denver EWSPAPER RUSHERS SOCIATION NATIONAL EDITORIAL Flight o' Time Medford and Jackson County History from the files of Th Mail Tribune 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago. 10 YEARS AGO May 8. 1952 (Thuriday) Medford Attorney Otto Frohnmayer has given his support to District Attorney Paul Haviland in his campaign for the Republican nomination for reelection. A series of loud explosions woke a number of residents in the southwest section of Med ford early this morning be tween 1 and 2 o'clock. 20 YEARS AGO May 8. 1942 (Friday) Second fatal accident in week on construction of Camp White occurs when railroad brnkeman hit by train. From Arthur Perry's "Ye Smudge Pot" column: "The sheriff, who has no competi tion at the polls, reports he misses running for office without shaking a hand or leg. He will come out of the cam paign full of confidence in stead of Grange chicken din ners." 30 YEARS AGO May 8. 1932 (Sunday) Infrnt son of Col. and Mrs. Charles Lindbergh found dead near parents' New Jersey estate: widespread hunt begins for killer. Cut in local costs of refriger ator car Icing expected to save thousands of dollars for Rogue valley orchardisls. 40 YEARS AGO Mav 8, 1922 (Monday) Students in Medford's Jack son school give up candy, mov ing pictures, gum and lee cream for one week to aid starving orphans in the Near East. Federal government reports a cut In expenditures ot $1, 600.000,000 during fiscal year $1021-1022. SO YEARS AGO May 8, 1912 (Tuesday) Medford Commercial club discusses means of promoting construction of railroad from Ro'juc valley to Crescent City. Survey by Greater Medford rlub shows sanitation in city "needs some correction but in general is good." What's Your I.Q.? Nine or ten correct it luperior; seven or right i excellent; five or lii it good. 1. In what country is Johnn nesburK" 2. "Little Nell" Is the hero ine of which of Charles Dick ens' novels? 3. What candidate for the Presidency in li12 delivered a speech after being shot in the chest? 4. Which of these was a famed Indian scout: Jesse .Tames. Hill Cody. Wild Bill Ilickok, Johnny Itintfo? 5. Is hominy made from wheat, corn, oats or barley? 6. Must the President's ap pointments of Supreme Court Justices be confirmed by the Senate' 7. The center block in a stone arch is called what? 8 What military man was niflinanied "Vinegar Joe?" 9. From what country did Texas proclaim its independ ence in 18.-5? m KJ. 'I he tliiMle is tiie na tional emblem of i try? conn- Answers: . Union of South Africa. 2. "Old Curiosity Shop." 3. Theodora Roosevelt. 4. Cody and Hickok. 5. Corn. 6. Yes. 7. Keystont. 6. General Stil.well. 9. Mexico. 10. Scotland. TUESDAY. MAY 8. 1962 On Political Courage Art Savard, one of the for sheriff, did a courageous thing the other day, Not only did he admit that he had changed his mind (which some cautious politicians are afraid to do) ; he made a public announcement of it. Furthermore, the subject matter the pro posed county home rule charter is highly con troversial, and he ran all the risks attendant on taking what may (or may not) be the unpopular view. At first he was against the charter. But, he said, after studying it and thinking it through, he decided that because of the opportunities for efficient management it vote for it. AGREE with him or Would that some other candidates had it in equal measure. Quite a few of the candidates are running on a platform which would appear to contain little but opposition to the charter; others support it, but very, very quietly. Still others completely duck We think the voters would benefit if each candidate not only for local office, but also for the legislature made it known how he stands. It is the most the ballot this primary to us the voters are entitled to know whether the candidates are for or against it. E.A. Mountain Jaunt During the long murky time between the first snows of late fall and the opening up of the back country in the spring, one can half-forget the vistas the mountains and forests and val leys and streams which gon of ours a wonderland of outdoor beauty. Last Sunday, accompanied by an out-of-state visitor, we made our first pilgrimage of the sea son into the hills. The higher country is still closed by snow, but some of the lower hills (5,000 to 6,000 feet) are accessible by car, if the driver (or passenger) is not primitive roads, steep grades, and the chance of finding windfalls across Our jaunt was most PROM Tallowbox lookout (Elev. 5023 feet) one has a vast panorama laid below and be fore him. To the south is the rugged outline of the Siskiyou crest, backed up in the distance by the even more jagged Trinity Alps in California. lo the west is Grayback peak and other les ser ones, with the coast To the north, the Applegate valley meanders far below, to right and left, a light-green and brown expanse of level land wandering among the hills and gulleys, with the higher peaks of Isabella and others beyond. To the east, one can glimpse a sliver of the Rogue valley, dominated by Roxy Ann, which in turn is dominated by snow-capped Mt. Mc Loughlin on the horizon, Brown mountain just to the right, and Baldy, Grizzly and the others as the hills march around to join with the Siski yous again. A ND everywhere around are the crinkled u " and downs of the everlasting hills, shadi from light to darker green fading to a dark, misty Here and there, at a splash of white is visible where some water fall rushes torth in springtime fullness. And, occasionally, the light brown of a road snakes back and torth around In a number of places is evident, where a brown bare scar is visible against the dark green of the surrounding coni fers. CROM THE summit of Anderson Butte (Elev. 5195 feet) some 11 miles to the east, the same panorama is visible, though the perspective and emphasis is sharply ami dramatically changed. The Siskiyous loom up larger and closer, their snowy tops seemingly only a hoot and a holler away. And one looks directly down on the Rogue valley, still green and lush, sprinkled with the dark patterns of cloud shadows and the bright contrasting sunshine. A major timber sale is in the cutting near the summit of Anderson, and the raw scar is a re minder that, while lumber is vital to the stability and economic health of our area, it hardly is a contributor to the aesthetic enjoyment of the out-of-doors. TTIIE road from the gap out to the lookout, along the crest of Anderson butte, has been widened and leveled because of the timber sale, and some day will make a "skyline boulevard," affording one of the finest views obtainable anywhere. A word of caution concerning these roads. We were fortunate Sunday, in that there had been several warm, dry days preceding. But following a heavy rain they' could quickly be come quagmires which only four-wheel-drive ve hicles could negotiate. Another suggestion: Take along a pair of binoculars if you attempt a similar mountain jaunt. It adils considerably to the enjoyment. Ou Sunday we watched from afar as a' group of motorcyi-ie fans were just off the Applegate road, far below "l'allow box. Without binocuhfts we could f.iscern only their cars, but with glasses we could watch as the tiny dots attacked the hiil.vhile 9he ' sound of their snarling motors came to us faint!? and long delays- A. 6 S' ( I e Republican candidates affords, he is going to not, this is an act of po- the issue. important local issue on election, and it seems make this southern Ore deterred by some iairly the right-of-way. successful. range beyond. ups ing in the foreground, and blue in the distance this season ot the year, the crags and headlands the work of the logger on a hill-climb outir. Dennis the Si2 I ... Communications ... Letteri io the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer, although under certain circumstances the use of a pen name or initial for publication is permissible. Thai Mail Tribune reserves the right to edit all letters with a view to clarification and condensation. Lc'iers submitted for publica uon must not exceed 400 words. The letters printed in this colunwi do not necessarily represent the views of the paper: in fact the contrary is often the case. She's for Porter To the Editor: Now that I have had time to study the records, performances and platforms of all four candi dates for U.S. Representative, I have decided to cast my vote for Charles O. Porter. While the other three candi dates are all fine, honest men who might do a good job of representing . us, I feel that Charles Porter is the most capable. His knowledge of for eign affairs is really impres sive and I think this is impor tant in these dangerous times. A Congressman who can work effectively for his nation as well as his district is a real asset, in my opinion. In talking to Mr. Porter I was pleased to see him take a firm stand on the important issues under discussion. He was frank and unhesitating in his replies to questions, but willing to admit that he didn't know all the answers. He worked hard and did a fine job when he was in Wash ington before and it s too bad that a dirty campaign had to keep him from going back in 1960. He has intelligence, courage and energy and these are qualities I look for in a representative in Congress. Yes, I'm for Charles O. Por ter. Margaret McGinty 103 King si. Medford Ker-Chunk To the Editor: "Said the pot lo the kettle." So Mrs. E. Chriss has no respect for a person who must run down others? Hah! It sounds as if she is rather new and green at the political game. (She's lenrning though.) I have never witnessed an election yet that didn't have mud slinging and name calling connected with it. As for Mr. Ottoscn, I have the privilege of working with him and have lived in the vicinity of Eagle Point for the past few years. Now you may refer to it as a little green puddle if you wish, Mrs Chriss, but most of the people out there think it's a pretty nice place to live. As for Mr. Ottosen's reputa tion, I heard nothing but good reports from the good citizens of E.P. that I spoke of. I'm sorry to hear you're so easily disgusted, Mrs. Chriss. but as the election draws nigh I'm sure you will get used to hearing, and saying the usual "political slang." Here's to your happy de feat. "Ker-Chunk." Ralph E. Clcnians 1381 Spring st. Medford Duck and Goose To the Editor: I Just moved here from Montana and am not surprised that UPI doesn't know the difference between a duck and a goose but am surprised the Medford Mail Tribune doesn't. See page 3, May 3. Bob Sterling, 17 East Jackson blvd., Medford. O- -Editor's note: We do now. From the Sidelines To the Editor: From where I sit on the sidelines, it would appear that the judge not only put his" foot in his mouth, but both thumbs as well, when he ! I made the statement that the ; j change in government for the i I county was the answer in the 1 , tax "fiasco." The voters of Jackson coun- i Historical Footnote i ty are going to be under the ' To the Editor: A:i April i ; impression that a change of sue of I' S. News ,1- World Ue ! Judge AND county comtms-1 port carried a public opinion j sioners would 'eDa better an-! survey to find (H;D h:it citi- swer, AND a change in the tax (gillccung di'W'tmcut thrown in as a bonus. As for the freeway thing, ougli the park, if ANY THING has he under the vi aduct, let's put the 'jy tey.iack under there. It'd be mighty MEDFORD Menace DIDA600DJ08,'J EVEN SHINED nice in the shade there, some of these hot afternoons pick nickinginging at a table in the shade of the thing. This Pear Blossom Buck gang ought to start building ladders so as to lean up on the overpass so the customers could climb down, go shop ping downtown, for I can't for the life of me see ANY shop per in his or her right mind, parking under the viaduct at 4th and Jackson st. walking or rather hitchhiking on into downtown, when they only have to look over a shoulder and see the Shopping Center across the street. As for the Park "parkers" at the Main street end of the Park, they are, or were mostly employees of downtown Pear Bucks things, to expect the voters and tax payers to pro vide WELL! (Name on file) Medford. Doqgondost Things To the Editor: Elections, and candidates, always bring the doggondest things to my mind, like: Table Rock Sentinel, Jan. 5. 185(i: Prof. Laborde of South Carolina says "as wom en have concluded to dispense with shoulder straps, some men have thought to prove pantaloons can be worn with out suspenders. The men now strut the streets in pantoloons, tightly buttoned, side by side with women whose skirts or petticoats are firmly bound around their person. Upon fair view, the evil is the same in both cases, impairment of their proper actions, want of development, disease, and pre mature death!" "Arkansas Livery Stable, Joseph Davis & Co., Oregon & Pine, Jacksonville; Barley and oats, 'Kind Hostlers' al ways on hand." "Erasmus Byrne, Physician and Surgeon, may be found at the 'Saint's Rest' (bar) in rear of Post Office." Mail Tribune, Nov, 2, 1910: "Chow Young's Chinese Medi cines: "This is to certify that Dr. Chow Young, the bearer, attended me, my trouble being lung trouble and asthma. I am better than I have been for twelve years. I saw the letter written by Judge llanna and as he recommended the doctor so well, thought I'd try him! . . . Mrs. St. Louis. Ashland.' And these from way out of i need to guide them, so here the past ... I is one: An aisle should be "A foolish man cuts off his ; roped off so people could get beard, then saves his shirt- j to the platform to receive front with a napkin." j their awards. "Ancestors arc no excuse j I hope they have more auc for not amounting to a hill of 1 tions and after the test run beans." "Milk the cow which near." "The cow knows the good of a long tail in fly-lime.'' "He that would have eggs must put up with the cackle." "The man that spits the hardest on his palms doesn't always pull the hardest.' "A diamond stud is in poor taste on a shirt due at the laundry." "Some cocks fancy the sun rises to hear them crow." "Me whose head swells easily should carry shoe - horn to get on his hat The man ot only ore cow must twist her tail around his fist." And especially -"M.iny a mouthful is lost in a sudden snort of laughter.'' .1. Kilpatru-k P.O. Box 219 Phoenix. Ore. ens of America were think ing about mot seriously. A Medford. Ore., m a n thought t!0e was a danger of war and he mentioned that it had taken a "rigged" Tearl Harbor to get us i-XuVorl,1 I War II. My understanding oirV.i'i MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. Plight of Refugees Ftom Red China Said Worse Than Those From JEast By PHIL NEWSOM UPI Foreign News Analyst The little village of Shatau kok lies in an area called the "new territories" on the border divictug Red China and the British crown colony of Hong Kong. A high fence runs all along the border, except at S h a t a u kok where there is a break of about four miles. It is a favorite cross- Newsom jng point for illegal border crossers seeking to escape the hardships of Bed China. One of these last week was a man of about 40 clad in a ragged blue denim uniform of the Chinese Communist Peo ple's Liberation Army. Border police seized him and sent him back. But as he turned back for whatever his view is that he believed it is possible that the Kennedy administration will deliber ately steer us into war. The Weekly People, official newspaper of the Socialist Labor Party, frequently car ries items and articles pre sented by historians that are only rarely found in the daily papers. Here is a typical quo tation: "Our problem was to maneuver them into the posi tion of firing the first shot without allowing too much danger to ourselves." That sentence is to be found in the diary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Secre tary of War, H. L. Stimson, under the date of Nov. 25, 1941-12 days before the Jap anese attack on Pearl Harbor. Henry R. Korman, 2640 Gurfiicd st., Longview, Wash. How? To the Editor: Will some one please tell me how the Rogue River valley grew to be the beautiful place that it now is, without the advice of Arnold Eugene Jenny? Now he is telling us how to vote. How dumb docs he think we arc? Mrs. Alice I. Black 812 Newtown st. Medford. It Was Fun To the Editor: To all the good people who are so dis gusted with Blossom Bucks: Don't be so bitter, you NEV ER get something for noth ing. Anyway, it was all in fun, and WAS fun! No one was forced to buy things he didn't want. Really, the mer chants were the only ones who paid, as they had to buy the "Bucks" to give away and also donate the wonderful collection of auction items. I had S2(15 worth and ex pected to maybe get a bid on a small package, but I enjoyed tile parade, the crowds and all the excitement. I didn't no tice any pickpockets or "old" men, but some very rude peo ple who pushed and wouldn't move back when asked to re peatedly. After all, the micro phone carried a long way and they could see your hands. I enjoyed seeing a real live TV actor and his lovely 'ices, I would say it is our own wife. That's as close as I have fault. The paltry salaries that been to Hollywood. Construe-! go with the positions are ridi tive criticism is what they ! culous. Where but in Jackson mistakes will be able to run them with efficiency and more fun for all. This Pear Parade is becom ing quite famous and people came from long distances, so let's not knock their efforts. Mrs. Ray Doran Route 2.' Box 257 Central Point, Ore. Never Mind Th Weather To the Editor: As always, I find the radio a very valu able asset fur bringing ideas, political and otherwise to the! 1 people. In Sunday's political broadcast. I particularly noted; that Home Rule, . whether adopted or not. is not cssentiai to one eaiulidatt's confidence of ui'i-os in oltu'e, if elected. I refer to John Gregory's pledge that, if elected to the office ot county jiuice. he will pro ide the leadership need;'nl 1 aiuitung a suc cessful administration in that field In a case where an l-suc .is ni't. and cannot he. solved in advance of the election, to wit home rule, it does seem fining that the voter u-.;ild O'.ter chno.-e a man .:vi.so planning is equal to Hto: come w'iat niay. To ote . ,ur :se. would be to ii'd common ser.se. Mr. ,'o;'v should, vin tiie ioi".h- OREGftl fate now awaits him, he told the police: "I'll come back again." The story of the Chinese border crossers has not been so well publicized nor is it as dramatic as the story of di vided Berlin ari the stream of refugees from communism who for years poured through it by the thousands until erection of the East Berlin wall last Aug. 13. Like their German counter parts the Chinese refugees leave all their possessions be hind them. But their story is even more tragic. For every East German es caping to the West, at least four jobs await him. Efficient ly operating refugee organi zations take care of him and see that he is relocated in an area best suited to his skills. For the refugee from Red China, the future is almost as bleak as the past he was try ing to escape. If he is caught, British au thorities will turn him back because Hong Kong already is bursting at the seams with other refugees. The Human Rights Council of Hong Kong has called on Free World nations to help them solve the problem. They have asked the Na tionalist Chinese government coming election if ideas mean what they should. Vote for John Gregory, t is the idea and never mind the "weather' -and there are all ' inds of it. Fee Clifford Esteb, 153 North Oakdale ave. Medford. What's Wrong? To the Editor: What is wrong with our county gov ernment? How can an intelli gent community li! e ours find so much fault with our pres ent system? It seems to me that the only case these few dis gruntled people can present is the fact that a few of our citizens are delinquent some taxes. There is nothing new about that, all the while the county is charging them interest. It is a known fact that some business men pur posely owe taxes and are will ing to pay interest rather than borrow operating capital from the bank. Sooner or later these taxes have to be paid. If there are some deficiencies in the laws to colle:t , ;rsonal property taxes, let's improve our existing laws. Why discard a system of government that is a proven success for some untried bu reaucracy? Wlv.re can you find a more successful admin istration past or present than what we have? How many counties have a surplus in the treasury? And I am happy to include our state in this category, too. I hear the com plaint tha. we cannot elect capable people to fill our of fices. We have done so always in the past. I find our county offices operating in an effic ient, courteous manner. The staffs of the many depart ments are always ready to render capable, friendly ser vice. And the elccte ' officials are dedicated men. The late Ray Schumacher proves my point. The weight of responsibilities of the assessor's office surely led him to an early grave. Ray was dedicated to improv ingthc efficiency of the as sessor's office. If we are going to find it difficult to find cauable dcodIc to fill the of- county can you hire top ex ecutives for S7.000 per year? Lei's pay what these positions should be paid, and we will continue to attract good lead ers. Home Rule is nothing new. It has been tried all over the country. One of my clients, arriving from Florida, was alarmed at reading about our plan to try it here. He in formed me that the cost of government went up as soon as it wai put into effect, and that it was rising continuously as more and more appoint ments are added to the bu reaucracy. Let's keep our gov ernment under our control. Every four years comes around pretty often, and if we want to change officials we can do it. Americans don't like one man rule. Let's every body go to the polls and vote. Ken Callison, 519 South Riverside ave. Medford The Answer To the Editor: Oregon Re publicans who complain about waste in federal government and about Washington med dling in local affairs can do son hing about it: They can n mate Edwin R. Durno for U.S. Senator. He is noy,a Congressman. We people around Florence know him well. Two years ago when the so-called dunes seashore Iwhich would reach inland five miles and take in some 400 homes) v a big issue, Dr. Durno came here, on Formosa to receive ana resettle 100,000 refugee immi grants during 1962-63. It also has proposed that countries with vast open Try and Sfop Me By BENNETT CERF ONCE UPON A TIME there was a terrible, terrible week when Jackie' Gleason didn't touch a single drop of liquor. Gleason's friend Toots Shor took this as a personal affront, but Gleason blamed it all on his doc tor. "He's put me off the stuff for life," he ex plained sadly. "Foofel and poofel," scoffed Shor. "I'll send you to my doc tor. He'll let you drink all you want." The next day Gleason still -was on the wagon. "Didn't you go to see my doctor?" demanded Toots Shor. "I went," nodded Gleason, "but I couldn't get in. The office was too crowded. " m Salvador Dall, the eccentric artist, can come right down to earth when occasion warrants. At the Stork Club recently, for example, he was heard earnesUy assuring a beautiful young hat check girl, "Never take a fur coat from an amorous customer, my dear. A fur coat is like a painting by me: you have to ex plain both to your mother." ISM. by Bennett Cerf. Distributes by Klnr Features Syndicate made a thorough investiga tion and said, "No." He saw that the dunes region is al ready publicly owned by the U.S. Forest Service which is making it a fine recreational area. He said that the national park project would be a need iess waste of money. Durno stands pat against big government. He states, "We must stop the growing centralization of power in Washington which would de stroy freedoms and liberties under our Constitution." As a doctor, he knows the problems of older people and is for relief but under a free enterprise system, maintain ing that government program would mean staggering costs. He declares that public schools must remain in local hands for federal aid means federal control. "Eddie" Durno has shown the Americanism he advo cates. Born, on a farm near Albany, he worked his way through U. of O. and Harvard Medical School. He was an All-American athlete. During the last war he was a major in the Medical Corps, earn ing three campaign ribbons in combat areas besides a Purple Heart for being wounded. Durno doesn't fence strad dle. He doesn't seek the posi tion of Senator because he needs a job. He is retired. He wants to serve because he has convictions. He is obli gated to no one, big govern ment nor big business. If the people of Oregon want a Senator who is not a slick, professional politician but a straightforward indi vidual they'll vote for Durno on May 18. Jack Parker, Box 1033, Florence, Ore. Is This WhaTwTWant? To the Editor: In 1776 the founding fathers of this coun try set up a three-branch gov erning body, executive, legis lative, and judicial, with each branch to check the other against unfair or corrupt laws or practices. Ttiis has worked effectively for 186 years. Jackson county now oper ates under this system. Execu tive branch formed by the county court and other elect ed officials, legislative by the state legislature, judicial by the district attorney. Now the Jackson County Home Rule Committee proposes to change this in Section 5, articles 1 and 2, to combine the execu tive and legislative branches in a board of county commis sioners, leaving only one man to check them. Is this what we want to happen? The Home Rule Charter would abolish 10 elective of fices to be replaced by 8 elec tive offices and numerous ap pointed offices. This appears fine on the surface, further analysis shows we now elect 10 officials every two years or 30 uses of our vote in a six year period. Under the proposed system we would elect a District Attorney ev ery two years and two com missioners every two years or nine chances to exercise our right to vote every six years. Nine times instead of 30 times, is this what we want to happen? During the last two weeks the proponents of the Home Rule Charter have been grasp ing at straws he saying that under a charter system taxes could not go uncollected. Un-di- the present system the sheriff must keep a compara tively clean house as he must staftl for reelection every two i years. Under the charter sys- t t the finance official WTntld answer to ine conimissionisrf which in turn would answer to the people. But only two every two : s leaving a ma jority vote of five older heads Germany spaces, such as Canada ana Australia, amend theirmmi gration laws to absorb at least a few thousand each year. Strictly Personal By Sydney J. Harris (c Field Enterprises Inc. LOVE IS NOT STOLEN A reader in Florida, appar ently bruised by some . per sonal experience, writes in to complain, "If I steal a nick el's worth of merchandise, I am a thief and jJfJrt punished; but f s,j if I steal the love oli an other's wife, I am free." This is a pre v a 1 e n t mis conception in many people's minds - that love, like mer be "stolen." I . Harls chandise, Numerous states, in fact. have enacted laws allowing damages for "alienation of af fections." But love is not a commod ity; the real thing cannot bo bought, sold, traded or stolen. It is an act of the will, a turn ing of the emotions, a change in the climate of the person ality. When a husband or wife is "stolen" by another person, that husband or wife was al ready ripe for the stealing, was already predisposed to ward a new partner. The "love-bandit" was only tak ing what was waiting to be taken, what wanted to be taken. We tend to treat persons like goods. We even speak of children "belonging" to their parents. But nobody "be longs" to anyone else. Each person belongs to himself, and to God. Children are entrust ed to their parents, and if their parents do not treat them properly, the state has a right to remove them from the parents' trusteeship. Most of us, when young, had the experience of a sweet heart being taken from us by somebody more attractive and more appealing. At the time, we may have resented this in-truder-but as we grew older, we recognized that the sweet heart had never been ours to begin with. It was not the in truder that "caused" the break, but the lack of a real relationship. On the surface, many mar riages seem to break up be cause of a "third party." This is, however, a psychological il lusion. The other woman or the other man merely serves as a pretext for dissolving a marriage that had already lost its essential integrity. Nothing is more futile and more self-defeating than the bitterness of spurned love, the vengeful feeling that someone has "come between" oneself and a beloved. This is always a distortion of reality, for peo ple are not the captives or vic tims of others-they are free agents, working out their own destinies for good or for ill. But the rejected lover or mate cannot afford to believe that his beloved has freely turned away from him-and so he ascribes sinister or magical properties to the interloper. He calls him a hypnotist, or a thief, or a homebreaker. In the vast majority of cases, however, when a home is broken, the breaking has be gun long before ary "third P t)y" has appeared on tha scene. in who could ignore the peo ple's wishes. I this what we want to happ.' George E. Smith, 1408 So. Columbus Av., Medford X A
