Herald and news., February 06, 1961, Page 6, Image 6

PAGE HERALD AND NEWS, Klamath Filh, Oregon Monday, February , 1M1
fcdii&dal (paqsi
IDSON IN WASHINGTON .'
State Of Union Talk
Raises 'How' Factor j
Potemkin Village
Maybe Just A Word . . .
Like too many communities in our fair
land, we have automobile graveyards scattered
in the Klamath Basin. And, almost every time
one drives by one of these lots, it seems, there
is another wrecked car in the driveway or
proximity.
It's pretty certain that each wrecked car
stands for the maiming, if not the death, of
a human being.
Why is it that we hold life so cheap?
We do not have the figures at hand for 1960,
but in 1959 91,500 persons were killed by acci
dent in the United States. Of these fatalities,
37,500 were vehicular, 13,000 were industrial
and 27,000 occurred in the home.
Add to these the uncounted number of
nonfatal accidents that must have occurred to
each one in which there was actual loss of
life, and you get some idea of the dreadful
toll of carelessness the thoughtless disre
gard for the sanctity of human life.
Even more appalling is the loss of life due
to deliberate self-destruction. Addressing the
National Association for Mental Health, Dr.
Joseph Hirsh placed at 50 to 60 thousand the
number of Americans who die by suicide each
year.
He also expressed the opinion that, for
each successful suicide effort, there were no
fewer than five, and perhaps as many as 60,
unsuccessful trials.
Although many public agencies address
themselves to the humanitarian task of reduc
ing the numbers of these accidental and sui
cidal deaths, we incline to the belief that in
dividual efforts score greater accomplish
ments. In all probability, the boy whose father
is a careful driver is apt to follow the example
he has become familiar with all of his life.
The girl whose mother is an orderly home
maker is apt to run her own home in an equal
ly orderly manner.
And the recently employed worker is
apt to heed the safety regulations of his shop
or industry if he sees these regulations hon
ored by his superiors.
Much, too, can be done to prevent suicidal
attempts. In Dr. Hirsh's study, he noted an
Increased incidence of attempts at self-destruction
on dull days in the fall and winter,
during prolonged hot spells in the summer
and following recent marital separation or
divorce.
The incidence was also notably higher In
persons who lacked any formal religious af
filiation in our opinion, the most significant
reason.
Alerted by these observations and recog
nizing the emotional 'effects of purely per
sonal conditionings, the considerate friend,
clergyman or physician may provide just the
right word, deed or counsel to tide the de
pressed person over a period of climax.
Keep Hammering
President Kennedy will have to be at
pains to prevent the Russians from making im
proper propaganda use of their release of the
two RB-47 American fliers.
Already their official "news" organs are
talking of the action as if it were a cold war ,
concession that must now be matched by us.
This is an old Soviet game. You commit
some act of wrongdoing. Then you correct it,
and ask your adversaries that they treat the
correction as a solid concession. The hope is,
of course, that the world will lose sight of the
fact that you are correcting something which
you never should have done In the first place.
Kennedy made plain in announcing the
fliers' release that he had given nothing in
return at the outset, and implicit In his com
ment was the position that nothing would be
given.
(Those lawmakers who later demanded
to know whether he had yielded up anything
to the Kremlin evidently had not bothered to
read or hear what the President said.)
Among the things he said at the time was
that Moscow had by Its action removed a ser
ious obstacle to Improvement of U.S.-Soviet .
relations. But that is a far cry from saying we
are now prepared to do, or have done some
thing In return.
All that was accomplished was a slight
betterment in the general diplomatic atmos
phere. Whether real negotiations and real
concessions on both sides will follow from this
remains to be seen.
In his inaugural address Kennedy called
on Khrushchev to show evidence of earnest
Intent to achieve genuine solution of such out
standing world problems as disarmament. He
obviously does not intend to be taken in by
fraudulent gestures. '? v
But he 'and '-his new administration must,
remember that the world is always watching.
And many peoples do not make proper distinc
tion between real and phony concessions as
they view the cold war from their distance.
Thus one task of the President and his
Information agencies is to tell and retell the
true story of the released American fliers.
Another, for him, Is to state tirelessly to the
Russians and all the world that we are ready
and eager for real advance toward disarma
ment and peace.
JIM BISHOP: REPORTER . . ; , ..
You're Never Older Than
YWt You Feel - Sometimes
MIAMI, Fla-He is brnt over
the sink, washing the breakfast
dislws. This gives me time to
write. My father has been here a
week. For a proper appreciation
of what has happened, ono must
recognize that ho is 77. has an
auricular fibrillation, edemi of
lungs and ankles, his feet shuffla
slowly, bis head is inclined, hair
' white, teeth new, eyes blue end
twinkling, manner courtly and
diplomatic.
. When my mother died, over
three years ago, John M. Bishop
Sr. retired to his room in my
sister's house. He seldom cama
out. tile man who sits alone is
in poor company. He built up ner
vousness, fears and, in effect,
marked time. Once, he had been
a big solid man, a handsome,
second-generation Irishman in the
uniform of a police lieutenant He
weighed 234. Now he was a
shrunken, skinny man of 139,
watching the clock and waiting
for the hour to take the next
pill.
Ho was terrified of planes,
afraid of trains, nervous in auto
mobiles. I goaded him into leav
ing the room. My brother John
ihoved him on the train at New.
ark, New Jersey, and I met him
the next day at Flagler Street
and yanked him off. 1 had no
intention of babying him. I said-.
"If it is God's will that you have
to go, let Him take you in bright
sunshine rather than in that stuffy
room."
Dad agreed. His leg muscle
were so flabby that it hurt to
walk mora than a hundred yards.
The first night, I took him to Uia
Joi-Alai games. When we got back
to the Key Biscayne Hotel, he
'said he couldnt sleep without his
pill. He was gone before he could
roach for it. The next day, , I
"H a
asked him to play nine holes on
a pitch and putt course.
"Oh no," he said. Golf was Jo
years behind him, I save him an
eight iron and a puller and
dragged him out. He played and
shot 44. The next morning, he
was out by himself and shot J4. '
His snowy skin got red, then deep '.
tan. We went everywhere togeth
er, even when I was working
on a column. We toured Miami
Beach at night, just to see the '
lights.
We went to George Baker'
home for dinner. Dad was afraid .
that it would bfc too fashionable ;
for him. He met an airline stew
ardess named Bcvoily. reached
for the roast beef and her at tha
same time and. In an hour, he
had promised to make his first
flight on her plane. John was
moving fast.
They came over to my table.
He had his arm around her. Bev
erly aald: "Mr. Bishop. I have
something Important to say to
you." I looked up and said: "No
matter what you have to say,
I'm not going to learn to call you
mother." It wasn't Uiat, she said.
John had promised her to maka
jet flight to New York.
Sunday we went deep sea fish
ing on the Elkam II. My father
Is afraid of the sea. lie relaxed,
held his face to the warm sun, ale
as though food h.td been outlawed,
and asked the captain numerous
questions ahout the gulf stream.
Monday, he played IB holes of
golf and drove lo llialeah to visit
Frank and Gail Geract. He fell
asleep watching television.
Tuesday we vent to Hialeah.
l!e knew nothing of the horses,
but would het the whole wad-8
-on anything Bill Hardtack was
riding. He won 87, and got baik
to the hotel in time for a corned
beef and cabbage dinner. He was
now averaging at least two miles
a day on his feet. The pain in the
.calf muscles was almost gone.
Wednesday, he visited the Se
quarium. watched the porpoises
spring out of the blue water, saw
a 300 year old turtle, and mm
mured: "My friend, you've got
me by a few years." At the air
port, Dymond of National put my
father in a Lockheed Electra sim
ulator (3 real flight deck of a
plane built in a big room) and
took him down an imaginary run
way and up to 9.000 feet, mak
ing twists and turns, through an
electric storm with fake lightning
on the front windows, and down
to a safe landing.
"If that's all there is to it."
Dad said, "I'll change my mind.
I'll fly." We'll see Ths next day,
Tom Ferris and I played 18 holes
at Key Colony. Dad drove t h a
electric cart. He had never been
in one. Later he went to Jordan
Marsh, bought some wild sports
shirts and a straw hat with a
narrow beatnik brim, and said:
"What's next on the agenda?"
He visited Dr. J. V. Hankwer
ker, accompanied by a nole from
his northern doctor. Hankwerker
examined the tricky heart,
searched for fluid in lungs and
ankles. The doctor said: "He's in
good shape. Heart is all right and
no fluid He's diy as a bone."
Now he is washing the morn
ing dishes. I'm trying to write
and he wants tn fciow "What's
next?" Last night, we stood
along the edge of tha sea, look
ing at the little blue pinholes in
the sky.
"This." he said solemnly, "is
the closest 1 expect to get to
heaven." .
l:,Ju THFVIFW FROM HFRF lpia
I I I l r I I f i i -w i t i Uy lL,rr .
Entrance Age Change
REACTION lo my recent col
umn on the bill to change the
entrance age for first grade
school children was immediate
and vigorous.
BESIDES A NUMBER of let
ters, which presented both sides
of the issue, I had a number of
phone calls from those who fa
vored the bill and some from
those who did not. ,
IN THE MAIN, the issue
seemed to evolve around those
children who were obviously
ready to enter the first grade,
and those children who were .'
emotionally, psychologically.-' or4,!
physically not ready to enter the
first grade at the age of six 'J
years, or five years nine months. "
ONE CALLER, who was an
educator, took sharp issue with
my viewpoint and (ell back on
the argument that one quarter
of all students who enter the
first grade at just under six
years of age faU one grade or
another during their school years.
He also blamed the slow prog
ress of first grade classes on
the slower student who requires
more attention and thus holds
back the progress of the class.
In this instance, it was pre
mmed (hat this slow individual
would be the youngster who was
not quite six at the time school
convened.
It was also this person's un
derstanding that the shifting of
the school age back to July 1
was to be done by a scries of
moves, first changing the date
to September 1, then to August
1 the following year and then
lo July t.
No reasons were given for the
selection of the July I date. It
appears lo be jusl an arbitrary
date. ' i
IN ALL THE ARGUMENTS
from both sides, it appeared that
each side was doing the other
an injustice.
The educators claimed that the
parents were inclined to overesti
mate Ihe intelligence of their
youngsters, and were unable to
admit to having children who
were not ready for school. They
also had a tendency to accuse
the parents of merely wanting
to get the youngsters off their
hands and into school so it would
give them fewer problems.
The parents involved, in turn,
felt that the educators were not
willing to meet the challenges
posed by youngsters of this type,
and were inclined to favor a
rnore accelerated, modernized
type of educational structure rath
er than deal with the facts as
they are.
SOMETHING is to be said for
both sides, but, in the main, it
is unjust to accuse parents of
merely wanting to get rid of
their youngsters by pushing
them off on a teacher. This may
be true in some instances, but it
is only an isolated or an uncom
mon case. I can't deny that par
ents do have a tendency to over
estimate the intelligence of their
children.
On the other hand, it is un
just to level accusations at the
educators, also. They are dedicat
ed people and, I'm sure, feci
Ihey were doing Ihe proper thing
for the most good for the most
children w hen they made t h e
recommendations they did.
THE RECENT MOTHERS
MARCH against the Legislature
in Salem attests to Uie fact that
something as vital to parents and
to the educational structure as
this issue was should not be han
dled merely by the passing of
a bill.
The bill itself is House Bill
No. 1097, and the bill daily pro
vides for the changing of the en
trance age date to July 1. A
child must be six years of age
by the previous July 1 in order
to begin school in September.
There are no other provisions
for a gradual shift to the date,
nor any provisions for testing of
youngsters' intelligence or any
other method.
In effect, it would penalize the
75 per cent youngsters of the
period July 1 to September 5
birthdates, by setting them back
a year in their education be
cause 25 per cent of their num
bers might fail a grade.
THE END RESULT, if such a
program were enacted, would be
to have youngsters graduating
from high school at 19 years past,
and with several years military
. service sandwiched in, coming
out of college at 25 or 26. even
28 or 30 in the case of medical
school or other courses requiring
additional college training.
I STICK with my original point.
This is not the proper method
of attacking this particular prob
lem of regulating the progress
of the early school year young
sters. Despite the fact that the No
vember 15th date has held for
about (lie last 30 to 35 years, it
may be that some changes are
necessary. But, from this view,
point, tiie arbitrary shift in en
trance date is not the answer.
Al
manac
Travel Talk
Answer to Previous Puxrle
ACROSS
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14 City in
Pennaylvania
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prealdent
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directions
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moiiture
DOW
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inventor
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province
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Rv United Press International
Today is Monday, Feb. , the
37th day of the year with 328
more in 1961.
The moon is approaching its
last quarter.
The evening stars are Mercury,
Venus and Mars.
On this day in history:
In 1788. Massachusetts ratified
the U S Constitution.
In 1350, Henry Clay delivered
his last great speech on the floor
of Senale, speaking in favor of
his compromise bill of 1850.
In 1943. Gen. Dwight D. Eisen
hower was appointed commander-in-chief
of the Allied expedition
ary forces in North Africa.
In 19o2, King George VI of Eng
land died afler a lengthy illness.
He was succeeded to the throne
by his daughter. Princess Eliza
beth, who assumed the name of
Queen Elizabeth II.
Thoughts
But with the precious blood of
Christ, Ilka that of a lamb with
out blemlah or spot. I Peter
1:19.
The blood of Jesus is sacrifice:
the sweat of Jesus Is toil and
labor: Ihe lears of Jcsife are love
and compassion. They abide as
eternal symbols of God's way of
meeting the needs of a lost world.
- W. A. Criswell.
Rul he said to him, Leave the
rirari to bury their own dead:
but a for you. go and proclaim
the kingdom of God. Luke
1:80.
Your great employment is to
Ivnns the individual souls of men
to Christ. - E. N. Kirk.
By PETER EDSON
Washington Correspondent
Newspaper Enterprise Asan.
WASHINGTON NEAI - One
view of President Kennedy's first
State of the Union message is
that if he gets just half of the
things he wants, he will be a
miracle man.
There are 30 action programs
listed in the message. Detailed
messages will be sent to Con
gress on many of them within
the next two weeks. This is no
100-day program. It will keep Con
gress busier than it has been in
years, late and long.
Some of these programs could
cost the government billions. The
great, unanswered question is
how the President will propose to
pay for them under a balanced
budget for 1962 and a deficit of
only two billion dollars for the
current fiscal year ending next
June 30, instead of the 100-million-dollar
surplus planned by ex-President
Eisenhower in his budget
message.
To do this, says Kennedy, it
will be necessary for Congress lo
enact "all the revenue measures"
already submitted to Congress for
1962 in the Eisenhower budget.
These measures f include exten
sion of present excise and corpor
ation income lax rates, increase
of aviation and highway fuel tax
es and higher U.S. postage rates.
Kennedy advocates closing cus
toms and tax loopholes but the
President also proposes a tax
incentive to business for plant ex
pansion to create jobs. This would
be a tax reduction for some con
cerns. The President is obviously count
ing on a higher level of business
activity to increase national in
come and provide more govern
ment revenue. But priming the
pump to get this new flow of
lax receipts started w ill cost some
thing. These are Ihe Kennedy pro
grams in which Ihe federal costs
are bound to increase, no matter
how set up:
Make federal giants for pub
lic schools and higher education.
(Note that Kennedy specified only
"public" schools.)
Increase hospital, nursing
home, other health care facilities
and personnel meaning doctor
and nurse training.
Strengthen U.S. military tool's
for national defense. This includes
more air transport for the Army,
more Polaris subs for the Navy,
more missiles for the Air Force.
Anyone can write his own ticket
on that, and the cost could be billions.
Improve America's foreign
aid program on the scale of lend
lesse and Marshall Plan opera
tions. They cost about 17 billion
dollars apiece, although a few bil
lions came back.
The 500 million dollars' for
Latin America is already in th
budget. Of U.S. farm income "re
duced by 25 per cent since 1951,
he must specify later how it would
be raised, but it is obvious this
isn't going to be done for noth
ing. '
An expanded food-for-peace
program could be a giveaway to
put more emphasis on basic re
search for greater progress and to
join with the Soviet Union and
other nations in exploration of out
er space. The sky's the limit op
expense. I
The same goes for develop
ment of U.S. natural resources.
Some of the Kennedy programs
w ill cost Ihe government only mi
nor millions for increased adminis
trative expenses. They include:
Expand the U.S. employment
service. Create a new department
of housing and urban affairs.
Form a National Peace corps. In
crease U.S. support for the U.N.
Promote U.S. exports. Attract for
eign investment and travel to the
U.S. Curb organized crime and
juvenile delinquency. End the de
nial of constitutional rights on ac
count of race.
Some of the proposals won't cost
the government anything, but tha
tab will be picked up by others:
Increasing Ihe minimum wage
will be paid for by private em
ployers. Putting health care for
the aged under social security w ill
make Ihe beneficiaries and their
employers pay for it. Extending
unemployment benefits through
federal loans to the states means
that the advances will be paid
back.
Redevelopment of areas of
chronic unemployment won't cost
Ihe federal government anything
in the long run if the program is
done on a loan basis. Stimula
tion of housing and construction
could also be done by loans. But
if these two programs are fi
nanced by grants, the cost could
be millions.
But all these programs hava
certain obvious inflationary
pressures if they add up to greatly
increased government spending.
The great challenge in the Ken
nedy program is how all thesa
things he recommends can be
done while keeping the dollar
"sound as a dollar" and encour
aging price stability. ''
That will take a real miracle
man.
No Drastic Change
In Kennedy Policy
By JAMES MARLOW
Associated Press News Analyst
WASHINGTON AP - Presi
dent Kennedy has said enough now
to indicate he intends to follow
a moderate course and that the
keynote to his presidency will be
action and change but not dras
tic change.
There are points on which he
disagrees with the policies of his
predecessor President Eisenhow
er. And these are apt to get more
attention than the points on which
he agrees.
But there are plenty of points
of agreement between him and
Eisenhower, as Kennedy disclosed
further at his second news con-
ference Wednesday.
Some of the fields in which he
does not see eye to eye with Ei
senhower may have profound im
portance to the people affected.
Still, in one field after another,
instead of proposing something
completely new, he simply wants
to go a step beyond where Eisen
hower was willing to go.
For instance: Eisenhower fa
vored a medical care plan for
the aged. So does Kennedy. But
Kennedy wants to tie it into So
cial Security. Eisenhower was un
willing to go that far.
Some of Kennedy's statements
Wednesday illustrate Strong dif
ferences with Eisenhower.
He opened his news conference
with the announcement he was re
versing Eisenhower's critical cut
in the number of servicemen's
dependents allowed to go over
seas with them. This affected the
morale of the armed forces.
But it was part of Eisenhower's
effort to reduce the flow of Amer
ican gold abroad.
Kennedy also announced he had
ordered, in an altempl to encour
age increased home-building, a
reduction from lo 5ii per cent
in insured loans by the Federal
Housing Administration.
These were definite reversals
of Eisenhower policy. But in one
field after another Kennedy
showed agreement with Eisen
hower thinking. He even wen out
of his way at limes to nole he
was following Eisenhower policy.
Some examples:
Asked why he had cracked
down on belligerent speeches by
high military officers. Kennedy
said this was to avoid conflict with
administration policy which has!
been non-belligerent. He pointed;
out Eisenhower had done tha'
same. ,
Eisenhower was opposed to a
tax cut to overcome the business
slump. Kennedy said he is, too,,
at least at this time.
Eisenhower in his budget mes
sage to Congress last month
seeking new revenues to balance)
the budget asked Congress to
vote an increase in postal rates
and the lax on highway and avia
tion gasoline. ;
Kennedy said he will do Ihe
same. In fact, he said he would:
ask for a change in only a (e
items in Eisenhower's budget.
When it was suggested to him'
that his Stale of the Union mes.'
sage lo Congress last week wasf
critical of Eisenhower "military"
policy and judgment." Kennedy:
said: . 1
He is waiting, perhaps until th
end of February, for his own.
aides to give him a report on;
America's military strength. And
he added:
Until then "I would not attempt'
lo make any criticism or suggest
that w-e are going to have lo
change the plans made by Presi
dent Eisenhower."
Nor has he backed away from
any commitments made by Ei
senhower in the foreign field.
Asked his position on defending
Berlin against Communist pres
sure, which Eisenhower was
pledged to do. Kennedy said: r
"My view . . . ii the same as the
view expressed by the previous!
administration . . . There is no.'
change in our view on Berlin.'
In 1957 a committee headed b
H. Rowan Gaither reported to Eii
aenhower on American defenses
At the time the Washington Post
said the report pictured the United;
Stales as "in the gravest danger;
of its history." ;
The Eisenhower administration- L
tasked it top secret and never
released it. Kennedy was asked;
if he'd turn it loose. He said not'
now, not until it has been studied,
because some of it involved Amer
ican security. ;
Changes as they come should
in some cases be subtle, soma
blunt, but probably in very few
evtreme. StUl, in the end the to
tal of them could shove and
shape America into a new look
at home and abroad.