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<br />.2032 <br /> <br /> <br />Answer::.. No, decidedlYllot. The communists are buta' small minarity; '1'liey"deluge <br />the people' With aceanllaf:prO'paganda, trying to' canform 'them to' their viewpaint" <br />and they try zealausly to' shield them. from the truth, But the Russians, being <br />basically intelligent and .discrilninating, are mceptical. They are saId an cam~ <br />lilUnislll in abaut the measure, that Republicans were saId an the New Deal., <br /> <br />Questian: We. hear sa manyeO'nflicting v.ersiansabaut Russia. Is it as goad.. as it <br />is pictured by same, ar as bad as it is depicted by athers? <br /> <br />Answer}. 11any writers and lectUl'ers about. Russia seem to' fall:ln twO' categories. <br />Some permit af classificatian as apologists, daz.z.led by the sunshine af sacialist. <br />or cammunist theary, ignoring ar condaning deficiencies, lacking discernment be~ <br />tween' promise and perfarmance, and saId an the thearem that Russia can dO' nO' wrang. <br />Others may be defined as cynics, steeped in censervatism, blind tcinjustices, im- <br />pervious to' pragress and convinced that nathing gO'od can emanate frem Russia; <br /> <br />Hy answer to' your question. would be that ane .can find seme things to' . <br />admire and same things to' deplO're in Russia. <br /> <br />Questian: \'lhat dO' yau fim in Russia .ta cammend? <br /> <br />Answer: -I shall hand the Russian Cammunist ane bauquet. Mast af them have im- <br />plicit faith in theiridealow .and they wark fervently to' pramate it. Cammunists <br />are not lackadaisical.. Thaugh' their 'effart nay be misdirected, their enthusiasm <br />and energy a.re deserving' of a.dmiratian. <br /> <br />Perhaps the outstanding accamplishment af th~ SevietUnian.is'its jab af <br />educating the Russian peaple.. To be sure, that educatian has fallawed a carefully <br />ariented pattern, heavily salted with prapaganda and steeped in idealogy. Never- <br />theless, the great masses ef the peaple have been freed fram the bonds ef illiter- <br />acy, and the yauth af' the NatiO'n have been given training .vastlysuperior to' that <br />accarded any previous generation. The country has been fle'oded with bulletins and <br />baoklets af generally infermative character. Perhaps the Russian masses are nat yet <br />able to' see and evaluate things in their true light; but they are no langer sub~ <br />merged in crass ignarance. <br /> <br />In some respects, .in my opinion, the Russians have a.dvanced rurther than' <br />we. In the matter of demacracy, far instance, I dO' nat refer to' political demo-. <br />cracy, I refer to' democracy in the sense of absence of snabbishness and bigotry' <br />and the practice af talerance, Russia is a palyglat natian nation, as much a <br />melting pot as is America, but the cancept that men shauld be affarded equal.oppor- <br />tunity and equal privilege, irrespective of accidents 'of birth, 'naw finds prac- <br />tically universal acceptance in the Saviet .Union. Can we truthfully say as much <br />for the United States? Or must we admit that we taa are samewhat tarnished with <br />the theary of 'a master raee? <br /> <br />The Soviet.Gove~ent has attacked the problems af alcohalism and.prosti- <br />. tutian .more ratiorally than. have we. They' have not attempted prahibitian. ' Their '. <br />approach is througheducati6n, They endeavar to canvincethe youth af the N~tian, <br />in.'the scheals, O'fthe fallyandstupidi~'af over-indUlgence, and the. Wisdom and <br />merit 'af a,bstinenceam mcderation. ' Drinking is not invested with 'gla.lllOUri'Ther& <br />art'! 'ria liquar ads in Russia. <br /> <br />-6- <br />