Towson University - Tower Echoes Yearbook (Towson, MD)

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THE TOWER LIGHT Preparedness-A Cause of War COMMON and dangerous fallacy thoroughly believed by a great majority of people is that preparedness prevents war. These citi- zens believe that a strong army and navy acts in the same way as a police force. This analogy is completely false and misleading. The work of the police is entirely constructive. It tries to protect life and property and prevent all types of destruction. Armies and navies exist only to destroy and kill everything that man holds worthwhile. It is as logical to say preparedness prevents war as to say the law should require every man to carry a loaded gun in his pocket to prevent quarrels and shooting. Armaments are no guarantee of peace. If they were, then the highly prepared nations of Europe would be the stronghold of peace, while the undefended, fortless, four thousand mile boundary between United States and Canada would have the constant menace of war. The opposite is true. You don't and can't get peace by preparing for war. Militarism has not prevented one war but has been among the chief factors causing every war. Let us see what actually happens when nations prepare. A nation fully arms itself, supposedly for peace. Immediately another nation, fearful of the first nation's arming, increases its own war budget. Thus begins the competition in armaments. This rising pyra- mid continues and soon induces suspicion, jealousy, and strained relations between countries, until at last at the slightest pretext there is-Wat. Was not one of the major causes of the World War due to this fact, the competitions of armaments? Is not the war tension in Europe today due to the same cause? Germany arms, France retaliates and increases its war force. japan builds more submarinesg Russia, in fear, builds more aeroplanes. America has also entered this vicious circle. The day after Congress passed the Vinson bill which set a new high for our wat budget, japan increased its war budget. Due to this tragic universal race in armaments, the world is closer to war today than it was thirty days before the World War, according to Senator Nye. Looking at this problem from another angle, it is hardly possible to imagine the tremendous cost of armaments. Of the American budget of several billions of dollars, 701k is spent to pay for past wars and preparation for future wars. This means the U. S. government spends 70 cents out of every dollar for purely destructive purposes, while only 30 cents is spent to fight poverty, disease, and ignorance. The United States spent more during the World War than has been spent for educa- tion since the beginning of our country. There are over three-fourths of a million people in the U. S. suffering from that dreadful disease, 5

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THE TOWER LIGHT Looking Forward OLLEGE is the highest type of formal introduction into that great game we call life. As the debutante is launched on the sea of society at a certain age, so after a period of time do we hope to enter the portals of some higher institution, both for the benefit of our- selves and for posterity. It has often been said by learned men that a college is as strong as its weakest student, and this statement can be applied to our own Mary- land State Teachers College as well as others. We, of this college, are training to enter a profession. That is, we expect to enter the educational field fully equipped to meet and help satisfy the demands of future generations for knowledge. The faculty of the school is most eager to impart to us what they have gleaned from long years of training and research work. We should be just as eager to accept and apply this knowledge. When one contemplates seriously the purpose of our training, one cannot help thinking how responsible we are for the well-being and advancement of our population. On our shoulders rests the burden of teaching the child how to meet life with a frank, open mind and how to bear the brunt of responsibility and hardships with fortitude. In other words, future civilization depends in a measure on us. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you , is a saying of the ancients that is still as true as it was long ago. Rewritten in an educational vein it could be stated: Learn from others as you would have others learn from you. Give your instructors your undivided attention. Listen with an open mind to all that they have to impart. It's not wrong to question an individuals statement, but above all, be open-minded and accept his statement if he has data with which to prove it. In this scientific and curious age more and more intelligent teachers are needed to meet the demands of our children. Politics, the Industrial World, and World Relations are all very closely interwoven in the lives of the American people. The world is growing smaller and more closely related, while our knowledge of all phenomena is ever increasing. We are more closely connected with the doings of the entire human race than we ever were before. The environment into which each generation is born is becoming more and more complex. Therefore, a wider and richer curriculum is required and more intelligent and eager teachers are necessary to supply it. ja. 6. 4

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THE TOWER LIGHT cancer. The price of one submarine would hnance the work of the Cancer Research Institute for 100 years. 320,000,000 would wipe out all slums. Militarism, therefore, causes increased taxes and a higher cost of living- but no increased security. Milton, the great poet, summed up this subject of preparedness beautifully when he said, For what is war but endless wars still to breed. SIGMUND SHPRITZ. Soph. 3. :ER City Noise! Roaring horns and screaming brakes, Shrill whistles wildly blown, A train which blasts through a musty hole, And the whir of cement being thrown Dirt! Torn paper and filthy streets, Dust careening toward your eyes, An apple squashed by a rolling truck, And gum flung to the walk Sorrow! Ragged man and unclean hags, Men disfigured and scarred, A woman bending o'er a drunken man Her sagged face streaked with tears JOY! . . . Laughing children and singing men, A dancer swinging round, A girl who walks alone at night, Living's a joy she's found FRANCE E. FANTOM. 6