Page Six

Letters

on of “rights" will be both fore-
most and fundamental. it seems
to me, therefore, worthwhile to
examine die idea of “rights," for
I find that each group 7 “fac-
tion” is what Madison called
319,111 in his now forgotten 10th
Federalist # pays far more at-
tention to the word modifying
“rights" than it does to the word
”rights” itself, to the basic,
fundamental, relevant. essential,
real, true thing. We have
“human” rights.‘ women‘s"
rights, “student” rights, “AfroV
Negro-black" rights, “silent
majority” rights — but all these
groups seem to take the existence
of“rights" for granted.

We should observe first that the
very word “right" presupposes
not only a system of morality but
also an absolute system of
morality. “Situation-ethics.” as.
relativism 'and immorality are
now euphemistically (but
euphoniously) called, are not
relevant to “rights." I find,
however, that those who most
insist on their “rights" are
'relativists, thatTthey argue
against absolute morality. It
would seem that until they
resolve this contradiction they
ought to refrain from insistence
and apply themselves to
elemental logic and philosophy.

If the universe be meaningless
and the result of chance, if nature
be ”heartless," “witless,” and
apathetic, and if there be no
“better nature or God” — as Ovid
put it 7 there can be no such
thing as a right. Existence would
be no better than nonexistence,
life no better than death, and
whatever was would be right
simply because it was. The
concentration camps of the
Nazis, the atrocities in Viet Nam,
the trial of the seven at Chicago,
the FBI, the dope pushers,
Barbra Streisand, and Peter
Fonda 7 all would be equally
“right”alld have“rights."

If, on the other hand, nature
has meaning and either is itself
the “better God“ or the result
of His goodness (though
corrupted, of course, by man),
then rights, and wrongs, exist 7
but only as conferred by nature
or God Without Such conferring,
man has no rights under either
meaninglessness or providence.
Thomas Jefferson, as even a
Deist, was far above both the
agnostic and the atheist, and for
all his iuzzymindedness, he
grasped this point: as the
Declaration of Independence puts
it, men are ”endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable
rights.” The existence of a right
pro-supposes a conferrer of the
right.

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Texaco

236-7205

A “right”, then, is a species
of the genus grace. (I hurry the
argument, I know, but a letter
is not the place to work out all
the details: those concerned to
know more will find me ac»
cessible). Man exists as man
because God allowed him to; his
first job is to understand what
a man is, so that he can, in
Pindar's words, “become what
he is.” The essence of man is
free will operating on the basis
of reason, for even love is
grounded in reason. And free will
presupposes choice, order. and
responsibility. Those ab—
stractions contain in them the
process of existence, desire,
analysis, pleasure, and pain, on
the basis of which we judge and
arejudged.

The same groups which cry for
their “rights” scream for the
power to obtain them, as if rights
depended on power. Power is, of
course, an indispensable means
to any action; but power does
not make right, nor is right
destroyed by power. Power, you
see, is only physical, whereas
right is moral. Morality is to
power as form is to matter: a
bad morality is a bad form and
will shape matter in unjust and
unbeautiful ways, A bad power
is matter moving without reason,
Hence the Worst morality is that
in which power becomes a means
to morality, as if the end could
ever justify the means,

The only safe and sane and
sanctioned way is the moral way.
And the moral way is the way
of man’s essential nature,
reason, for every man is a
potential imitation of the Logos,
made in its. and His, image.
Grinnell, 1 understand, par-
ticipated in the Vietnam
Moratorium. If the College did
not — in that Mora (delay) A
ponder the question of “rights,”
it would be an appropriate
suggestion this term to declare
anuther Moratorium, to be
devoted to this question. May I
hope that such a Moratorium
already exists? It is called the
“term," and we are now
beginning it. Come, let us reason
together.

John Crossett, Classical
Languages

‘3-2' Program
at Columbia

Sixty students and faculty
members from 27 colleges and
universities were recent guests
of die Columbia University
School of Engineering and Ap-
plied Science in New York City
for a twoaday meeting on the
Combined Plan. Dean Wesley J.
Hennessy, left, was the host for
the luncheon during the con-
ference. Among the guests from
Grinnell College were, lrom left
to right, Norris Stubbs and Kojo
Kpordze, who is now a Columbia
Engineering School student.
While at Columbia, Mr. Stubbs
Visited Engineering School
classes and held discussions with
Engineering School faculty and
students.

The Combined Plan 372
Program enables a student to
spend three years at Grinnell
College and then transfer to
Columbla for two years of
engineering studies, earning a E.
A. from Grinnell College and a
E. S from Columbia.

SCARLET AND BLACK

Faculty Meeting

At the Trst faculty meeting of
this semester held on Monday,
January 19th, President Leggett
announced that the college had
bought a house from Denniston-
Partridge Co, for $5,000. The
house will be moved to the lot
located between Conference
House and Mr, Mergen’s house
on Park Street. The building will
contain Mr. Morris’ develop
mental psychology laboratory
which is presently located in the
basement of Steiner Hall.

President Leggett also
reported that the sum needed
from unrestricted gifts to the
college ior the fiscal year ending
July 1970 was $880,000. As of
December of last year $570,000
had already been pledged to the
college.

President Leggett also an—
nounced plans for the building of
an addition to the bookstore
which he hoped would be coma
pleted by July of this year.

College Presidenl
Apologizes For Ad

It seems that President W.
Merle Hill of Christian College
in Columbia, Missouri is a bit emr
barrassed over an advertisement
which his college placed in the
colleges in the Midwest. The ad
(appearing in this issue) seemed
to beckon dissatisfied students
to leave their present school and
come to Christian College.
Several college presidents were
reportedly upset over this ap
parent act of “claim jumping.”

In a letter to President Leggett,
President Hill apologized for any
unintended meaning in the ad,
In part, he said: “When I learned
that the ad had been accepted
by a number of relatively small
private college newspapers, I im-
mediately requested that the ad
be withdrawn from their papers.
We are not attempting to steal
or recruit satisfied or even dissat-
isfied students from other camr
puses but to provide another eds

Friday, January 23. l970

ucational opportunity to those
students who drop out of college
or to those whose academic
records preclude their continuing
at the school of their first
choice.”

The 5&8 has found that there
is no substance in the rumor that
Grinnell College is going to place
a similar ad in the Christian
College newspaper in retaliation.

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