Friday. October 23. “764

SCARLET AND BLACK

 

Baron Retounts Year In Moscow
Final Impression less Favorable

By Ann Showalter

After spending eight months
in Moscow last year as part of
a US-USSR cultural exchange
program, h i s t o r y professor
Samuel H. Baron reports that
most Americans who live in the
USSR for several months have
less favorable impressions when
they leave than when they lar-
rive.

in his informal address “An
American in Moscow,” last
Friday afternoon in Roberts
Theatre, Baron discussed the
favorable and unfavorable as-
pects of Soviet life from the
basis of his personal experi-
ences.

Baron noted the ever present
book reading, “You see people
reading everywhere— in sub-
ways, restaurants, and parks."
Often they are studying techni-
cal books, classical novels and
selected modern works.

"For people of poor means

the opportunity to get higher
education is probably better
than here," he stated. At the
University of Moscow he knew
many students only two or three
generations removed from serf-
dom. .
Baron noted that general con-
ditions have improved since
Stalin's death. “The people are
better dressed, there are no
forced labor camps, and west-
erners are much freer to trav-
el within the country. One is a
good deal safer walking in the
streets of Moscow after dark
than in New York or Chica-
go," he said.

In spite of these improve-
ments there remains a great
deal in Soviet life that is re-
pugnant to anyone from our
world," he asserted. The Soviet
“humanistic” philosophy of life
has created a system in which
“the man exists for the system
instead of the system for the
man." This results in the re~
striction of many personal free-
doms.

Baron found that this lack
of personal freedom permeates
Soviet life even to the extent
of everyday conversation. “I
might be talking to a person
who was being fairly open.
Then someone else would ap<
proach us and the open con-
versation would suddenly stop.
It is widely believed that in
every classroom, every office,
and each department in a fac-
tory, there is a professional
spy." he said.

Freedom of knowledge is
greatly curtailed by the com-
plete governmental control of
all communications No foreign
newspapers are available to the
public except for the Commu-
nist Party organs of other
countries Soviet citizens, in-
cluding students, must have

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For men information contact
5. COBB SHIPTON,
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special permission in order to
check many categories of books
and magazines out of the li-
brary.

“The Iron Curtain is indis-
pensible to the continued exist—
ence of the regime,” Baron de-

SAMUEL BARON

clared. “The official picture
of the outside world is so far
from the truth it cannot stand
the light of day.” Soviet citi-
zens are free to travel to other
Communist countries and fre-
quently do so in groups. For
the average man, however,
traveling to a western country
is “about as likely as a trip to
the moon,”

According to Baron, the So-
viet system will change slowly
if at all. “If you ask an intelli—
gent citizen to explain why his
freedoms are restricted, he will

> isn't fit to run the Country

' make

 

reply. ‘When you allow diverse

opinions, people get confused
and this leads to anarchy.’ They
can't seem to see \that there
may be alternatives inbetween
dictatorship and anarchyl" He
continued, “When you ask why
the mass of people don’t have a
voice in government, there is a
snobbery in the answer. They
say ‘The ordinary working man

Among young people he found

- cynicism toward the Commu<

nist ideals and a desire for per-
sonal advancement. He he-
lieves this cynicism may lead
to a “crisis of faith” in the
USSR.

At present there is relative
economic equality. A Skilled
laborer, doctor, teacher all
from $80 to $100 per
month Although housing, edu-
cation and medical care are
usually free, food and cloth«
ing are extremely expensive in
relation to wages. To make
ends meet it is the general
practice for wives to work. In
addition many people confided
to Baron, stealing is a wide-
spread and accepted practice,
Each steals “according to his
fashion." This means the fac-
tory worker may take home
the factory's product with him
while the newspaper writer
does freelance work on his
newspaper time.

Baron said the reluctance to
make sacrifices for the regime
and the desire for individual
gain may lead to a greater use
of the reward system, but he
was reluctant to draw definite
conclusions as to where the
USSR is headed.

 

10-9-8

It's not or pop, it's a puff

TASTY PASTRY SHOP

Page Rm

Clark Hall Wins
Trophy for Floal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The men of Clark have done it again! Steve Chand-
ler is shown receiving the first place trophy for
their Homecoming float, ”Lawrinse.” The Alumni
Trophy is given each year to the hall whom a panel
of judges feels has the best idea and the best
method of carrying it out Clark has won the trophy
for three consecutive years and this year retired it
permanently for their hall.

 

 

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