TriE KENaI PEN.Ii'JS ■pioNBEH
■ ■ f ■ ' ' (Formerly The Homer1 News)*
Alaska's Largest Mimeograph Weekly
Piiblis h£dl! every Monday at Home’r, Alaska
4 El 11 Raver* Fditor and Publisher
Dorothy Haver* Compositor^ v
Subscription Hates: \ : "
1 ye ar *#••*•«»••• V3 «* 50
,i.6 m^ths•••••«««• 4ioo
* •' 3 months.1«25
OYSTERS
0R EAGLES
by Rev. Kenneth W* Sollitt
The oyster is endowed m th a ready-made house to live in*
All he has to do is open the doors of his house to take in
his food and close them again 'to keep out his enemiesf He
has perfect social security. Yet he is the easiest*fish in
* the world to catch-, crush and cook. He always ends up in the
soup* So what does Ms vaunted security really amoupt to?
The eagle, on the other hand, is.peculiar among created'
things in another respect. vVhdn a severe storm strikes,
other birds either hide from the storm or try to fight it as
- long as their strength holds out; The eagle neither fights
nor runs away. He simply sets his wings so the fury of thd
storm itself lifts him above the storm Yhere the sun is shin
* ing, and there he remains, "free as a bird,11 until the storm
‘ is over. And only a* fool would pity the eagle because he
isn1t an oyster.
The road to freedom in America must begin with.the de
cision as to what kind of freedom we want* Is it freedom
from something, or freedom for something?
To our forefathers, freedom meant the right to risk cap
ital in-the hope.' of return on their‘investments; the right
of unlimited expansion of their business; the right to let
the people, in true democratic fashion, cast their ballots in
the cash registers ';of the nation for the businesses which
served them best. ‘Freedom to them was a positive thing,- and
they wisely chose the*eagle as their national emblenf.'*'
More recently we have been indoctrinated with the nega- *
tive idea that by "freedom" mean freedom from taking' risks
and making our choices and decisions* This negative attitude
toward freedom exhibits itself in the very expressions we
use. Instead of freedom for life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness, we speak of freedom from want, worry, and war
(and Y/ork too, if possible). And we have been so busy flee
ing from these spectres * that we have turned a corner and run
iright into their arms. K.* ,...
We have sought freedom from fear so avidly that all it
has gotten us is a fear of freedom. We are fast becoming a
nation of oysters. Instead of following the time-honored
custom of honest men and enjoying the freedom to work for,
save for, and buy the things we want, v/e have thought^that it
would be easier to elect men to Congress who would give us
what we want at the expense of others.
Ana so our new. immoral ireeaom to raKe oy xaw Lnat, wnicn
belongs to another has destroyed the Old freedom to enjoy un
molested the fruits of our ingenuity and toil. First we must
decide which kind of freedom we want in the years ahead, the
freedom of parasites or the freedom of- noble men, the freedom
of pirates or the freedom of honest persons.
Second, if:it.is-the freedom of honest persons that we
hope to enjoy, we must resist all tendencies toward further
socialization, for socialism is piracy. Socialism is robbing *
the man who earns for the benefit of the one who doesn't, It
is in ev*ry sense a system of the "survival of the sickdst"
because it robs the ambitious 'of their initiative and keeps
the people who never had any initiative from developing any.
Socialism has demonstrated four facts #ver and over
again: (1) You can11 multiply wealth by dividing it. (2)
It does no good to .get rid# of a few little monopolies by
creating a big. one called "government." (3) The government
can't give what it does not first tajc^.awajr. (k) It ca*
never take away enough to supply* the ever increasing demands
of those'who are led to believe they are getting something for
nothing ^vhen they get it from Uncle Sam.
(Cont, an Pago 5)
JUNIOR-SENIOR play planned
m HOMER STUDENTS
'Try-outs for the Junior
Sehlor play f,Ghost Tails'1 of
■5 the, „ high school were
held last week, according to
Richard Tylur, director.
The■T following students
.. were , chosen to take partin
tlmjplay ifthich will be pre
sented to the public March 23;
M%idlyn Aim, Bob Brovning,
Joann Willard, Lee Browning,
Pat Donaldson, James Wicker
sham,;, Linda Smith and Myrtle
Sibson. -*
Supporting parts and the
prompters will be handled by
Ron Elliott, Vic Bov/ers and
Gladys id throw.
According to Tyler the
play is a comedy-mystery.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
rDear Mr. Raver:
Inclosed please find $1
fot airmail postage to sendny
issue of The Kenai Peninsula
PioneerVto the above address.
The floods have been dev
F astating in this area but we
were fortunate in not having
any trouble.
I have temporaxy employ
ment here" but we plan return
ing home early in the Spring.
Save a little siow for us.
Sincerely,
M. m. Stutzman & family
(Tho Stutzman s are at Walnut
Creek, California, Ed.)
RETURNS FROM .NEVADA
Ervdn Bagley has returned
to Homer from Nevada where he
has been working on a build
ing contract with Bob Dennis*
Eric Anderson and Howard
Flynn all of Homer,
A letter from Dennis ask
ing that his subscription be
sent to him at Gardenerville
Nevada, stated that the me*
were in the middle of a first
class flood and he was vdsh
ing for a boat.
HENNING N. JOHNSON
' Hcmer „
Registered
Land Surveyor
Sub-Division Planning
Topographical Surveying
Construction Surveying *
YOU KNOW
iVe been thinking
It is so easy to say what
another should do;
Sb* easy to settle his* carers
So easy to tell him what road
' to pursue,
And dispose. of the burden he
bears.
It is so easy to bid him,
nBe brave and be strong."
And to make all his.diortcom
ings known.
But, oh, it*s so different
when the cares and the
wrong.
And the danger we face are
our own.
It is so easy to mark at the
other man*s role,
irVhen our comforts of life are
assured,
And the sting of the wrong,
beating sharp on his soul,
By him must alone be endured.
It is so easy tp tell him the
path he should take,
And to bid him to laugh at
his care.
But, oh, it*s so hard vhen
it*s our heart that aches,
And we have the burden to
bear.
The fault of another it*s so
easy to see,
when our wants are ail satis
fied,
Then bold and courageous,
it*s easy to be,
fthen it isn*t our soul that
is tried.
But, oh, it fs s+ hard vhen we
are stumbling alone,
To keep ourselves steadfast
and true,
It is easy to tell someone
else to be strong;
Yes, it is easier to talk
than to do.
Thought for the week: Bad
habits are like a comfortable
bed; easy to get into, Md
hard to get out of.
Hay Greea, Church of Christ.
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