Page 3 - 1968 VES Meteor

29,1968
THE METEOR
3
A Diary in America Book Revue
By Lanny Buchanan
In spite of the keen interest which Britain displayed in the American and the rather large flux of writers who observed and treated the in the years that followed the Revolution, few very good commentaries
written,.and most of them lacked focus and substance.
In 1837, Captain Frederick Marryat set out to produce a more significant
on the Revolution. His aim was to build his narrative around the focal of human nah1re, seeking to determine whether American democracy
altered the character of the basically English people, and, more important, democracy was compatible with human nature. For making this evalu- he was well endowed with both literary prowess and political prejudice. was already a novelist of considerable prestige; he had travelled ex- in Europe and the Eastern World and was, therefore, well qualified
Mr. David Austen Takes French Classes
David Austen, the school's most re- cent addition to the faculty is well qualified to fill the position of French professor. He attended the Hill School in Pennsylvania, graduated from Yale, and attained his masters degree at
the Sorbonne.
He resides in the apartment over the infhmary with his sixteen-year-old daughter, Melinda, who is attending the Seven Hills School. Both he and his daughter enjoy skiing, sailing and horseback riding. Along with his ath-
letic abilities, he is an author and has · been published in The Saturday Eve-
ning Post; he has also written a novel.
-
Mr. David Austen
LECTURE
China: Wakening Giant
Mr. Dan Morris, a noted author and technical editor, spoke to the stu- dent body on "China: Why Did It Happen There?"
Mr. Morris attended the University of Southern California and Cornell University. He has written articles for the Christian Science Monitor and Sports Illustrated. His latest · book, A Tiger by the Tail, will be published
in June.
According to Mr. Morris, China
contains one-fifth of the world's popu- lation, or 700,000,000 people. It is also the only nation today that has the same race and location that it had when it was first established over six thousand years ago.
In describing the Chinese govern- ment, Mr. Morris said that, although an attempt was made to establish a democratic government in the e~rly twentieth century, the Japanese easily took over before the second World War. After the war, America tried to relieve the impoverished nation, but the Ameriqm administrators sent there were usually incompetent. It is not surprising that Mao Tse Tung
and his Communist forces were able to take over in 1949.
The Communists gave China edu- cation, jobs, food, and a new prestige. After many years of subservience, any nation would have gladly accepted this. The United States, however, was unable to understand the Chinese mind. Having refused to recognize the new nation twenty years ago, it seems now almost too late for the U. S. to change its position.
Should China be admitted into the United Nations? Mr. Morris advo- cated this wholeheartedly, saying that America cannot even begin to com- prehend the Chinese unless there is some means of communication. As of
now, there is still none, but the an- cient sleeping giant has awakened, and America must reckon with it.
make realistic observations on American life. his arrival in New York in
, he found the city in rather em- circumstances, having just ~red a f i n a n c i a l r e c e s s i o n . B u t e v e n he was not able to view the as it normally functioned, the did help to emphasize what thought to be one of the rna-
attributes of the American charac- . Materialism. He observed, appar- with justification, that American centered wholly around the ac-
of money and material pas- This aim, said Marryat, sur- any other interest Americans harbor, be it religious, political,
or otherwise.
he moved to the West, into Hudson River Valley, where he the rural agricultural area. H e enthralled with the natural beauty
the valley and even more with the region. He failed to find the
so compatible, for while the Americans displayed an almost
amiability, Capt. Marryat found undesirable traits which was, of course, able to attribute to effects of ungoverned democracy.
found a strain of ignorant pride Americans apparently knowing of what was going on interna- or even within their country.
, likewise, Marryat con- invested each American with of supreiority and secrecy, both which hinted of the odious aristoc-
Marryat's tour continued to the •
and into Canada where Canadians were at the time in
against the British government. was overwhelming sympa-
toward the revolution and Mar- . of course, had a similarly strong for the loyalists. News of Mar- pro - English views reached and for the rest of his tour
\
encountered and even hatred.
considerable
F
rom the Northwest, Marryat
Westward, passing through
(Continued Page o4, Column 1)
C# • ........ • .
Ranking Scholars- First Semester
12th Grade
Lanny Buchanan
Landon Lane
Joe Liles
Gordon Whitehead
James Rudolph 11th Grade
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