BACK VIEW

LIFETIME devoted entire-

PA ly to reading would still
oe insufficient time for us to|s
read all the numbers of books
that we like and feel that we
should read. And yet, every-
day, more and more interest-
ing books keep pouring out of
the publishing houses in Can-
ada and throughout the world.

G One may feel like calling it
hopeless, saying “you can’t
eatch up with them all because
ere just doesn’t seem to be
enough time to read.” With a
living to earn, places to go and
see, events to take part in,
friends to make and families
to rear—life itself seems full
enough and time - consuming
enough without adding much
eading to the list.

And yet, without reading,
all our other interests and ac-
tivities cannot bring the ful-

ent and meaning to com-
pletely round out our lives
they haven’t the rich ex-
perience of reading behind
them. Reading is a necessary
‘supplement to our lives and
time for it must be found.
If only to read current books
and periodicals, the time spent
would reward us ten-fold. We
are living in a historic, chal-
lenging part of the 20th cen-
tury. To read and equip our-
selves for it is as necessary to-
day as it is to breathe. A way
to find time must be found.

The People’s Co-op Book
Store hereby sets out to help
you find the way. Its manage-

ment and staff devote many
hours each week to the careful
selection and ordering of books

-and periodicals, This painstak-

ing selection is made with you
the reader, in mind. In this
regular column of the PT we
shall try to serve you little
canapes—lists of new publica-
tions, their prices, reviews, and
hope these will whet your
appetite enough to have you
come in, write or telephone
and inquire about your selec-
tion of reading material. We
shall be glad to serve you.

Here are some books and
pamphlets which have just ar-
rived:

What Soviet Citizens Get Be-
sides Wages. By A. C. Zverev,
Finance Minister of the USSR.
26 pages, Price, 25 cents.

The Real Tibet. By Susan
Warren. Published by Far East
Reporter, New York. 32 pages.
Price 25 cents.

Science, Faith and Skepti-
cism. By John Lewis. Publish-
ed by Lawrence and Wishart,
London. 1384 pages. Hard-
bound, $1.95.

The Law eskia the Trade

-Unions. By D. N. Pritt and

Richard Freeman. Published

‘by Lawrence and Wishart. 126

pages. Hardbound, $1.90.
Turning Point in History. A
30-page tract on the Seven
Year Plan in the Soviet Union.
By John Weir. Published by

Progress Books, Toronto. Price| .

5 cents. | :
WILLIAM PHILIPOVICH

Socialism: great adventure
for the intelligentsia

NE of my friends, when

he heard that Soviet
scientists had managed to land
a missile on the moon, 240,000
miles away, only ninety sec-
onds after the estimated time
of arrival, commented: ‘We
could do with some of those
people to despatch our trains!’’

Be that as it may, his joke
covered a feeling of awe and
admiration. For who, apart
from Nixon and his colleagues,
could fail to be impressed.
Not so much either by the
achievement, as by the evi-
dence this Lunik ‘presents of
the vast technical and indust-
rial resources of the Soviet
Union.

On hearing the news my
thoughts went back to my
young days when I read for
the first time those oft-quoted
words of Lenin to Maxim
Gorky: is :

“Tell the intelligentsia to
come over to us... for we are
the ones who have undertaken
the colossal job of putting the
people on their feet ... We are
showing the nations the
straight road to a human life,
the road out of slavery, pov-
erty and humiliation.”

The scientists, to their cre-
dit, came over. The brain and
brawn of the Russian people
and the resources of their
country have been brought to-
gether to build a new world
and in the process the accum-
ulation of learning and wis-
dom that go to make up a na-
tion’s culture has been added
to.

All this, in the face of dire
warnings and forebodings
from people outside Russia. I
have in mind the statements
by leading Western scientists
that Russian biology and agro-
nomy was doomed. Lysenko,
they said, had over-thrown all
that was good in Russian
branches of these sciences.

The clash of the views of
leading Russian biologists and
the publicity it received in

(Russian newspapers was some-

thing entirely new to many of
the Western scientists. Very
few of the public are interest-
ed, they think, in what hap-
pens in their conferences. To
have ordinary people keeping
an eye on their debates is no-
vel. But they are wrong. Or-
dinary people are interested
in the words and deeds of
scientists,

But oddly — or, was it so
odd?—Russian agriculture did
not go bankrupt. The success
of the virgin lands campaign
is the envy of the enemies of
Russia and the pride ofits
friends.

Then when the controversy
broke out over the way in
which atoms are linked to

form chemical compounds,
once again Western scientists
expressed their dismay. People
in Russia dared to suggest
that Western scientsts were
too often misleading themselv-
es with some of their theories,
especially those who misap-
plied some of the ideas of Lin-
us Pauling. What an uproar
that caused. However, Profes-
sor Pauling found nothing to
take offence at in the critic-
ism; on fhe contrary,.he wel-
comed it.

_ In view of the outcome of
the Lysenko_ controversy,
would anyone have been sur-
prised that the Nobel Prize
for chemistry last year was
won by a Russian? Chemistry
in the Soviet Union was
strengthened — not weakened
—by the dispute. :

The Russian scientists know
their work is of importance.
It is vital to the welfare of
their fellow-citizens and their
country. For this reason de-
cisions are not taken lightly,
nor ideas accepted readily.

An example of how Russian
scientists carry their debates
out of their laboratories into
the public arena is given by

the present discussion on the
nature of the two satellites of
the planet Mars. You may re-
member that Dr. I. S. Shklov-
sky suggested these might be
artificial satellites. Now comes
Dr. Gavrill Tikhov to dispute
the point.

Tikhoyv says there are many
indications that the two satel-
lites, Phobos and Deimos, are
splinters of what was once a
large, planet. As for Shkloy-
sky’s statement that it is un-
usual for satellites to be so
small and revolve so close to
their parent planet, Tikhov
says, in scientific terms: “So
what? Jupiter has satellites
with a diameter of only 18 and
16 miles.”

The arguments go on. So
do the discoveries and the
achievements. And these ach-
ievements are not made at the
expense of the welfare of the
people. Russian science is not
out of balance as some might
suggest.

The Lunik, awe-inspiring as
it is to us to-day, will one day
be of only historical interest,
a landmark to show the people
of the world advanced this
way to socialism. S.C.

Folk festival a
culture panorama

ANADA’S culture will in-
@ deed be extremely rich
and beautiful in future years
when the various elements of
our citizens folk culture are
fused together and identified
as truly Canadian. It may be
years before the best of all the
national folk cultures is taken
out of each to become a tre-
mendous inspiring aspect of
Canadian life.

This thought prevailed
through the three days of the
Folk Festival sponsored by the
Canadian Folk Society last
weekend and held in Vancou-
ver’s new Queen Elizabeth
Theatre.

To the Coast Indians led by
the indominable Dominic
Charlie fell the honor. of the
Festival’s opening perform-
ance. The 76-year-old chieftan
showed his still nimble foot-
work to the facinating rhythm
of the Indian drum and the
soft clinking of the rows and
rows of bone strung on his
costume.

There were many joyous.

sounds to hear and movements
to see. Authentic Swiss yod-
elling, the lively fun making
dances of the German Alpin
group, the loud drone of bag-
pipes accompanying the Scot-
tish dancers, the fast circle

dances performed by the Jew-
ish youth group, the colorful
dances and-spirited songs pre-
sented by the Ukrainians and
others including China, Italy,
Croatia, India, Holland, Hun- |
gary, West Indies. Negro,
English, Poland, Ireland, Rus-
sian, Finnish, Denmark, Tn-
donesia and Estonia.

To present the three differ-
ent performances more than
600 participants crossed the gi-
gantic stage.

A greater portion of the per-
formers were young people.
Young people with great en-
ergy and vitality, desirous of

.} wanting to understand and be- _

friend other young Canadians —
of various backgrounds. Young
people who are proud of their
rich heritage and so generous-
ly wish to share it through
their music, songs and dances
wiih the citizens of Vancouver.
The Folk Festival was truly
a panorama of culture, a pre-
cious gift to Vancouver. A
gift that will one day be part
of and belong to every Can-
adian. As a whole it will por-
tray through every phase of
the arts the diverse origin of
our citizens, their work. their
needs, and the social aspira+
tions and accomplishments for
rich, full and happy lives.
H.P.

October 30. 1959—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5