Handsome or ugly

Media

Part of The Cabletow

Title: Handsome or ugly
Creator: Quasha, William H.
Language: English
Year: 1960
Rights
Fulltext: Handsome or Ugly By RWB WILLIAM H. QUASHA Junior Grand Warden When I was a little boy, I complained to my mother about my freckles and red hair. She wisely said to me, "Bill, handsome is that handsome does." Although this gave me scant comfort at the time, the basic wisdom behind my mother’s advice became increasingly apparent as I gained maturity. It soon became obvious to me that not every one could be born handsome or beautiful, that not all people could look alike, and that although they had equal rights, according to the philosophy of freedom, they certainly had different equipment with which to attempt to exercise those rights- My mother’s motto, if I may refer to it as such, has particular application to present day problems. As has been repeatedly observed there arc two major conflicting political philosophies predominating in modern society. What is not being sufficiently emphasized in public discussion is how these two camps really differ on the question of the recognition of human values. It is the purpose of this article to analyze the differences between the two and to evaluate what it means to us Masons. The communists hold that man exists for the benefit of the State and that his rights, if any, arc derived from the State. In those countries where this view predominates, the State is allpowerful. This type of state represents a stratification of society into two classes: the ruling class and the dependent class. It exists for the sole purpose of enabling the ruling class to perpetuate its power over the dependent class. In order o enhance its power at home, it must seek enslavement of other peoples; in order to conquer, it must first divide. This process of achieving domination over the lives of men is not new in human history. In fact, Arnold Toynbee tells us that the ascendancy and fall of tyrannical powers is largely a repetitive and cyclical process. The Democracies hold that man has certain inalienable rights, that these rights do not emanate from the State, that man has a God-given free will, which is as much part of him as is his body and mind, and that he has a right to exercise his will within the limits defined by the Rule of Law. The entire concept of freedom envisages the fact that all men are part of the hu" man race. A system which would differentiate, categorize, discriminate, or one which would prefer one man over another mttiely because of his type, shape, color, religion or national origin denies the principle of equality and to the extent that it does not provide equality, fails in its claims to be a true democracy. Under this system, it should be recognized, all men do not have equality of environment, but what is important is the fact that they do have a chance to rise, to remain static, or to fall within or outside the limits of that environment. And here 158 THE CABLE TOW April 1960 is where my mother’s motto is important: If a man can do a better job than his neighbor, he ought to be rewarded for his effort, even though, in the first instance, he may not have been born as well as his neighbor- By the same token, the mere fact that a man is wellborn should not prejudice him in the eyes of less fortunate people. This knife cuts both ways. In addition to the point that democracy's man more or less makes his own breaks, there is a more basic human element to be considered: man has a fundamental desire to follow his own bent and he enjoys society’s recognition of his accomplishments. If this is accepted as true, it should also be recognized that it is in the interest of society that credit should be given to the deserving men in order (a) to motivate them to continue in their good works and (b) to spur others to exert efforts for social welfare. The essence of this system is the voluntary nature of man’s actions and the voluntary nature of the reward which society gives him. This proposition has a connection with Communist activity, for at the core of their social organization is the clement of compulsion. And since compulsion is repulsive to man’s nature, communism is not only anti-God but it is also anti-man. Consequently, this question arises: I low can the communists expect their propaganda efforts to succeed? The communists know that thev have a big selling job to perform — one of the most difficult in history. Thev have got to make freedom look like oppression and oppression look like freedom. Not very case. So how do they go about it? First of all, the communists make up a lot of new words and define these words in their own way. They also take a lot of words which are already in general use, and they give these old words new definitions and new meanings. Then they construct high-sounding slogans. They don’t talk about human beings; they talk about classes. On the one hand they preach that in a Democracy such as the Philippines, or the United States, or England, there is a class struggle in progress. This is a contradiction of terms and of facts. The truth is that the real struggle is going on inside of the communist countries; there the dependent class is fighting a terrifically unequal struggle for survival against the ruling classSecondly, it should be noted that in a communist state, which is an excellent example of the complete exercise of tyranny, man has the very same impulse to satisfy his own desires that a person living in a country where people arc relatively free has. In this connection, it is interesting to note that there arc hundreds of people escaping daily from communist-controlled areas, hut that there arc very few people trying to enter communist territory. This, in spite of the grave danger to life and freedom from which escapees suffer. This is proof that communist propaganda is not deceiving too many people—least of all, the unfortunate victims. Thirdly, wc call the United States or the Philippines a Republic because that is what these two countries are. On the other hand, Russia calls itself a Republic; "The United States of Socialist Soviet Republics." But theirs is no Republic; theirs a State run by an iron-fisted minority. Communist China calls itself a “People’s Democracy.” It is a form of lunacy to call a HANDSOME OR UGLY 159 military dictatorship a "Republic” or a "Democracy.” Of course, they can call themselves anything they want to as long as they can provide their own definitions. And as long as they set up their own rules and norms of conduct. Nevertheless, that does not make their statements correct, nor does it make their definitions true. The whole trouble is that they repeat their lies with such frequency and with so much aggressiveness, that some people actually believe them. Fourthly, the most significant social and political development in the last few years has been the extent of the communist impact on Asia. Playing on post-war discontent, the communists have amassed more land and have placed a greater population under their control than they have had since the Russian Revolution. Not satisfied with this, thev are aiming at the heart of every remaining country. They are using and will continue to use every device to enable them to prejudice the minds of people so that they will think of themselves as being different from others, thus creating classes where none existed or should have existed beforeThe communist tactic of trying to separate friend from friend is an old one. but it is continuously being given new form and new wrinkles. It is most important that every free man recognize this truth: Communism is the most decisive force in the world. The pity' is that so many good people with fine intention and with a genuine desire to remedy existing inequalities slip into a type of jargon or sloganeering which plays right into communist hands. In other words, the communist is interested in division because only by dividing can he gain control. Consequently, he must plant haired in tho minds of the people of one nation for the people of another country who have been and arc their friends. We Masons believe that we have the key to eternal truths and that these truths are based upon the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. If we believe that these truths arc important, it is incumbent on us to step into this critical situation. As the communists cast their cloak to create darkness, so must wc tear away their unholy garments and throw the light of truth upon the scene. We believe in human dignity, in human freedom and in human dedication to God. There is only one enemy: the tyrant, be he man, or be it a party, or a force, or a counrty that would attempt to substitute man for God. As Masons wc have the maturity of the ages on our side. We are confident that the products of freedom are good. We do not suffer From panic because some people produce discordant noises. As an organization we take no action other than to educate. But as individuals we arc bound to speak the truth and to pit our strength against the onslaught of the communist juggernaut. Nevertheless, in view of the nature of the threat, Masonrv as a body must recognize that it, along with other organizations which stand for democratic principles, is in jeopardy. It must take cognizance of the enemy's strength and of the fact that time is running out. It must endeavor to cooperate with all other groups which stands with God. It must oppose Communism wherever it appears. It must continue to spread its light so that all may see the underlying differences between what is handsome and what is ugly. A 160 THE CABLE TOW April 1960