Editorial
The charges against the UNICEF program implied
in the John Birch Society film strip which
called the United Nations a ' Communist agency'
presented by Farmingdale Public Library Trustee
Carl E. Gorton last Tuesday night following
the Board of Trustees meeting of the Farming-dale
Public Library, should not in any way destroy
the ' Trick or Treat* collection program in
Farmingdale, which, for years has been one of
the best on Long Island.
UNICEF helps needy children no matter whether
they live behind the Iron Curtain or in the free
world and this is as it should be. UNICEF was
praised by the late Herbert Hoover. He said,
" It is my conviction that UNICEF is ably and honestly
conducted. Its director is a former associate
of mine. To me it is the major beneficial service
of the United Nations." Former President
Dwight D. Eisenhower said, " It is heartwarming
to follow the work of UNICEF, the United Nations
Children's Fund."
Children who are starving or ill are entitled
to help regardless of whether or not they happen
to live under a political regime with which we
disagree.
The l a t e President John F. Kennedy said,
" UNICEF has caught the imagination of our people-
especially our nation's children whose Halloween
collections have become a symbol of concern
and an expression of tangible aid."
We hope that no legal technicality inhibits
distribution of the containers in schools and
the two libraries. The collections are made door-to-
door- not in school. However, this should not
cripple the children's program. The end result
should show the largest fund collection drive ever
to demonstrate that most people believe in
UNICEF.
* * * MV
Governor Rockefeller has proclaimed this period
of October 6- 12 as " Newspaper Week" in tribute to
the 82 daily and 437weeklynewspapersinNew York
State and what he termed " their task of creating an
informed society."
Declaring the freedom of the press " from
political, economic, or any other form of censorship"
has inspired the theme of " Newspapers ...
The Independent Medium" adopted by the New York
State Publishers Association and the New York
Press Association for Newspaper Week, the Governor
added:
" Perhaps the heart of the principle of a free
press lies as much in the freedom of the people to
read as it does in the right of the printer to publish.
Last year, 7,484,000 New Yorkers bought newspapers
daily, while weekly newspapers had another
1,300,000 regular purchasers."
The Governor lauded the independence of newspapers
not only " in freely and objectively reporting
the news as they see it" but also as " activists
in their communities, unafraid to make enemies,
calling for and achieving needed civic improvements."
" Both of these vital functions — the free dissemination
of information and the integrity and
courage of home- town leadership — must be preserved,"
he declared.
Letters To
The Editor
Dear Editor:
This evening I attended a regular
Farmingdale Public Library
Board meeting. F'art of the
agenda concerned customary
local participation in the UNICEF
Trick or Treat program. This
year Ocober 31 has been made
National UNICEF Day, by a proclamation
signed by lYesident,
Lyndon B. Johnson.
In previous years, the library
provided containers for those
children who wanted to take them
out for collections. This year,
the Library Director wanted to
offer exhibits and a movie program.
Rather than reply to this simple
request with his own thoughts upon
the matter, Library Trustee
Carl E. Gorton, asked instead
to show a film strip, which was
produced by the John Birch Society
and depicted the United
Nations as a Communist agency.
Quite frankly, I had come to
hear library matters discussed
at that Library Board meeting.
I would have been glad to come
to learn the film strip's distribution
agency's views at a Library
community service program
when I could have given
my full attention and concentration
to the message.
In all the years I have lived
in Farmingdale, the library lias
always been more than willing
to serve our educational as well
as literary needs. Surely a
Trustee's rights should be respected.
However, his film programs
should be scheduled at a
proper time and place.
I'at Schriro
121 I* rospect Street
Farmingdale
Datebook
Jfcirmtngiialr ( Dbamt*'
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Observer.
One wonders why the older
European- horn American is not
sympathetic widi the student protests
of today, even though diese
students are very often their own
children. What are the different
philosophies t h a t divide these
generations? The o l d e r generation
found a form of freedom
here that they cherish and want
to keep. For die new generation,
this was their birthright. Now
they seek change, yet their philosophies
are vague. In a rapidly
c h a n g i n g society, parents and
children have been raised widi
emphasis on different values, so
that each generation tends to
see the other as out of touch
with die modern world.
We were speaking to an old
European- born friend die other
night. He was anything but vague.
He said, " Over here, you don't
know what a boy in Europe went
tiirough. Three other boys and me,
we made a feast out of the head
of a herring. Talk about hardships.
In our town diere was one
well, the whole town used to
get water from it. In die winter
we would spill water on the ground
and it would free/ e. Then everyone
trying to get water would
slip on their way up to the well,
and then would slip on the way
back, spilling half dieir water.
We appreciate America." Our
f r i e n d smiled reminenscently.
" Once, shortly after I came here,
I was coming home about one-o'clock
in the morning. There
was a policeman on the train,
so I started to explain what I
was doing out so late. He said
to me, ' You don't have to explain
to me. You're in America
now.' We appreciate our freedom
because in Europe we didn't
have it." Referring to today's
demonstrators, he said, " When
we first came here, who could
afford to go to jail? Education
was our only way out of poverty.
If we got thrown out of school
it was a disaster."
Is this restless era a sign of
today's youth or a sign of today's
times? Mr. Barr, headmaster
of the Dalton Schools,
recently pointed out diat when
he was in college, students were
antifascists or pro- Communists
or America Firsters, but they
didn't make sharp distinctions
between themselves and their
elders. What disturbs him die
most is the distorted view young
people have of what constitutes
morality; " They think diey can
cheat on tests, steal from one
another's lockers and exploit each
other emotionally, so long as
they have the right opinions about
the war or civil rights or something
else." Mr. Barr questions
wli e t h e r today's activists are
really fighting for just causes
because they believe in diem, or
whether they are " just looking
for yeasty confrontations."
We believe that each generation
may formulate their own
set of values, but these are not
necessarily inconsistent with
each other. One set of values
need not be discarded in its
entirety to be replaced by another.
Each has its claim to
validity.
Nixon Leads In Student Poll
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
• 1: 30 p. m. Farmingdale Village
Green dedication ceremony.
Adjoining Village Hall. Congressman
James R. Grover,
guest speaker.
8 p. m. Michael N. Petito, Supervisor
of the Town of Oyster
Bay will receive ' Man of the
Year' award at a dinner dance
of the Sons of Italy.
8: 30 p. m. Riot Report, CIR group,
Wantagh High School
8 p. m. Columbus Day Party, Co-lumbiettes
of Farmingdale,
KofC Hall, Morton Street,
Farmingdale
MONDAY, OCTOBER 14
8 to 10 p. m. Ice hockey registration
for boys from 10 to 18
at Massapequa H. S.
8 p. m. Farmingdale Committee
for Exceptional Children, South
Farmingdale Branch Library
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15
8: 30 p. m. Keiner Report discussion
at S. Farmingdale Branch
Library. Dr. Thomas Lauth,
speaker.
8: 15 p. m. Marian and Donald
Waite's illustrated lecture on
trip to Balkans, Northside
PTA.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16
8 p. m. Republican Rally, Sons of
Italy Hall, Boundary Avenue,
South Farmingdale.
8: 30 p. m. Art of enameling demonstration,
Farmingdale Public
Library South Farmingdale
Branch
8: 15 p. m. Creative Thinking,
Main Street PTA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17
12: 30 p. m. Luncheon and Bridge
of the Women's Club of Farmingdale
Bethpage Country Club
8: 30 p. m. FACT ( Farmingdale
Action Committee for Truth)
will present an undercover
agent who infiltrated John
Birch Society, Mill Lane Jr.
High School,
A C u r r e n t E v e n t s class,
formed as an alternative to a
study hall, resulted in a poll of
the student bodv at Weldon E.
Howitt J. H. School, on several
current issues. A Presidential
candidate preference showed that
Hubert Humphrey received 39%
of student preference, Richard
Nixotf ' 46% and George Wallace
to to.
The poll on the Vietnam War,
based on a representative sampling
of the opinions of the school's
2000 students resulted in the following:
Should we increase the
bombing in Vietnam? 66 yes and"
34 no; Should we halt the bombing
in Vietnam? yes 49 and no 51;
Should we send more troops to
Vietnam? 23 yes and 77 no;
Should we withdraw from Vietnam?
44 said yes and r> f> were
opposed.
The special current events
class is made up of students who
volunteered to participate in the
course in place of a studv period.
The class is conducted by Joseph
Lubell, a social studies
teacher. The student opinion poll
was a special project of the elective
course.
Boychoir To Join Stars
In United Fund Show
Farmingdale's renowned St.
Kilian Boychoir will join with
Ray and Joey Heatherton, Mimi
Benzell, Arthur Treacher and a
host of stars, to kick- off the
Long Island United Fund Show,
scheduled for this Sunday,
October 13, at 2: 30 p. m., at
Roosevelt Raceway.
The appearance of the St. Kilian
Boychoir, marks the first of the
group's public performances of
the 1968- 1969 Concert season
with their new Director, Theodore
Grudzinski.
Capitol Report -
By Repjames Grover j ^ r j j]
Second Congressional District
Page 4
About three montiis ago, I co-sponsored
a bill along with Congressman
John Murphy of Staten
Island, to set up a commission
which would study the impact of
television violence on our youngsters
and on the national scene.
It seemed to us that there
might be a definite connection
between the steady diet of slay-ings
and sadism on television
and the rising crime rate and
riots in our cities. The television
industry had conducted
its own study of the medium and
had said that it was mirroring
American society. We felt that
a responsible government study
could clear up many questions
and lead to necessary reforms.
Our bill is bottled up in committee
and you can count on its
staying there. Why? Because
it suits the seniority- laden leaders
of Congress to keep it there.
When legislation which cannot
harm but can only help this na-
Farmingdale OBSERVER - Thursday, October 10, 1968
tion is kept from a vote, isnt
it obvious that Congress needs
reform? When legislation which
could modernize and reform the
procedures of Congress is kept
locked in the darkened crevices
of committee files is it any
wonder that many of us in
Congress are up in arms? Too
much legislation is left dead
in seniority- dominated committees
for the situation to continue.
I'm concerned about violence
on television. It's crude and it's
probably doing a lot of damage
to impressionable young minds.
But I'm also concerned about
the violence being done needed
legislation in Congress. The
summary execution of good legislation
by seniority- dominated
committees in Congress is as
violent and as gory as anything
you're likely to see on your
home screen.
