sp.-0z e nhralb• Official Organ Of the Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas. Founded 1897. BENEVOLENCE
VOLUME 56 — NO. 9
HUMANITY
BROTHER OOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form :3579 with Undeliverable Copies to: SUPREME LODGE SPJST, PCB 100, TEMPLE, TEX. '76501
FEBRUARY 28, 1968
F OM HE EDITOR'S DESK TII/S, THAT, AND THE OTHER
A DIFFERENT DRUMMER
The bad and the good. "Drug abuse is sweeping the country," was the statement made recently by two federal narcotics officers. "And almost no section of the country is immune to this national tragedy."
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." —Henry David Thoreau
Anyone who has read a newspaper within the last couple of years knows of the increasing problems of dope, experiments with so-called psychedelic drugs, and similar such manifestations of our modern technological society. There is constant publicity about young people and their experiences with crime — murder, rave, burglary, and the list goes on and on. Something new has been added with the "hippies," agitators, terrorists of all stripe, openly defying our laws and laughing at law enforcement procedures. The courts, from the Supreme Court on down, have not been of much help. They tell us that more teenagers are using marijuana than ever before. The most sensational discovery has come in the last few days with a report that cadets at West Point have been charged with use of the drug.
wanton destruction. Teenage hijinks are understandable. Senseless destruction is not. Investigation shows that it was not the work of so-called "deprived" children. The neighborhood is hardly one that could be called "poverty-stricken." The acts constituted a felony. Crime among juveniles in middle-class suburbs is increasing faster than in any other level of our society. Dallas, or any other large city, is not alone in being the victim. New York City's bill for replacing broken windows in school buildings alone amounted to almost one million dollars in 1966. Are these young people 'turned on"? Were they "on a trip"? Where are they headed?
A group of youngsters broke into a school in Dallas recently and committed acts of ;vandalism, described as the worst in years. This was not the work of mischievous pranksters. It was
Whatever the answers, there are a lot of teenagers going in a different direction. A lot of teenage hijinks are the result of boredom, permissive or
unconcerned parents, and a lack of respect for the other person, a trait that should have been acquired at home. A lot of them never experienced the sting of a parental hand on the posterior. Small wonder they feel they can get away with just about anything. At any rate, the vast majority of our young people are still engaged in behaving themselves and doing good for their communities. Many are "taking trips" all right, but they are trips to the local hospital to do volunteer work, to the library to pick up a little extra knowledge, participating in various charity drives, and countless other tasks that seldom if ever receive the attention that the acts perpetrated by that small, noisy, and vulgar crowd of malcontents receive. "You can put the 4H-ers, the Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, church groups, and our SPJST youth clubs into the category of those who rarely get into any kind of trouble. The secret is: they have been kept busy doing something worthwhile. The minority element was also busy, but at committing destruction and tearing down, rather than building. Wherein lies the difference? Supervision and concern of the parents! The saddest examples are of those who, in spite of parental guidance and