◆ SpookStack

_ Boston Less than six months ago I visited. Italy, It was both a stimulating av and depressing trip. Rome has great lessons. to teach the visitor who is willing to learn, One contemplates the historical grandeur - the ruins, the monuments, the art - and Imows that imperialism is at best a short-lived joyride for any nation. | A visit to the catacombs ~ meetin: places and burial >laces of Christian martyrs: drives home the lesson that ideas and faiths can't be sup>ressed by force and violence and intimidation. | ; * Yes, there are creat lessons to be learned in Rome, and T wish that some of our policy-makers could reaa theme 4 When I hear tliat our State Denortment will cut off aid to the Italian neovle, it they aren't satisfied with the election results, I think of little rooms in the workers settlement at Tibortino and a iittle room in a row of little rooms in which I found a mother and eight children, including. a tiny infant. I think of the one bed, the tin” lavator«, and the mother's stor’ of her five other cl:ildren - all ceads Gen it -ossibly -be that ve would cut off aid to this farily if the fatscr votes Comunist or cocialist? That's vinat our officials have said. _I know these officials don't voice the heart of the American people. In the ‘pastevere section of Rome I snoke to one atter another of the women and workers, I listened to stories of their diets. What Was more snocking, I saw the effacts of their diets and Livins conditions. When they ” told me they were Socialists or Comiunist y I just couldn't think of them as the subverters of freedom. Was it unreasonable to believe that they were the victims of the real subverters of freedom?. Today i read thet a leftist victory in the <talian elections is a grave danger to us. Irea. that if these eonle cast ¢':2ir votes for the Communists and ocialists, they vill be contributin:: to "Russian aprression't I reac that such votes will be a reason for the draft and commulsory militery trainin~ and nev bombers here in the United States.