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M y V ote is For Dem ocracy T here w as a tim e, in th e h is to ry of hum an in stitu tio n s, w hen dem ocracy could have been adequately defined in term s of elections, rep resen tativ e bodies, and such a b stra c t concepts as ' ‘governm ent by m ajo rity opin ion” or “by th e consent of th e people.” Today th is is no longer tru e. The w ay m odern m edicine com bats th e contagious diseases, th e m odern foes of dem ocracy sought to im m unize th e ir sys tem s vaccinating th em w ith th e form al and superficial attrib u te s of dem ocracy. T here are sys tem s, in th e world today, w ith universal franchise and re p re sentative in stitu tio n s w hich are not dem ocratic in any real sense of th e w ord; and n eith er th e m anipulating of m ajo rity opin ion, nor th e m u sterin g of th e consent of those governed will cover up th e deception in th e long run. T here are o th er te sts fo r dem ocracy, less tangible, b u t of g re a te r validity. “W h at m akes th e com m unity dem ocratic” — w rote W. G. K. D uncan — “is a t bottom th e de gree of respect it pays to th e dignity and w orth of th e indi vidual citizen, to his rig h t to have a w ay in fashioning pub lic policy and to have a choice of political leaders . . . Dem ocracy believes in th e free play of m inds, th e open ventilation of grievances, th e legitim acy of dis sen t.” The voice of each individual citizen in determ ining th e a ffa irs of his country m ay seem to him com pletely in sig n ific a n t; his sh are in his governm ent is in finitesim al, and he m ay reg ard it as m ean in g less; he m ay fail to see any real altern ativ es in th e periodic choice of his rulers. The direct influence of a single citi zen on th e form al governm ental stru ctu re , how ever, is not th e m ost im p o rtan t aspect of de m ocracy. It is th e countless in direct benefits to th e individual — a by-product of each tru ly de m ocratic system — th a t really count. The choice of ru lers m ay fail to offer any real altern ativ es in th e political program , b u t it encourages th e expression of claim s and grievances, secures th e freedom of speech and of as sem bly, prom otes organization of diverse in te re sts—all of w hich have to be tak en into account by both th e governm ent and th e op position. T rue dem ocracy is not so m uch a form alized political stru c tu re NYC — A t th e Oct. 9 m eeting of Br. 72, P resid en t M ary D ush nyck welcomed 5 new m em bers into th e group. T hey w e re : A nne Bohan, Stella B uska, T ania K ra- vitz, Helen Sm indak and Adele W asylcio. The m inutes w ere read by Sec’y A nna Kosciw. R eports w ere given by T reas. A nne Bez- ko, M em bership C hairm an M ary Lesaw yer, Educ. C hairm an Lily Bochonko, and M usicale R efresh m ent C hairm an D ora Pifko. P ro g ram C hrm n. A nne H a rri son d istrib u ted invitations to th e M usicale, to be held on Nov. 3 a t 3 p.m. a t th e U krainian In sti tu te, 2 E. 79th St., NYC. P ian ist C hristine Osadca and soprano L esia W askiw , accom panied by B erth a M elnik, are th e featu red young a rtists. Plans w ere discussed fo r th e spring fund-raising event, of w hich M ae Dem ey w as appointed G eneral C hairm an and K ay Lu- cyshyn Co-Chairm an. The P resid en t requested m em bers to send cards to Cong. T. D ulski and others u rg in g pass- as it is a social clim ate, an a t m osphere of freedom , m utual confidence and respect, a w ay of life, O rdw ay Tead expressed th is well w hen he w ro te : “W herever in th e conduct of common life th ere is general re g ard fo r th e in teg rity , dignity, and w orth of each person, w her ever general consent is being freely given and wide responsi bility is being consciously as sum ed fo r th e atta in in g of com m only agreed aim s, and w her ever th e creative grow th of in dividuals is occurring, th e re in fa c t dem ocracy is p resen t.” M arta T arnaw sky age of H. J. Res. 174 calling fo r issuance of a Shevchenko C ham pion of L ib erty stam p in 1964, and also to w rite le tte rs calling fo r th e creation of a Special Cap tive N ations H ouse C om m ittee. The speaker of th e evening, M rs. H elen Prociuk, personnel specialist, addressed th e m em bers on “H um an R elations.” H er stim u latin g rem ark s ranged from th e basics of hum an beha vior, people’s m otivations, th e ir conflicts and anxieties to th e m eans by w hich th ey resolve these problem s and th e signifi cance of th ese behavior fa cto rs fo r persons in groups, fam ilies and a t w ork. A lively discussion followed, w ith several questions being answ ered by M rs. Prociuk. M. D ushnyck S pring again and once m ore hopes In th e sad h e a rth g erm inate Once m ore I am lulled by dream s, V isions of a h appier fate. Lesya Ukrainka BRA NCH 72 OCTOBER R EPO R T НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ — ЛИСТОПАД, 1963 13
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