habitual (and recognizable) criminal and the common citizenrnhas now spilled over into vast areas of society, and I am not evenrnthinking of the criminality of drug abusers. I am thinking ofrnthe awful fact—and it is a fact—that large numbers of parttimernburglars and part-time robbers and part-time prostitutesrnnow regard themselves, and are not infrequently regarded byrnothers, as more or less normal and (to alarmingly many people)rnas more or less acceptable citizens. Why not, since prototypesrnof many of them arc so portrayed in movies, television, etc.rnWithin that enormous bubble of a national middle class therernis now a wide seatteration of barbarians; and the sense of community,rnwhich is inseparable from the relations of the sexes (thernsexual act in itself meaning the temporary formation of a communityrnof two), has changed. Now it is men and women notrnof the same “class” but of the same “culture” that seek eachrnother out, which is an interesting and even intriguing development,rnthough it has little to do with civilization, the decayrnof which has now seeped down deep enough to involve the relationsrnof the sexes. For meanwhile, the insistence on women’srnrights proceeds apace with the loss of respect for them, whichrnis extremely damaging to civilization, since women are the naturalrncreators and protectors not only of their young but of thernvirtues of domesticity and of privacy.rnThe American ideal of government includes the protectionrnof domesticity and privacy through the maintenance of enoughrnlaw and order to guarantee the safety of citizens so that theyrncan prosper freely. But we have long forgotten that it is morerndifficult to be free than not to be free. That depends on civilization.rnIn 1848 Colonel Richard B. Mason drafted a proclamationrnto the inhabitants of California, after a treaty hadrnceded it to the United States from Mexico. The United Statesrnwas bringing civilization to California, with a stable governmentrnadministering equal justice. “The arts and sciences willrnflourish, and the labor of the agriculturist, guided by the lamprnof learning, will stimulate the earth to the most beautiful production.”rnWell, civilization in California, as well as in the UnitedrnStates government, is in plenty of trouble now, not the leastrnbecause of productions of “culture,” not agriculture. Meanwhilern”the arts and sciences” have become dependent on therngovernment, with plenty of trouble there, too, because of thernabsence of cultural “standards.” But this is not only a problemrnof standards; it is a practical one. Should government promotern”culture” at all? That is at least arguable. What is not arguablernis that government must protect civilization. When it fails torndo so, government, as we know it, dissolves, with first airarchyrnand then barbaric tyranny succeeding it.rnIt is possible to exaggerate the virtues of civilization. It isrnpossible to exaggerate the virtues of Babbitts, but the idea ofrnBabbitt is now at least two generations behind us. Yes, therernwere too many Babbitts in this country at the time of SinclairrnLewis and Calvin Coolidge. But this was a powerful civilizationrnthen, with ample and varied opportunities for the tending ofrnculture, when even the Babbitts, innocents as Sinclair Lewis describedrnthem, were made to pay some respect to culture, usuallyrnthrough the insistence of their wives. The yuppies are therngrandchildren of the Babbitts; they are not innocent; they arern”culture-oriented,” except that theirs is a movie culture. LhernNew Yorker, founded during the Babbitt era, was supposed tornhave proclaimed that its readership would not include oldrnladies in Dubuque. Well, for some years now the last readersrnof the old New Yorker, the remnant members of civilization, therntrue American Kulturtrdgerinnen were, and still are, a few oldrnladies in places such as Dubuque, while the New Yorker has becomerna soft-porn Vanity Fair, with a few culture cookies thrownrnin, but just about devoid of civilization, and with an emphaticrnpresence of what its editor thinks is a tony barbarism.rnI read that Miss Susan Sontag has appeared in Sarajevo, arrangingrna performance there of Waiting for Godot. What endangersrnthe lives of people there is a breakdown of civilization,rnnot of culture; but that is not my point. I respect the couragernof her impulse; but I question the clarity of her purpose.rnWhen the Papuans will again practice cannibalism—inspiredrnby what they have seen of it on American television—willrntheir victims be Waiting for Sontag? We face something newrnin the long history of mankind. One can have culture withoutrncivilization. The progressive notion of the great chain ofrnevolution—from primitiveness to civilization to culture—hasrnbecome laughable. ^rnThis provocative topic was debated by politicalrnstrategists Howard Phillips and David Keene andrnis now available both on video and audio tapes.rnThe June 3 issue of Human Events carried lengthyrnexcerpts of this charged event. But here’s an opportunityrnto receive a more complete rendering of the argumentsrnalong with the introduction by Michael Warder of ThernRockford Institute, host of the event. The cost for thernvideo, including postage and handling, is $24.95, whilernthe audio is $9.95. You may order by calling:rn1-800-383-0680rnand using your Master or Visa card or by sending yourrnpayment or credit card information with the order formrnbelow.rnQty.rnQty.rnD Video ($24.95) Shipping & handling included.rnn Audio ($9.95) Shipping & handling included.rnn Payment enclosed. Please charge my: D Visa n MastercardrnCard number Exp. / /rnNamernAddress-rnThe Rockford Institute • 934 Nortti Main Street • Rockford • iiiinois 61103-7061rnSEPTEMBER 1994/19rnrnrn