CAMPUS COMMUNISM

The undergraduate daily at the University of Washington has questioned a ruling of a western university's faculty forbidding communists from discussing their doctrines on the Washington campus. It is something of a shock to discover that this most recent suppression of the freedom of thought should take place in an educational center theoretically dedicated to independent thinking.

Harvard has her share of reds--of all shades from a pinkish tint to a dark blood-red--and Harvard is rather fond of them in a very mild sort of way. They add to the variety of the college scene. The extreme radicals, with their clowning, are frequently amusing; while the more moderate radicals are usually more wide-awake, better-informed, and more stimulating company than their less liberal fellows. Progressives are a valuable, even necessary accessory of a community.

It is surprising that the Washington authorities should even want to discourage such liberal movements as socialism or communism, whatever their opinion of the intrinsic value of such movements may be. It is absurd, however, for them to attempt a deliberate suppression of liberal groups. Their action shows a lack of understanding and sympathy with the human being which does not do Washington much credit.