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Nile Kinnick's correspondence with his family, January-June 1939
1939-01-16: Front
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January 16, 1939. Dear SB. Another splendid letter from you to-day, and I am sure we all rejoice in the enthusiasm, eagerness to live and serve, general feeling of fitness and effectiveness, expressed therein. I wish that all members of the family could feel and realize the fine growth that you are making these days. Your last sentence summed it well. "The world is alive, alert and dynamic. So must we be. It is an OPPURTUNITY, not a problem." There are plenty of problems alright, but it takes a big measure of your attitude to rastle with those problems. I fear that none of us can help your immediate dilemma on the proper path to pursue, as to the next few years of education or to service thru business or public life. But keep studying and thinking and the answer will come in plenty of tine. One thing, I do agree on, and mother concludes the same; -that you may be well guided to stay in Des Moines this summer or any other if you take a business job. Your contacts and interests are largely there as contrasted with Omaha, and the opportunities must be as good. I should come to the sane conclusion. Another thing I am pleasedabout is the stewards job. I really hope that comes your way, so let us know about it. The experience will be helpful, and you will enjoy being of service to the fraternity. The chapter needs the best leadership available, at least that has been my observation, and I took more than a little joy in serving my group. It serves to cement the friendships and make them more real and lasting. It will be good business experience. Perhaps you can figure out a few stamps for the freshmen to earn, if there are some irksome chores to be done. Tonight, as I mentioned in my letter of yesterday, mother and I went to Ad-Sell to hear Will Durant and then to the Joslyn to hear Maud Adams. We have set it down as a red letter evening. At the dinner we had congenial companions and made some pleasant acquaintances. Durant was highly interesting, thoughtful and stimulating. He says that the influences for a facist revolution are abroad in this land and the movement will break that way if the forces of communism get strong enough to compel a decision. He says the proletarian class or laboring class is getting less, and the middle class or property owning class is increasing. That the middle class will join with the upper class or investing class for a facist control, but will never join with the proletariat class for communism. But he believes all that is not necessary if thoughtful people in power do not permit unequal distribution of wealth to reach fantastic stages. He says there will always be unequal distribution of wealth, that he is reconciled to it, and the more of wealth he has the more he is reconciled to it; voicing the sentiment of every man, of course. His little jokes were good too. Maud Adams was sweet, gentle, pure as the evening breeze and lovely as a butterfly on the rose. She presented the theatre and her own experiences on the loftiest plane; just the opposite of Tobacco Road and the like. About an hour for Durant and three-quarters for Adams, so we were home shortly after nine-thirty. George was still on deck so we ate some chocolate ice cream that I picked up, and so a most pleasant evening comes to a close. Love Pop
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January 16, 1939. Dear SB. Another splendid letter from you to-day, and I am sure we all rejoice in the enthusiasm, eagerness to live and serve, general feeling of fitness and effectiveness, expressed therein. I wish that all members of the family could feel and realize the fine growth that you are making these days. Your last sentence summed it well. "The world is alive, alert and dynamic. So must we be. It is an OPPURTUNITY, not a problem." There are plenty of problems alright, but it takes a big measure of your attitude to rastle with those problems. I fear that none of us can help your immediate dilemma on the proper path to pursue, as to the next few years of education or to service thru business or public life. But keep studying and thinking and the answer will come in plenty of tine. One thing, I do agree on, and mother concludes the same; -that you may be well guided to stay in Des Moines this summer or any other if you take a business job. Your contacts and interests are largely there as contrasted with Omaha, and the opportunities must be as good. I should come to the sane conclusion. Another thing I am pleasedabout is the stewards job. I really hope that comes your way, so let us know about it. The experience will be helpful, and you will enjoy being of service to the fraternity. The chapter needs the best leadership available, at least that has been my observation, and I took more than a little joy in serving my group. It serves to cement the friendships and make them more real and lasting. It will be good business experience. Perhaps you can figure out a few stamps for the freshmen to earn, if there are some irksome chores to be done. Tonight, as I mentioned in my letter of yesterday, mother and I went to Ad-Sell to hear Will Durant and then to the Joslyn to hear Maud Adams. We have set it down as a red letter evening. At the dinner we had congenial companions and made some pleasant acquaintances. Durant was highly interesting, thoughtful and stimulating. He says that the influences for a facist revolution are abroad in this land and the movement will break that way if the forces of communism get strong enough to compel a decision. He says the proletarian class or laboring class is getting less, and the middle class or property owning class is increasing. That the middle class will join with the upper class or investing class for a facist control, but will never join with the proletariat class for communism. But he believes all that is not necessary if thoughtful people in power do not permit unequal distribution of wealth to reach fantastic stages. He says there will always be unequal distribution of wealth, that he is reconciled to it, and the more of wealth he has the more he is reconciled to it; voicing the sentiment of every man, of course. His little jokes were good too. Maud Adams was sweet, gentle, pure as the evening breeze and lovely as a butterfly on the rose. She presented the theatre and her own experiences on the loftiest plane; just the opposite of Tobacco Road and the like. About an hour for Durant and three-quarters for Adams, so we were home shortly after nine-thirty. George was still on deck so we ate some chocolate ice cream that I picked up, and so a most pleasant evening comes to a close. Love Pop
Nile Kinnick Collection
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