 The second half of the 20th century after the birth of Christ, Western man was confronted for the first time in history with the problem of whether his world and his works would outlast the century, whether his culture would survive. Beyond the dreams of his ancestors, modern man has molded the earth to his liking. Proud of his vast creative ability, he can boast of the grandeur of his achievement and admire the scope of his own imagination. The very knowledge which enables him to build is the knowledge that has taught him to destroy. And in the 20th century, man's capacity for destruction was demonstrated on a terrifying scale. Yet none can deny that man's progress in material things is today at its highest peak. In an industrial age, a worker has achieved through technological advances a level of production never dreamed of at the beginning of the century. Industrial designers and architects promise modern man a life of smooth efficiency. Material progress, which has given man so many new conveniences, has at the same time speeded up the tempo of his life. But what the acceleration of his existence has come a nervous tension, which is the outstanding feature of our age. And boredom with the daily routines of life are increasingly apparent. And no matter how streamlined the design of modern living, everyday tasks in the 20th century are often regarded with distaste. In this age of tension, man is assiduous and eager in his search for relaxation. Too often unhappy with himself, he drifts into easy avenues of escape. Creatively reflecting the anxious temper of the times is modern art. An impatience with old-fashioned forms and limitations had launched the 20th century artist on a restless search for new ways of expression and for new techniques. Today's wide acceptance of modern art indicates that the public too shares that restlessness. The future role of art in a mechanized world is of deep concern to such distinguished critics as Britain's Herbert Reed. During the past 50 years, all the arts have had to accept the triumph of the machine. Traditional forms of painting and sculpture have no function in our streamlined existence. If they are to find a place in the civilization of the next half century, the visual arts must effect a compromise with the machine. This can be done only within the terms of what we call abstract art. But abstract painting and sculpture will hardly provide the emotional release which millions now seek at popular spectator sports. The tension of the mid-century is epitomized by its music. The insecurity of modern man has been tragically demonstrated in the catastrophe of total war. The 20th century saw a new terror loosed upon the world as to the western concept of democracy. With over 750 million people under communist rule, nearly one-third of the population of the earth, Soviet Russia holds a commanding position in the future destiny of the world. Since World War II, communism by force and by propaganda has extended its frontiers into the heart of Europe. Russia's newest and possibly most important gains have been in the Orient, where half a billion Chinese have been herded into the communist camp. The western democracies led by the United States oppose the communist drive for world power. Marshall Plan aid has been of enormous assistance in rebuilding the free nations of Europe and has started them on the way toward economic union. In addition to fostering economic cooperation throughout western Europe, the United States has joined with 11 nations in the Atlantic sphere in a new defensive pact against outside aggression. Implementing the pact, America's military assistance program for Europe has provided arms for those Atlantic-packed countries which are in need of them. For the possibility of actual war must always be in the minds of men like the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Omar Bradley. Well, how a future war would be fought depends on when it has started. A gun tomorrow would be much like World War II. At 10 years from now, war could only be more destructive than the last. Science and technology, with their development of guided missiles, target-seeking projectiles, and other weapons has multiplied tremendously the destruction possible on the battlefield at sea and in the air. But this very scientific progress and weapons may be the ultimate deterrent to any future war. The more I work on the plans for defense, the more I'm convinced that war is not inevitable and that our defense plans are only a part of our strategy for a lasting peace. Of dramatic importance is the newly-won independence of six Asiatic countries. The second half of the century will expose them to world forces from which today they seek to remain aloof. In India, freedom from British rule, long a dream of the venerated leader Mahandas Gandhi, was realized just before his death. The staggering job of guiding India's millions in this critical period fell to his follower, Pandit Nehru, who knows that India, to resist the infiltration of communism, must quickly consolidate her new position. In the worldwide shifts of political influence, the Western powers still stand as the bulwark against communism. Do not suppose that half a century from now you will not see 70 or 80 millions of Britain spread about the world and united in defense of our traditions, our way of life and the world causes which you and we espouse. Let us then move forward together in discharge of our mission and our duty, fearing God and nothing else. The champions of the Western concept of democracy are everywhere derided by the Stalinist mouthpieces. Men like Britain's communist chief Harry Pollock. The working people of all capitalist countries will become the masters of the wealth they produce as in the Soviet Union, China and people's democracies. Poverty, unemployment and war will be abolished. Mankind will rise to heights of social, economic and cultural progress undreamed of in the past. All worlds will lead to communism and British and American imperialism can do nothing to stop this inevitable development. But in the United States, an overwhelming majority of citizens feels that communism is not the inevitable development. Free enterprise and capitalism which the communist despise have given the American worker the highest standard of living in the world. That the answer to the future lies in correcting the faults of our own political and economic system is the ardent belief of such trade unionists as the CIO's aggressive Walter Ruther. Democracy's most challenging problem is to find a way to translate technical progress into human progress and prove that men can enjoy economic security without sacrificing their political freedom. The communist masters in the Kremlin offer the promise of economic security at the price of political and spiritual enslavement. While rejecting communism, the labor is equally determined to resist the abuse of economic power in the hands of the great monopolies. While labor maintains that the rights and dignity of the individual are superior to the claims of the state, we also insist that people are more important than profits and that human rights come before property rights. More intimate knowledge of space and time in relation to the universe is constantly extending the limitless horizons of science. As the 20th century reached the halfway point, the scientists' dream of unifying the basic concepts of the universe continued to occupy the genius of Professor Albert Einstein. More than any other group of individuals, the world's great scientists like physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer realized the grave responsibilities of our new knowledge. Science has profoundly altered the conditions of man's life, both materially and in ways of the spirit as well. There's extended the range of questions in which man has a choice. There's extended man's freedom to make significant decisions. No one can predict what vast new continents of knowledge the future of science will discover. But we know that as long as men are free to ask what they will, free to say what they think, free to think what they must, science will never regress and freedom itself will never be wholly lost. The application of this scientific knowledge has a direct bearing on the everyday life and habits of the average man. Science will shape his future and how modern industry can bring nations and individuals ever closer together is revealed by RCA's chairman, David Sarnoff. In the next half century, people will see as well as hear around the world. Pocket-sized radio instruments will enable individuals to communicate with anyone, anywhere. Newspapers, magazines, mail and messages will be sent through the air at lightning speed and reproduced in the home. But material progress alone has not solved the problems which still plague mankind. With all the advantages provided him by the industrial age, he is more than ever in need of knowledge and understanding to help him solve his difficulties. To gain this knowledge, we have a free and democratic system of public education existing in the western world, which has undergone a very encouraging development in this century. But mankind still has far to go in its universal search for knowledge. Because of this search, the deep need for more and better education for all citizens in this troubled world is a constant challenge to such eminent educators as Harvard University's president, James Bryan Conant. The appraisal of the schools by citizens is of paramount importance in this mid-20th century. This is true irrespective of the role that education plays in the grim, etiological struggle of our times. For if I am right, that our American system of public education is the symbol of the special contribution which this republic has made to the concept of democracy, the future of the undertaking has significance that far transcends the immediate issue. It is rather in a demonstration that a certain type of society long dreamed of by idealists can be closely approached in reality. A free society in which the hopes and aspirations of a large fraction of the members find enduring satisfaction through outlets once reserved for the small minority of mankind. For men still hope they are halfway to a world of freedom, peace and harmony. Today, this hope is embodied in the organization of the United Nations. For survival rests now more than ever on honest cooperation among nations. In the second half of the 20th century, man must determine whether or not the nations shall live in freedom and at peace.