Lindsay Outlines Political Outlook Of East vs. West

Peering over his horn-rimmed spectacles at a packed-in New Lecture Hall audience last evening, Lord Lindsay of Birker, Master of Oxford's Balliol College and Labor Party peer, said Russia on the one hand and America and England on the other are not, as some think, in utter disagreement; for on one point, they meet on common ground: each thinks the other's conception of democracy is "preposterous nonsense."

Which is right? Neither, said Lord Lindsay, or both. The ambiguity of "democracy" is of long standing, he said; and the difference in meaning attached to the word by Russia and by the western democracies is the heart of what he called the "profound and very important" cleavage between the countries today.

Opposing Views Cited

After citing differences in conceptions of democracy, which range from Russia's belief that democracy and dictatorship are compatible to America's and England's insistence on diverse political elements and wide discussions, the ruddy-faced scholar said "There is some relation between the Western dream of democracy and the Russian dream; there is some relation between the Western dream of democracy and the Western realization, but there is no relation whatever between the Western realization of democracy and the Russian realization."

This business about the will of the people, he declared, is fictitious and mysterious. Large groups, he said, cannot govern: they can merely control by votes; and the British and American democracies are almost as aristocratic as democratic. He implied that this to him, at least, is good.

Criticizes Marx' Communism

Attacking Communism, he criticized Marx for failure to recognize the nature of modern science's fallibility. It is very difficult, said Lord Lindsay, to deal with people who hold what they believe to be absolute, scientific truths, with no room for qualifying opinion.

Lord Lindsay, introduced by Professor William Y. Elliott, emphasized that he believes in Russia's sincerity in her conception of democracy.