M.R.A.'s Message

ORGANIZATIONS M.R.A.'s Message Moral Re-Armament is a well-heeled movement for "the advancement ... of personal, social, racial, national and supernatural salvation." M.R.A. people think of themselves as the best ideological defense against Communism. It is possible that many Americans would, if they understood M.R.A., find Communism less nauseating. Currently, 192 delegates and actors from M.R.A. are stumping the capitals of South Asia and the Middle East-- in U.S. Air Force transports--with a three-act musical morality play called The Vanishing Island. A summary of M.R.A. s message:

INTRODUCTION The Vanishing Island takes place in two countries. One of them is called the land of Eiluph'mei and the other is called the land of Weiheit'tiu. The meaning of the words depends on which dictionary you use If you look it up in one dictionary, Eiluph'mei (I Love Me) means the Land of Liberty. In another, it is called the Land of License. Weiheit'tiu (We Hate You) in one dictionary is said to be the State oj New Democracy. If you look it up in another, it means Land of Tyranny . . .

ACT ONE:

The island of I Love Me, a rich and decadent democracy presided over by King Capricorn, Prime Minister Benjamin Bullfrog Secretary of State Ebenezer Muddle and Lord Chancellor Marmaduke Malfeasance, is threatened with invasion by Odioso, dictator of the land of We Hate You: Odioso first raises the passionate challenge of his have-not state: Give us our share That is our prayer. Just as the rivers, oceans and air Just as the wind Is for mankind So is your wealth, my people find.

Confronting this challenge, the rich people of I Love Me reassure themselves by singing the praises of democracy, first, of elections:

One for you and one for me. That's what makes democracy. We are right. And you are wrong. That's the spirit to keep us strong. Vote on everything. Twice a year. Squash the fellow you cannot smear. Some you can smash. Some you can square. That's the way to clear the air.

Next, a big businessman named Joshua Bible steps forward, and proudly sings the benefits of private enterprise: If you ask what we're doing and why--We are keeping the country in clover.

Men may plan politicking And griping and kicking At mystical schemes far away, But we're pinned to an office Our reply to a scoff is The simple demand "Does it Pay?" No matter what others may say--For bisness is backbone and brainbox and bread So we'll stick to our bisness until we are dead.

For we're busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy with our bisness Wracked with duodenal ulcers Wives who from our homes expulse us Plagued with liquor, overfat and dizzi ness.

Stimulated by such philosophy, the people of I Love Me decide that the best way to stave off Odioso's threatened invasion is to send a kind of Point Four delegation to We Hate You to convert the people to democracy. The happy islanders sing:

We're in love, in love, in love, in love -- and how! We're madly, madly, madly in love with ourselves. We know how to manufacture things (we know how, we know how) From baby cars to aircraft wings (we know how, we know how) We know how to build skyscrapers, tun nels, , Slot machines, autos, and liner funnels, We know how, we know how, we know how, we know how. And how! We're in love, in love, in love, in love We're in love with ourselves and with our know-how Weiheit'tiu needs our know-how We are super pluperfectly, woner fully right --We are right, we are right, we are right. They are wrong.

ACT Two:

In the land of We Hate You, the people prepare to greet the democratic delegation from I Love Me. Their clothing is uniform, their movements are regimented, their faces are set and purposeful. In uni on they sing: Marching! Marching! Marching! Marching ! Rise the bitter Rise the hateful Rise the needy to our call We shall struggle We shall conquer One the class to rule for all. Pain and suffering our weapons Fear and hunger lead to hate We'll divide, confuse and conquer Victory is our fate! The arriving delegates from I Love Me are not dismayed by such displays of militancy, and they attempt to convert Odioso & Co. to democracy. First man to speak up is Secretary of State Muddle: We've freedom to lie in the press We are free in our homes to raise hell there. Politicians can get in a mess Without being purged for their welfare.

Next comes Agatha Highball, leader of women's social groups, offering democratic emancipation to the regimented women of We Hate You:

Our women are free as the birds Who fly from one nest to a neighbour's When the cream in one cup turns to curds We seek a new field for our labours. We can lecture or flog a golf ball, We can drink with themenfolk in parity, Party politics we overhaul And, boy, how we organize charity.

Briefly Big Businessman Joshua Bible once more expounds upon the need for profits and the blessings of Cadillacs and dishwashers, whereupon the democratic delegation sums up:

You can do what you like

When you like

How you like

And the harm they will never discover.

Provided

Provided

And always provided

You're ready to stay under cover.

The result of this defense of democracy is that We Hate You listens ever more keenly to the warlike counsel of Odioso, and prepares to launch its invasion.

ACT THREE:

As the Moral Re-Armament play approaches its climax, the threat of destruction looms over wealthy I Love Me. Salvation is provided not by defense but by King Capricorn, a neutralist billed as "the new type of man with an answer for East and West." King Capricorn shows his people how to adopt literal Christian teachings, e.g., Love Thy Enemy, and make no attempt to resist invasion: It's the way we live from the time we're a kiddy Till Kingdom come, and it s called an iddy . . It can be called an iddy. It will purify the pious guy and clean up every giddy doll It's effective, not just preachy and its name is an ideol . . So Odioso's troops are not resisted; Odioso, apparently a man of conscience all along, realizes that violent methods are not ethically correct and rethinks his position War is therefore averted by the pacifism of King Capricorn and the moderation of Odioso. One by one, the leaders of I Love Me recant their former doctrines :

SECRETARY OF STATE MUDDLE:

I've warned and given advice to every

nation

My own life needs a clean investigation

CHANCELLOR MALFEASANCE:

I've tried to improve the world with

brag and bellow In truth I'm just a frightened little fellow.

The chorus of Moral Re-Armament then surges to the footlights and rings down the curtain by proclaiming that peace is here to stay:

It's all so near at hand It's all so near to you It will happen so normally, naturally happen to you.

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