Special of the week; Issue 7-71 Santaquin Day Report and Christopher Issuewood

In the E.R. the national educational radio network presents special of the week. Yes. The sounds you hear are being made by a college student. They are smashing the windows and destroying a building they are not rioting or looting. They are volunteers from Brigham Young University Provo Utah and the building going down as an old abandoned home in Santa Quinn Utah population eleven 83. A friendly little central Utah town has a new look on the outside and a new look from the inside thanks to that October student invasion that nearly doubled the town's population for a day. That's more than 1000 students came armed with rakes shovels paint and brushes to fix up paint up and clean up the town. The project had official approval. Governor Calvin L. Rampton of Utah had declared the day Sammak one day and Secretary George Romney of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and sent a letter of congratulations and encourage meant what kind of a town is Santa

when Utah now to get its unusual name a long time resident Lilian Walker explains. She said in Korean This is what Heineken was unable it was to seine Quinn and he was a famed Eagle and he knew that some of his tribe was going to type same thing. So he crawled on his stomach from up in these mountains and killing them and growing the people that they were coming down to attach this rubble. Get to grips with my grandmother and grandfather. Like I am when I was down there my grandfather took a load of lumber. He used to drive team and bring lumber from California to help to build a first rate. And he was down there my grandmother and the children was down there there was eleven children and this Indian well over several came down and they thought well this was it. But those Indians were friendly and they came in then and my grandmother fed them and they went out and brought her in wood and

milked her the head go the goats farm and they helped to build a pan so she could put the goats in for winter. I think that to the mind. My. Mother had built theirs. When they were first married and all their children were born here and I had two of my children born in the past so I have a sentimental feeling about this last long that I do. TO may say a wonderful little community because it seems like they're all one big happy family. We are weak together we try to work together and we are enjoying one another. Why was Santa Quinn selected for this project was there a special need or was the town selected at random. Sandipan City Judge J Peterson explains this project was taken on by the students who is going to take 50 percent of the population of Sandy but his people over 50 years old.

All of your people if you move out you know people just stay out of the idea for Santa when they originate BYU a political science professor Dr. Doyle Buchwald or the man in charge of the project explains Well it began in the list last year in a political science class in which we tried to challenge some of our students to become involved in community activities and to commit themselves constructively to making a voluntary effort to better the community and so some of the student students in our class including some student officers. Accepting the challenge and so we sat down to work for the months of May June and July working out a program by which we could try and select a small city somewhere we could have some kind of immediate success so we could see what we're doing. This is a pilot project and the students realize this. They came to conclusion that if this was successful if they were successful in trying to make a project of this nature in which nearly 2000 students would be involved then they could go out to other communities in the five

years following. And so each year it's a successful each year we'll go out into a new community. I asked Dr. Buckwild or to define the scope of planning required to ensure a successful project. We we found that one of the biggest problems on the voluntary effort is that oftentimes we don't have the planning was necessary and so we tried to do somewhat of a meticulous job and we called our program impeccable planning. Well we realized that this was our first experience out and so we we know that we have made some errors some mistakes but we see where these corrections can be made for future projects. What are some of the problems involved. Again Dr. Buchwald we have to have committees on everything unfortunately our committee on weather didn't come through today but we had committees on there with the guys to safety. But any legal problems we've had committees on the various projects were working in the lumber painting all of the types of projects we have communications people. So we have people working on the contributions trying to solicit materials

throughout the community and the committee has been extremely helpful to all of us. In fact I might suggest that some of the people in the community as long as as well as our physical plant have been very very complimentary to us by helping us here instead of going in and giving us the direction. And you guys are my leadership we need the importance of detail planning was reiterated by Chris mold of Washington D.C. from the office of volunteer action representing the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The important work is in a sense done before the day of the action. There's a tremendous amount of logistical planning. The most important thing in any voluntary action program is to identify very carefully the job of the individual volunteers going to do because it was not identified and he doesn't feel he's really needed. Then he gets turned off and you're unlikely to see him again. The big job today is to make it very clear what kinds of jobs can be done on a voluntary basis and to get someone with

the right skills into their job. I ask Mr. Molder if there was anything unique about Santa Quinn day. There are distinctive features about any project going on around the country and this one we find that it's somewhat of an exception to the pattern around the country in that the student government BYU is involved in this kind of activity. Durham other schools you'll find that those who volunteer are not the same kind of person who goes in for student government activity. I'm curious as to why this is so. But I think it's a healthy development here. One of the most popular form of voluntary student action in America today. Well the most common form of student voluntary action today around the country is tutoring work working with kids who have spent a special learning problems in school. It's by far and away the most popular form of voluntary and it goes on year round. You take the state of Michigan last year and 30000 college students involved regularly every week. In doing about 75 different kinds

of voluntary action having watched the sound of one day project in action I asked Mr Mold for his personal reaction was tremendous I got here rather early this morning and they're already very very dramatic signs of change. Watching that Dennis gorg go it is quite exciting but I'm also watching a 50 year old dilapidated barn come down with us. But literally 50 to 60 men are yanking planks building bonfires and I watch the expression on the faces of the owners as they watch this activity going on it's really exciting. Utah County businessman and governmental units which willingly responded to the appeal for materials and equipment share in the credit for the success of sonic Hyundai McDonnell supplying 15:00 hamburgers and fifteen hundred drinks to bolster the workers. Well the food being donated by a BYU coeds and the women of Santa Quinn Jones paid in glass donated 160 gallons of paint. Sherwin Williams paint provided brushes and propane and glass donated brushes and scrapers to aid the students and

demolishing about 15 old barns and homes hauling away trays and old car bodies. Clean up the weeds and trash build a tennis court and 15 tables in the parks and numerous other projects. Thorne construction company provided two trucks for his construction company one truck. That's why builder lumber for 15 tables. The U.S. Forest Service about 150 pieces of ham equipment Utah County donated six trucks and front end loaders Power and Light Company tree felling crew and a line crew and the BYU physical plant department trucks and assorted equipment. Out of the BYU students participating feel about like one day. Tim Curtis a student from Manhattan Beach California tells why he thinks the project was a good idea I think it's a really good opportunity for you why you shouldn't be getting to help people here and you're trying to make a good name for school but I think the people who are helping have that good feeling inside the fence and sharing their time and their their efforts with the people the community and you know especially these little old ladies if

they live here the windows are Santa's going. When they see things such as this a field there there's a purpose in life and if people do care about it then that may not be as bad as Alexis what was the assignment of Curtis's group I believe has been clearing the roadways. Also. Having a tree. Thinking is ready to be carried off in the burn. I quest another student Ted put there of Rochester New York about his job at Santa Clara and the value of doing it. Well I've been on the demotion Croll. We would be turning down burns and just cleaning the area. But I have a why do you think of today's surprise. Jack I think it's just great to reflect I just I wish we could do it more often. Why what what makes a great project like this I think the spirit there's a strong spirit here to unity and to everybody accomplishing something for other people. Can a work project really be fun. That was the question posed by newsman Dave finds worth

milling All right a student from Oakland California had this reply. When you think. Oh it I you know I think I think it's a really great thing but everybody's doing it and it's just loads the fans feel like painting. I am I think am I going to professional right. Yes there are some beloved Los Angeles fell and they had to finish the house painting project. I think it's fun I mean come back next weekend if finish out because they have more houses to do out of the residents of Santa can feel about the project. Well I think it's a it's a real fine thing here to have all these students out here and working and showing your interest in the smaller communities which a lot of the communities don't realize the interest maybe their kids have Going to school and I think this will be a real wonderful thing to build a whole community friendship between the students and the people I think it's wonderful. And I really appreciate you kids you never know. I think you're doing a real good

job. And everybody I know is pretty shady I think you do for him. Oh I think it's a good thing. Well there's a lot of hold on yours buildings that are exactly yeah I think if they get. There you see. Hard times cleaned up a lot it was better for everybody concerned that the sound of one day projects stimulate this type of volunteer action and other schools or town knocked or Doyle Buckwild or comments were having people from the state come down people from the federal government trying to observe see what kind of progress we make and possible use this as an example throughout the country at other universities to see if they can stimulate other universities to follow this kind of a program that I asked Chris Mold from the office of voluntary action if he thought the success of the project would stimulate others. Yeah I think so because the results today in this kind of venture are going to be very visible when you knock down a bar and you can see some daylight you didn't see before or you see paint on a house that's going to mean something to other students at BYU

branch didn't show up to show up this morning because they're right. It's also going to have a psychological impact on this town I think it's going to give it a shot in the arm and I would expect it to lead to the town where he started to do even more than it's done in the past on its own to take care of its own problems. During the work back I talked with Cam Caldwell BYU student body vice president of student relations and I asked him to sum up the day's activities their enthusiasm and high spirited group were really proud of the people who did come in. Many would have had a lot of excuses to not come but these people chose to come and were certainly pleased to be all working together it looks like they're having a good time and I think the people of Santa Quinn are enjoying working with the students too. But I think we'll be able to get about 80 percent of the things that we had originally shot at including part of the painting so we're excited about it it's an optimistic project.

It's one that we were both rather being able to undertake once again the students of Brigham Young University have proven that youth can organize and unite to build a better community through volunteer action. This is Bill Nichols reporting for Katie why u FM News. This program is being brought to you through the national educational radio network a nonprofit organization that supports educational radio by providing cultural enrichment programming to 175 educational radio stations throughout the United States and Canada. Stay tuned to the station your local national educational radio network affiliate for more outstanding public radio broadcasts of all the leftwing English writers who made their names in the 1930s. Christopher Isherwood is still perhaps the most closely associated with that period. His stories about the sleazy life of Berlin under the titles Mr Norris changes trains and goodbye to Berlin remain a source book for historians of pre-war

Germany. But since leaving England in 1939 to settle in California this word has not only continued writing novels but has also become closely involved in films and plays. At 65 his vigor is unabated on a river is it to London from the United States of which he is now citizen. Christopher Isherwood talked to Clive Jordan. Christopher Isherwood in a way perhaps you haven't been long in London the since that train journey to Germany in 1909 the crucial train journey with which lines and shadows that autobiographical piece of writing. How much do you think you have been on here since 1929. Oh well I have always remained very British but. I'm the kind of Englishman who lives abroad it's a regular type of Englishman in this particular case. I of course I don't feel that the United States is abroad anymore and particularly California because almost everybody in California is

from someplace else. But then of course you must also remember that the England of those days was an England that was very far from my wishes and feelings. The England of today is almost exactly what I wanted England to be like when I was young. Well of course it's still the golden period with which the public most associate your work for better or for worse. Why do you think this is why is this period of your writing so remained in people's imaginations where perhaps some of the later novels haven't. Well your reasons largely because of the accidental coincidence of. My novels such as they were and the enormous historical importance of this period and the fact that for better or worse I was one of the very few English speaking writers who wrote about

it. And so I just got in on something quite accidentally which turned out to have an enormous feeling afterwards part of a kind of sinister glamour of the past. As for the later writing it's always been my experience. That everything I write takes a frightful long time to seep through. I never had what I would call a real success in my life at the time that it was published. But it's just that some of my books have gone on being read and I personally think that at least a couple of my later books are much better than any of the other staff. But never mind. We'll see that and in my opinion. Well of course you claimed at that time in that famous phrase that I no expect you're heartily sick of a record like a camera without thinking I am a camera with its shutter open but nevertheless this seems to be a conflict between this open statement and actually the tone of

concern which there is in the bone and stories concern for the Jewish land hours for Sally Bowles you offer but Egypt heroine for flowage Freude. How involved did you feel in those events. Well you see the whole thing is what I was in fact describing was not my general attitude as a writer at all. It was my mood at that particular moment. I was sitting up in the window kind of daydreaming and rather lonely and kind of wondering what was going to happen next and I was quite blah the way you are you stare out of a window everybody does it from time to time. And yes records sort of without thinking. But this is not at all to say that this is my general attitude. And of course also as all young people. I like the idea of not being gushy and not being emotional but am actually very and indeed would never have written

about people at all if I hadn't been fascinated by them and therefore of course to a degree emotionally involved. My goodness I never in my life wrote at length about somebody I disliked. Well you were politically active in the 1930s of course and you wrote verse plays with W.H. Auden. But in 1939 with Auden you went to America. How much of a break was this how painful a break was it. It wasn't the least painful and it was the most natural thing in the world we were always travelling about. As a matter of fact we've been to China the Abbey for a sort of Walker respondants because the Japanese had already invaded China and that was going on at that time. I came back by way of America and decided to go back to America and see what that was like. But we were always taking off somewhere if I hadn't gone there would've gone somewhere. And yet you stayed in America. I wonder if that gave you any kind of sense of guilt. The reason I ask and of course it's always dangerous to read back from the novels into your own

life but in the world in the evening which was published in 1954 the hero Steven monk at the end eventually does go off to the war as an ambulance driver. Was there a kind of sense of guilt which was working itself out in your earlier work in America. You know I don't I don't think so. A lot of people did that mess to make me feel a sense of guilt. But as a matter of fact if you leave your homeland so much during peace what is the difference really. Why did you stay in America. Well I stayed in America because I became very much involved with various things there with the Quakers and with pacifism and with Gerald Heard in orders Huxley and with which was really the great experience of my life. Meeting this Hindu monk Previn and through whom I became interested in Vedanta and all this made it immediately my home really I had never had any such strong interest to hold me

anywhere before. As for Stephen going into the I mean the character called Stephen. In my novel that you referred to the world in the evening going into the ambulance. What I did as a matter of fact volunteer to do all kinds of non competent work of that sort and registered as a conscientious objector. But before any of that could go into effect they lowered the military age and I was over over Agent so I wasn't liable for any kind of military service. Even if I had been a competent and was this a sudden conversion from a fairly militant and active political role as a socialist in the MOTU thirties even with a group as a communist would you say no I would never say as a communist. I was always opposed when it came down to the last thing to communism because of its interference with the individual life. I am really a liberal to the bone and the treatment of homosexuals alone would have made it quite impossible for me to be a communist.

I think the thing was you see in the 30s we were carried along by the idea of the United Front. To be not in some sense on the side of the Spanish government was almost unthinkable. I really literally hardly knew anybody of my age or wasn't on that side. But I don't think I had really thought the matter through very carefully. I think that I'd always been a pacifist as a matter of fact. When you embraced Eastern philosophy as you did do and it's still obviously a very important thing in your life. Was this a way of resolving your own inner conflicts. I ask this because you've described your in your novel down there on a visit which is in four episodes as four kinds of descent into hell into four private kinds of hell. Did you become concerned at that time with expressing characters who were in violent conflict. And is this a reflection of any kind of conflict in yourself.

I had previously written a book which was to be a kind of modern inferno. And I abandoned this novel and I think that there are a lot of leftovers from this novel in down there on a visit and that's the reason why this kind of hail imagery recurs. But would you say nevertheless that you did have certain conflicts yourself which eastern philosophy has helped you to resolve. A Well goodness gracious I mean what's the use of a religion if you don't need it. I mean one doesn't take the cake it on out of a sense of being fashionable. No of course if that is suddenly felt the need for some sort of faith after all those things if you are a very existentialist sort of person as I am always take case through individuals through people. And it so happened that I met this man who was a Hindu monk and so it was through him that I became interested and I think one of the characters in your 1967 novel

is a Hindu novice. The story deals with the conflict between him and his rather worldly film producer brother. This also seems to be a continuation of the conflict of the two sides of the personality that need to be resolved. A Well yes but I mean after all. You see it's only through conflict that characters expressed are these the two halves of your so. Yes if you lie why not of course. Otherwise one couldn't write unless one and knew something about these two people. It is also based on some exterior circumstances there say as couple of my friends did actually become missed. It did actually take the final vows at a monastery in India while I was there and of course I wasn't present at the ceremony but I was staying in the monastery at the time and so I know you know

what it looks like and what it's all about and what the atmosphere there is and you know it too in this novel into a play and in fact that's why you're here in London. We're always hearing that London is very permissive and one of the features of the Berlin you wrote about in those early stories was its permissiveness. Do you find any points of comparison between Berlin then London. Not very many I know. You see the permissiveness in Berlin was rather sinister. It was largely connected with malnutrition and extreme political crisis and the whole concept of what was in those days considered exciting vicious. I don't know what words Puritans use but you know what I mean. There's something sort of that when went to see feeling naughty. That is when using that thank God at last a tremendous figure to my mind not necessarily as an individual artist but as representing a trend. Is

Andy Warhol. I think that any Warhol has really made the whole idea of the old blue movie obsolete. And this new attitude which holds films take to sex is really something almost Mozart in a new way. It's so joyous and such fun and there's no question of having just removed the seventh veil log broken one of the Commandments or something appalling happening. It's all delightful. Well now you've had a tremendously full life obviously you've published an enormous amount you've traveled a lot you've changed both your physical and spiritual homes from England to America. Do you think you've got anything in common with the no with the young man in the belly and are you as you said earlier on was a dreamer who sat there by the window looking out into the street. But you still have anything in common with that young man.

Oh I expect so deep down. But of course I have a tremendous sense of changing all the time and almost nothing is left. Everything moves. Everything is changing. And when he's gradually passing into the pattern of something else and losing identity. Christopher Isherwood thank you very much. Christopher Isherwood was talking to Clive Jordan proton as a production at the British Broadcasting Corporation. This is Emmy are the national educational radio network.