University of Virginia Library

Revolution Vs. Reform

At one point in the crowd, a
Canadian army officer in uniform
agreed with a tall youth about the
need for social reform, and a
revolution in ideas, yet objected to
a violent Revolution.

The youth kept arguing and
yelling, often shaking his head in
disgust, with an attitude indicating
his bare tolerance for what he
considered the officer's incredible
stupidity.

"C'mon man," he kept saying,
"What are you talking about? We
have to have the Revolution now!"

He swept his hand in the
direction of the crowd. "If the
people can be motivated for something
like this, they can be
galvanized for the takeover."

"This rally is nonsense, man. All
this dancing and singing. What does
it accomplish? I've been working
for the Revolution for four years."

When the army officer started
arguing that peace was a common
goal of all the people there, while
revolution was not, the youth just
turned away as he said, "No
left-wing speakers either."

For the most part, the only
Weathermen who affected the
marchers were the ones who correctly
predicted the mid-30 degree
weather.

Divisiveness and disorder was
not the dominant feature, but the
sincerity and immense friendliness
of the marchers was.

All were united by their common
hope, and all shared the same
experiences of the day.

One girl handed out love poems;
a black demonstrator passed around
a box of raisins through the crowd;
a parade marshal handed out
cigarettes as people went by.

Marchers immediately began
conversations with one another,
and the unity continued to the
rally.

Near the rally's end, as the cast
of "Hair" sang for over an hour, the
entire mass of people reacted. In
the packed middle, a sea of arms
moved in the peace sign, and, on
the outside, dozens of circles of
people were dancing and singing in
their hope for a dawning of
Aquarius.

It was fitting that growing from
the crowd was the Washington
Monument, a
structure of simple
unity and human creativity.

As the night approached, a
demonstrator played the Star-Spangled
Banner on his trumpet,
and the remaining marchers sang
with their hands held high in the
peace sign. There was no cheering
after the singing, unlike at a
baseball game, only a deep silence.

As a dissenter one said: "If this
be treason, make the most of it."

The dancing, the singing, the
hopes and worries, the young
couples walking in the dusk, that
marked the end of the rally, all
made it seem very unreal that the
irreplaceable loss of American and
Vietnamese lives is still continuing.

It was hard to comprehend that
the dead of the war are the only
ones who have peace now.