New-York tribune., 1905-01-07

Professor M0nsterDerg mas AlreAuy III ms
American Traits regaled US with some OF the
Impressions not altogether favorable. which we
male collectively and individually upon the ior-
esgner. hut in his present work he undertakes
20 show 70 his own countrymen those underlying
rrsncinles and characteristics which. despite our
incidental or accidental inperfectons coh'Ilou'e
20 our national greatness. Written oTlglha4iy i'
German for Germans, the author has ohly con
sante6 N its appearance in English in transia-
lion which has been admirably mace oy MS Hs
sistant. DIR. Holt. of Harvard University WIN
the omission of some tables and chapters not I'M
xor1ant to volume 10 be read now by Americans
The .accent" Of the book. TO use Professor Min
sterberg's own apt term, is given IN the ih'ro-
6uctoY-v chapters TO the four subdivisions OF the
volume which treat respectively Of our poIUcal
economic intellectual and social life. 1hese
chapters are entitled Spirit Of Self-direction'
SpIrtt OF sef-realization Spirit of Self peTfec-
sion" and Spirit of Self-asseruon,' ana II Is
with the thoughts therein contained that we shaH
mainly concern ourselves The chapter on sen
satisfaction" the author explains. he forgot TO
write II was unnecessary. 1t viii be written
in the heart of every one who reads the olher
four
In our spirit OF self-direction. Professor Mnn-
sterberg discovers the dominating influence IN
our political life. It becomes, he avers. the pro-
foundest passion Of the soul Of every Immigrant
as il is Of that of every native American ana
leads necessarily 10 a republican form OF gov
ernment. although il does not by any means
conversely hold true that every republic Is
founded on this spirit. Indeed, he finds the
United States entirely different from all other
republics. "since in no other people is the crav-
ing for self-determination so completely the IN
forming force" He says further:
To be an American means TO cooperate in per
petuating the spirit Of self-olrecuon throughqut
the body politci and whosoeVer does not tee- % rIs
q naturaized citizen OF the land, remains an ahen
forever.
This propaganda continually going on is rem
dered the more easily successful in that the new
comers who are so readily assimilated are neces-
sarily those who were strongest OF VIII in their
own countries. and are thus impelled to seek out
new spheres Of activity. Thus. while neither
race nor tradition nor the actual past binds
the American 10 his countrymen-
Toarticipation in a common task holds the people
together, task with no definite and tangible emo
waro 70, Dut I5ieb %se its n1eSninF not in any
eacA e ts Tniishrnent not in
any event which may befall but only In the right
ness OF the motive.
The weakness Of a democracy founded on such
q spirit. that is the weakness of our own de-
mocracy. seems to the author to lie in the i'm
portance ii assigns 70 the average man. so that
these who appear TO be great are merely those
who are exploiting TO the utmost the tendencies
of the day while the truly great find no scope
for their powers" OF course, what seems TO
Professor AIdnsterberg TO be an element OF
weakness may TO other minds. American MINDS
seem TO be something quite the contrary, In that
errors are no less quickly recognized and are
far more easily corrected than under other forms
Of government. or under similar forms Of gov
ernrnent founded on other principles. AS he
r1c aff Iii ar1i IN
tends 70 stimulate mot only initiative and self
reliance. but also the consciousness Of duty"
Where this consciousness is a pervadng in
huence there can be little weakness. and the
tendency will always be toward a higher stand
ara for the average man." a reaching upward
10 the heights already marked by the truly
great" No man who is truly great can fail TO
make an impression on his time even If he be
so far in advance Of It as TO find official
scope for his powers. So that while we may
admit the authors contention that public opin-
ion reaches a high level" IN America we may
respectfully differ with him in his assertion that
genius goes to waste
Coming 10 a consideration OF our economic
life, Professor Munsterberg contends that our
colossal Industrial successes are due far more
TO the character OF the people than TO the nat
ural conditions favorable they are. Of the
country IN which we dwell, and have their foun-
dation IN spirit OF self-initiative-th there
IS. IN other words. an ethical basis for ma
terial achievements. He discards the belief Of
the average European" that our intense eco
nornic activity is the simple result OF unbounded
greed; for he notes that success in America IS
only priced the result Of individual effort, and
that wealth is valued less for the luxuries that
IL procures than as an indication OF individual
and natural ability. Getting money interests
the American. but keeping Il is far less interest
ing 10 him. as is well shown by the extraordinary
sums every year distributed in public uunifi-
cence. Thus, the author has no hesitation in as
serting that the culture Of the New World is
growing TO the very purest idealism. and by no
means least where it is busy with problems Of
the natural world OF matter, and where il IS
heaping up economic wealth." for the economic
life means TO the American realizing Of efforts
which are in themselves precious. 1t is not the
means 20 the END but fits own end" In contrast
9 with which he proclaims that the culture of the
Old World threatens at a thousand points to
become crassly Tnaterialstic. "and not least of
all where IL most loudly boasts Of intellectual
wealth and looks down with contempt on every
thing which is material since the real material
ist is he who acts not for the act itself, but for
the comfortable consequences which that act
may have for himself whether he uses art as a
means Of pleasure. science as a source of fame
politics a OF power Professor
AIunsterberg makes two interesting observations
IN regard to economic life In America-for the
purpose of correcting the misapprehensions of
foreigners-;hat viii not be without novelty to
many Americans who superfcially hold the same
views. One is that are always in a hurry
Professor BIunsterberg says that we are not. but
that since all true labor IS respected. we are as
a nation INDUSTRIOUS and. owing to our spirit
haE 10