The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-09
AMERICA TOO IDEAL?
Ferrero Says Common Sense Is Lack
ing in America
From Current Opinion.

From Current Opinion.
| America has been indicted times with
out number as Grass. selfish and mate
| rialistic; but now comes Ferrero. the
Italian historian, to tell us thatsthe real
trouble with us is that we are too IDEAL
istic. If we would only listen to the
voice of common sense, he says, our po-
sition as a nation would be more secure
If we only had the shrewdness and hard
practically of older nations, we should
be in a better position to deal with our
problems. Our malady. 1t seems is that
we are enamored of glittering generali-
ties and follow quixotic dreams
Ferrero was astonished, on his recent
visit to this country, to see how we treat
the hordes OF immigrants that pour into
our ports each year from every conceiv-
able center of the old world. He had
but recently returned from South Amer
lea. where he had been impressed by
the great caution and practical sense with
which the South American republics strive
to prevent the steady flow of foreign inn
migration from disturbing too profoundly
the equilibrium of the state. In contrast
with this comparatively conservative at
titude. he saw the United States throw
ing down the barriers and admitting al
most every one to citizenship. And the
result, he says. is just what might have
been anticipated. We find increasing diff
ficulty in making democratic institutions
work.
It would have been a simple matter
Ferrero- declares, for America to have
withheld full citizenship from men born
in Europe. but 1t was too idealistic to
sanction such a policy. Its impractical.
Its almost mystical, conception of democ-
racy got the better of hard-headed judg-
ment. 1t was even willing to endure all
kinds of disagreeable and perilous conse-
quences in the conviction that since the
democratic principle Is just and true, its
ultimate result must be beneficent.
Little by little, as Ferrero pursued this
train of thought, he was led to ask him.
self whether, In political matters at least,
the people of South America and Europe
may not be more practical than the citi-
zens of the United States. and Europe
may not be more practical than the citi-
zens of the United States. and whether,
inversely, the North Americans are not
the dreamers and idealists. The amaze
ment and doubt awakened in him were
increased when he came to observe the
countless gifts which the inexhaustible
bounty of rich men and women in the
United States bestowed upon educational
institutions and learned or political or
social foundations.
The idea in common in Europe that all
Americans are obsessed by the idea of
making money. but after several weeks
of travelling and looking about, Ferrero
found It hard to convince himself that
rich people whose one idea is to spend
for the good of mankind or the improve
ment of their country are not quite as
numerous and perhaps even more so in
America than In Europe. But quite apart
from the question of their comparative
number and size, he was struck by one
difference between American and Euro
pean benefactions.
American gifts" he says, "are not
infreQuently inspired by passionate, and
should almost say ingenious, faith in
mans ability to conquer human misery
and the travails of life. An American will
often set himself with fervor and with
great expenditure of brains and money
to eradicate evils that to Europeans seem
incurable. This faith in their ability to
straighten nature out. to clip her claws
and purify her, not infrequently seemed
to me. as 1t has seemed to many Euro
peans, to border upon the chimerical"
The point emphasized by Ferrero Is
that here again Americans appear more
idealistic, more given to dreams, less
practical than Europeans. with a fire.
Quency unheard of In Europe, they will
set out to slay the innumerable dragons
OF life without any certainty Of success.
but with the Inspiration of a mystic faith
that all things must somehow turn out
right in the end Even the business
and perhaps supremely there-the same
spirit II at work.