Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-08
AN AMERICAN KULTUR
Is IN THE MAKING
Our Democratic Ideal TO Be Realized
Only Through Socialized Patriot
ism-Aggregate Efficiency the Result
of Gregarious Idealism.
Br RoBERT ntLDRETH

i heard so much can there be nothing like
It in American Kultur we cannot have. for
that is German product and possession;
but is a modified counterpart impossible In
this country-some informing purpose and
guiding principle that shall direct and
actualize the idealism Of our people as a
whole2
The aim of Kultur is efficiency, not of
individuals but of the nation and more than
that Kultur itself may be defined as organ
lied efficiency 1t is Nboth a process and q
condition, Sparta had a kind of Kultur, very
different from Athenian culture. Likewise
| the Kultur Of the Germanic nation is not
the Bildung of accomplished Germans. One
| produces and is what we have come to
| designate as German efficiency" the results
| OF which are seen in civil and military
administration industry, commerce and
finance, and in the achievements of scholarly
investigation and research; the other gives
us the philosophy Of Kant and Hegel and
the pure literature of Schiller and Goethe.
II the two are not quite separable, neither
is there any necessity or any possibility of
drawing dividing line between the Ameri-
can Kutur Of efficiency and the culture Of
sweetness and light" which shall be to all
our people when our true national efficiency
has been further advanced.
America Is blessed with dealism in
abundant measure. 1t is salient quality
which impresses every visiting analyst from
Europe and receives both comment and ex-
preston in the books in which our own
writers seek to interpret the national life.
Bliss Perry Is certain that the most char
acterlstic attitude of the American mind is
idealism. Indivdualism radlcalism and pub
lie spirit are other qualities he says, but
the dominating one, including "the ideal pas
,Nfy nf nr1 If,,f To
home and section OF humanitarian and mis-
sionary effort" is idealism.
Now II idealism were only sufficient to
take care of our great and splendid future,
we might be perfectly content but we are
apt to think that this glorious future is sim
ply going to happen. Young men and women
are warned by good advisers that their
dreams will not come true unless they are
true to their dreams. Our nation, which is
still so young that we constantly refer to
"our experiment in democracy" has implicit
confidence in its destiny. Indeed. as H. G..
Wells has remarked: when one talks to an
American of his national purpose, he seems
a little at a loss" but eff one speaks of his
national destiny he responds with alacrity."
Another observer, Professor Muensterberg,
says: Neither race nor tradition nor the
actual past binds the American to his coun-
trymen but rather the future which together
they are building" We are a forward look
ing people. What Is it that we see ahead?
How clear is that destination to which we
are moving, that structure which together
we are building? What definitely, Is It that
we are striving for? We call il the realza-
tion OF the democratic ideal, "The only
fruitful promise" to quote Herbert Croly,
"of which the life of any individual or any
nation can be possessed is a promise deter
mined by an ldeaR'
Constructive Idealism
Constructive ideallsm, tending toward a
threefold unity of efficiency patriotism and
democracy, is being manifested today in our
national idealisn. The quality of imagina-
tion is becoming more and more effective,
helping us to give concrete expression to
our social spirit by Illuminating our social
aim. An American Kultur is in the making.
At the recent meeting of our own Academy
Of Arts and Letters. Professor Herrick. in
discussing 1.-THE Quality of Imagination in
American Life" euloglzed the new town of
Gary and the spirit OF San Francisco after
the earthquake. These are examples of the
creative power Of Imagination and sugges-
tions OF what it will accomplish for our
national ideal. They must be included also
among the illustrations Of the social spirit
which increasingly dominates our ambitions.
The new social legislation is effort to
make a happier and more efficient America
We are working forward to the day-the
day when poverty and misery and industrial
strife shall have ended and not only these
things, but whatever wastes the energies
of our aggregation OF individuals and inter-
feres with a truly good living for ALL We
are learning that thus we are achieving
national efficiency and in the national ideal;
in a word, democracy.
Eliminating Controversy
Old antagonisms are disappearing In the
annual report Of the United States Commits
sion on Industrial Relations there is fresh
evidence that capital and labor are approach
ing, surely though slowly. a common point
of view. Several hundred witnesses, repre-
senting both employers and employees, have
appeared before the commission and dis
cussed the causes of Industrial unrest. The
number and nature OF the points OF entire
agreement are significant Much OF the
trouble, all OF the witnesses alleged, is due
10 misunderstanding, This is not new
explanation. by any means, but 1t shows
desire on both sides that, for mutual interest
and welfare, misunderstanding and prejudice
should be removed
Instances showing the decline OF eontro-