New-York tribune., 1919-07-11
Books S
By Haywood Broun


Is America ?" by Edward Alsworth Ros,
is a superficial book. There IS too much
Pollyanna and too little John Stuart MIN
In this mad gallop of an economist throuc,
the political and social problems of Amer.
lea. Professor Ross is consistently elad
about everything, from the increase in d.
vorce to the decrease in lynchings. Tbs
contention of the author that there IL nn
present likelihood of any radical exper;-
ment in this country is probably corree,
Indeed, "The New York Call" ruefullv al.
mitted recently, "In solne parts of the
United States there are more elephant.
than Socialists" Nevertheless, this hard,r
justifies the author in the numerous pan.
eral and sweeping statements in which h.
INDUCES himself.
"The crowning proof Of how little Arnsr,-
can wage earners feel themselves 20 be
class apart is their unwillingness to AZ.
together politically. Notwithstanding thev
have had the suffrage in the Northern
states for at least eighty years, there il
no chance here for labor party such q.
one finds in Europe"
The proof of which Professor Ro,,
dSSumDttnn
that since there never has been lahor
party there never will be one. Probably
he sees no need of one, for as he Observer
Labor is SO respected that a national hou.
day, Labor Day, is set aside in its honors
Although state and national bodies ara
concerning themselves with Investigation.
into the causes of unrest in this country
Professor Ross dismisses as interesting
symptom as the I. W. w. with half sen.
tence. Moreover, he seldom speaks of labor
except in terms of organized labor, in spite
Of the fact that not more than 16 per cent
Of organizable labor in this country is lined
up at present.
But at no point in the book does the
complacence of Professor Ross seem so
i'll founded as in his references to the
development of municipal government /,
the United States
Thirty years ago. writes Professo.
Ross, "the government OF the greater
American cities was something to blush
for"
Well, blushing is not difficult for New
Workers or Chicagoans to-day.
"1n no American CITY," the author con-
tinues, "has a majority Of the voters ever
persisted in supporting a corrupt munich
pal government"
He neglects to add the corollary that
seldom does majority of municipal voters
persist in supporting an honest and eff
cient administration. Nor is it easy for
any one living across the street from
Mayor Hylan to accept the verdict of the
gentleman from Wisconsin that "the ring
is now as extinct as the dodo"
Professor Ross is equally dogmatic about
divorce. Beginning with the statement that
Among intelligent people diSorce is looked
upon as rejecting upon ones judgment at
least, if not upon ones character' he ex-
plains thea prevalcNce of divorce in the
United States with the remark, "Indeed. the
oft noted purity of the American home
and the general faithfulness of .botn
spouses to their vow may owe something to
the opportunity Of the unhappy to secure
relief on legal basis instead of in follow
ing secret amorous intrigue"
The range of knowledge among our uni
'eisl'y men Is astounding. we wonder
how Professor Ross knew that. As 8 mat
ter of fact, inclined to think that
he is basing his assumption on the 1917
figures, for when inquired at the Pub
lie Library for the statistics on secret
amorous intrigue in the United States dur
ing the year just past we were informed
that no returns for 1913 had vet been
published.
"The feeling that woman with hus-
band ought not to go out to work is still
rather general, save among the poor OBJ
serves the professor, with evident satisfac-
ton; but he saves his ecstasy for his cu-
minating reflection: "Every year a mans
proposal comes nearer to being an offer Of
lifelong support"