The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-26
AMERIGANISM OF
CHICAGO AUTHOR Of
YITALIZING KIND
Emerson HOugh, Now Visiting
in Memphis, Stands for Old
Fashioned Standards of the
Republic,
BY LLOYD P, RoBERTsoN.

BG LLOYD p. ROBERTSON.
In these melancholy days Of Dollar
democracy and direct action dementia
II is indeed a vitalizing experience to
TAX a half hour with Emerson Hough,
OK Chicago, author of books on Amer
lean pioneer days and currently writer
OF articles for the Saturday Evening
Post on Red Revolution in Gary, Ind.
MIR. Hough is again in Memphis to
visit his friend, Harry K, Boyd, at his
residence on Poplar avenue. Mrs.
HoNgh Is also here, having joined ner
husband after he and his host had fin
ished their customary bird and duck
hunt, which he enjoys with MIR. Boyd
II his section every season,
The sturdy author hanks back in
trenchant spirit to the dynamic we'll
springs Of Americanism. In the inter-
view which he gave the writer he spoke
OF the sublime content of the Declara-
ton of Independence and dwelt lovingly
upon the greatness of the manhood
which created 1t, They were big men,
he said. II wish we had such men to-
day. We have need of them. The in
fusion of foreign blood has proved al
most too much for the digestion of the
real America. Why, it actually appears
that there is danger of the pseudo
Americans outvoting the old-fashioned
Americans who cleave to the creed of
the founders of the nation"
Following this Mr.. Hough talked OF
the need of revision of the immigration
laws to prevent a further influx of the
European elements who bring into our
land the old world sophistries that are
threatening to strange the soul Of
America. 1--WE must protect our her
itage," he said. I'VE can't let those
radicals take the country"
Would Bar Socialists.
Making an lncluental reference to the
al T,f kNa otrigl Lat nm IN
seat Socialist assembiymen, Mr.. Hougn
declared that he thought such men
should be barred out. They have no
business in places of authority in Amer
lea. Drastic action of this kind is nee
essary, l firmly believe believe, to in
sure the survival of our institutions.
Il guess the procession has gone by
me-" he continued. Il can't get in
terested in the mad scramble for wealth
that we see going on IN America. This
age of standardization, with its men
cut from a standard die to monotonous
similarity, does not appeal to me.
like the broad-gauged characters of the
colonial times who took time to think,
to enjoy the plain, big things of life.
Few men today could find time to pro-
duce the great state papers which the
early Americans wrote when they were
establishing the nation"
Mr.. Hough was asked what he thought
of spiFitualism the latest cult of the
age. He replied that he had not thought
much about the matter, but he regarded
spiritualism as one of the peculiar after
war phenomena. Il think we hardly
realize how much the minds of the peo-
pies of the world have been affected by
the war;" he said. 1T will probably be
five or ten years before we are able tC
get a clear perspective of that cata-
clysmic event People suffered bitterly
in the war and spiritualism seems to be
one Of the reactions, The soldiers or
the battlefields seem to have seen Wis
ions. They imagined that they coul6
behold the spirits of their dead com.
rades rising out of the scene of carnage
Now the relatives of the dead thinl
that they can communicate with those
who died. The intensity of emotions
which the war experiences induced
probably forced recourse to such fan
tastic things.
Spirituaism Is Fake. \
But the weakness of the spiritualistit
cult Is that 1t seeks proof by reason
ing from mixed premises" he said
Anybody who knows anything abou
logic knows that a logical conclusion
can not be reached by mixed premises
And, of course, if we grant a premise
almost anything can be proved from 1t
Any person with a clever imagination
can assume certain things to be tru'
ana prove 10 MS own Satisfaction u
least that the spirits of the dead cal
be seen and communicated with by thu
living"
In his articles about Gary, Mr.. Hougl
has revealed an attitude which can no
but have wholesome influence during
this malleable period when 1t might b,
said that America is being remolded
He evidences a sovereign scorn of thu
ungrateful riff-raff from Europe wh'
are perniciously blind to the blessings
that America has conferred upon then
and dare to scheme to rebuild the coun
try according to their own perverted
ideas of what nation should be. Mr.
Hough believes in the government of
for and by the people, and he will brool
no jot or title of proletarian autocrac!
and destruction of private propert.
rights. His voice has been raised anC
will continue to speak with vigorous
diction for the principles upon which
the nation was builded to greatness. H
believes that the ideals of Washington
Jefferson and Lincoln are just as i'm
portant for the future welfare of thu
country as they have been for the past
An interesting incidental topic which