Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-09-07
LIGHT ON THE MIGHTY
BY Frederic j. Haskin.

WASHINGTON, Sept. THE time seems to
be close at hand when no politician will be
a hero to his constituent-when in fact, no pub
lie figure, dead or alive, will be a hero to any
one who reads.
Instead of considering presidents, senators,
diplomats and generals great men, remote and
different from ourselves, we will know more
about their weaknesses and failings than about
any one else's. A certain public man, for eX-
ample, has impressed the whole world with his
dominating manner. He seems to regard him
self almost as a god. A certain writer who has
studied psychoanalysis, among other things,
writes a piece about him and shows that he is
really a timid fellow with an inferiority COM
pick, and that all his lordly manner is a des-
perate effort to pump up his own courage and
make himself believe that he is of some account.
The writer may not be wholly correct, but at
least he has offered a pleausible theory. Here
tofore our public men have been sold to us by
campaign oratory and Journalism A voter might
easily have read five years ago, in the magazines
and heard in speeches a million words about
leading public men, and have known less about
them than he did before he started. The reason
was that nearly every word he read or heard
had a political bias. He could read an article on
the presidential candidate, praising him to the
skies, comparing him to Lincoln and Roosevelt
and all the other party gods, showing a picture
of him with his nine children and explaining
what a model family man he was, setting him
up as nothing less than unmitigated perfection.
With equal ease this man could find articles In
which the same presidential candidate was as
shown up as an incompetent and a TOOL or the
trusts. 1t would be proved by documents that
mis- OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES was an indian
horse thief and that he himself once went 10
Atlantic City for a weekend with his COOK.
A MisInformed Public.
What should the voter believe. If a stupid
and partisan man he would agree with what
supported his party, and If an Intelligent ana
open-minded fellow he would believe nothing.
He would admit that it was impossible for him
to get any real estimate of the men Tor Whom
he had to vote, that 98 per cent. OF everything
written and said about our public men has been
lust so much sand in the voters eye.
There have been a few exceptions, OF course.
The brilliant journalist, Samuel e.. Blythe'
wrote a long series of sketches OF pupnc men
which were distinguished by a satlrlcal ana com
paratively unbiased point of view. he oe-
stroyed more than one meretr1c1ous reputatl0n,
and politicians feared him as a darkey fears tne
devil. But he was a lone and exceptional figure,
and furthermore he was a caricaturlst In words
rather than a competent analyst OF men anu
events. -..r.
The honest and scientific analysis of public
men in an art which has come into being WITHIN
the past few years, and which IS just now get
ting a foothold in this country. Beyond a douDe
it derives its strength and its method from tHe
science of psychoanalysis, however, much some
of its practitioners may try to deny the tact.
Its most conspicuous example SO 1ar IS the
ANONYMOUS book mirrors of Washington
which has made a sensation in the Capital Clty:
1t is modelled after a similar book, Mirrors OF
Downing Street, which has treated the BRUSH
administration in the same way and acnleveu a
wide popularity in England. 1t is a series Oh
sketches of American politicians-presldents, eN.
presidents, senators and diplomats. me most
striking thing ABOUT II is lhat 1t
quite without political bias. The unknown au-
thor of this book sees his subject from the view
point of an artist. His only object is TO portray
and interpret his man-to make you see dnu u u
derstand him. His book has received muGn au-
verse criticism as well as much praise. II mas
been said that in some cases his Facts are WrohS
and that in others he has revealed a personal
dislike. He also has been blamed for not slsho
ing his name to a book which is SO sure 10 DC
resented by a great many people
An Attempt at the Truth.
But even his detractors admit that he mas
written a brilliant and interesting book. NO
mere human can ever get at the complete truth
about any one. The best he can do is to oifer d
plausible theory, logical and supported by eVis
dence. This the author of Mirrors most et-
fectively does. Out of many such attempts
comes the nearest approximation to the trutn
that we can hope for. II our puotic me = scien.
fife ANALYSIS, every voter who reads would nnal-
ly come to have a clear idea OF them. h+
That is the one thing above all others Ina
the voter needs and in the past has lacked. II
has been said a Thousand times that In AHetica
political life attracts only second-rate men ina
the real brains of the country seldom get ~ Us
government. Surely one reason for TINS mas
been that the real stature and capacity or our
political figures has always been hldden' Oui
POLITICAL journalism and oratory mas peen q
smoke screen behind which frauds and pounoeis
Of ali sorts have advanced to high positions ana
have done incalculable harm. A book Ake
mirrors" whatever its faults, Is a brave a.
tempt to throw a beam OF ngnt lnrousm anS
Nature of the strange beings that dwell be-
hind it. -. owl
And the same spirit and viewpoint that am,
mates "Mirrors' may be found cropping out IN
other places. Some of the magazines dlsplay d
far more critical and detached view OF publ
men than they used to. There IS strong reasoh
to believe that a new kind of political journal
ism, is coming into being, and that the old partl-
san buncombe is going to die OF ls own aosuioI
iy and weakness.