Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-05-25
A DANGER SIGNAL
By H. Addington Bruce

~ ONDNESS for the grotesque Is natural
I r (enough In little children. 1t Is natural
~ (enough In them, not merely because their
critical faculty Is weak, but because, as any
psycho-biologist will tell you, children recap
itulate" in their development :he evolution OF
the race.
That Is to say, IN the first few years Of life
children rapidly pass through successive stages
in mankinds history of gradual progress from
neolithic uncou:hness and barbarism Hence
there is a time when the thinking of children is
essentially prinitive-and fondness for the gro
tesoue is one characteristic of primitive thinking.
Ordinarily, however, the grotesque ceases to
charm as children advance in years. II Its
charm persists or If in adult life there is a
reversion to childish delight in the grotesque,
there is in the one case reason to fear that
mental growth has not gone as 1t should, in the
other case warrant for believing that more or
less serious condition of nervous trouble is
present.
All unknown to themselves the nervous, It
now is automatic with many medical pSycholo-
gists often entertain a subconsciouS wish that
they once more were children-once more were
back in the period of life when reality did not
make demands which they feel themselves in
capable of meeting. Under the influence of This
subconscious wish they may in some degree re-
turn to the mental modes of childhood, includ-
ing fondnesss for the grotesque.
From which, of course, it would seem to fol-
low that the passion for the grotesque, in evil
dence in large masses of our adult population
TODAY. testifies to widespread mental imma-
turty or widespread 1euroticism, or to both
imma!urity and neuroicsm. There Is ground for
saying that it actually does not testify.
Recall, If you please, the findings OF the
PSYCHOLOGISTS who measured the mentality OF
the young men of our draft army
Young
men were carefully tested Thousands upon
thousands of them were found to have men
tai age of less than ten years.( And The psyehol-
ogists pretty definitely establiShed-if one may
accept the validity of the tests they made-that
the mental age of the average man examinedwas
not more than fourteen.
Recall, 100, the steady increase In mental and
nervous disease revealed In surveys OF the pop
ulation of MspitalS for the mentally and nerv-
ously sick And the nervous In hospitals are q
neglble quantity compared with The nervous
who do not seek, or cannot obtain, hospital
treatment.
To both these classes-the nervously over
wrought and The mentally immature. The
grotesque appeals for the reasons stated. The
latter have never quite emerged above cnlldiSn
modes of thinking, the former have In some
degree reverted to them, subconsciously seek
ing thereby to escape from adult realities that
have become poigantly distressing to them.
And if today there are rnyriads who crave
the grotesque-as there undeniably are-then
of truth one must affirm that our educational
system is in grave need of Improvement, and
that means mus. be found both to improve the
morale of multitudes and to make life less
stressed to them. '.-.... g. ,:..
That is my Interpretation of the Significance
of the present-day ardor for the grotesque.
downright, 1922, by The Associated Newspa-
pers.)