The Washington herald., 1922-08-31
1t Seems to Me
By Haywood Broun.

III AASJ"SSe NSse&ss III
In ....The Social Trend" Prof. Ed
ward Alsworth Ross. succeeds In
proving. without even making the
attempt. that sociology is not an
exact science. In his chapter on
prohibitiop he writes: ..-
THE fact is. whatever social
custom bids men do together in
token of .friehdiiness will presently
become charged with Significance
and set up . now OF good feeling
between the participants. Our an
cestors hit upon, the custom of
touching glasses and swallowing
beverages OF high alcoholic content.
There IL no reason to suppose that
slipping .soft'.- drinks together, or
smoking together. or playing back
CANNON together might not serve
equally well as: . symbol Of amity.
This seems to us extremely slip
shod scholarship No man OF
science has n right to advance \
theory 20 boldly and at the same
time confess that he has made no
attempt whatsoever to check up
his hypothesis by laboratory ex-
perimentation.
Prof. Ross seems to be inclined
to take the eonviviality quotieni II
slipping soft drinks" and "piayin.
backgammon entirely on faith
this is Convenient but utterly un'
scientific. -
1t is only fair to grant that az
tual research might conceivably be
dangerous as well as arduous. That
10 not sufscient excuse for shirkins
Science cannot live without its rs-
tion of martyrs. We are generous
enough to believe that Prof. Ross
will not permanently eyade his re-
sponsibilities. His reputation In
the community is too high for him
to be content, ~ to seek permanent
shelter In supposition.
Having advanced q theory. IT IL
up to him to prove 1t no matter
what the hasdships.- The scientifie
world has q right to expect thai
within q reasonable time Prof
Ross viii deal with this problem
again and. that this time his con
eIusions will be based on actual
experiments made by himself In
slipping soft drinks" and playing
backgammon."
Prof. Edward Alsworth Ross. also
shocks US by exhibiting in hagrant
form the gross materialism which
has been So characteristic OF the
dry evil in America. After estab-
fishing a theoretical kinship be-
tween amIty and celery tonic he
continues: Then. too. much OF the
crude, maudiin gregariousness tina:
comes after the third glass Is a
temporary, deceptive thing-foors
gold. You can't build anything on
it, e,a 1885, 90.
The connotation conveyed IN
these brief remarks OF Prof. Ross
gives genuine cause for alarm. We
seem to see the future American as
. man who accepts the proffered
sarsapilla grudgingly and asks,
what Is there in it for meT
Il It really true, as Prof. Ross SO
dry habit may be expected to pro-
duce a civilization !n which there
will be no place for all things which
CLINT little and are gone? In such
a state there will, be no room for
music. That. too, Is an elusive COM
modify. Last notes do die away.
And we wonder whether Prof.
Ross has ever stopped to consider
how deceptive thing a sunset may
be. For few neeting minutes q
sky will be spIashed with gold. but
just try to grab . handful of 4,
and take II around to the bank and
you'll md It isn't stun upon which
any substantial citizen can build.
One of the things about prohi-
bitiopiats which frightens US mosl
Of ai.is. their curious habit o.. wild
aud obscene muttefing.
'Lfquor.r'l Gays Prof Ross. ''hai
been the great enemy Of the alb,
stinent' sex. NoTthoughtfui 'womar
nnds anything captivating in 9
drinking song or taikes John Bar.
leycorn' as q Joke. Usually deer
potations let loose the satyr n
man and put attractive women a,
the mercy OF, lust coupled with su.
perior. physicak strength. The fe
ffAAc .N6hpiEcs u Coot 81 ~ Us iop<
one of her means OF making infat.
uated males Stbmit to blood suck.
ing: but decent women. who hav.
to trust their brafns and character
to comEnand from the, more mdscu.
lar sex. the respect to which. the,
feel ntitisd. know fisst, their mora
and Sipfeilectusi merits, are ies-l
at = greater discount thsn 10 tn,
eyes OF fntoxicatkd men,"
Mr.. Ross ought not to take mo
fion pictures so seriously. :
F.: .-rhose. in whom the glass ii
welded to good fsiiowship an,
good fellowship fs. wedded TO tn,
giass,"".. writes Prof. Ross. twill
have trouble In finding dey mean
Of bridging, the ksalf thlt has re
suited. stiil. substitute thawerl
viii be found. for, nobody has eve
pretended that. on the whole. alb
| stainers <are less asympathetic an.
brotherfy. more seif-centered am
:snt up ylthln Themselves. ,thsl
II Prof. Ross can say thar with.
out blinking he. has been favored
BY most unusual run of luck II
hts contacts with =. NJ C. A. sec
lretarfss. Nethodisti ininistsrs ant
. -. a