The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-11-19

widespread realization that something is
vitality wrong and that immediate and thor
oughgoing remedies are imperatively neces-
sary.
Take the group of books to be considered
in the present review Each volume deals
with particular phase of the subject and
each represents either a warning of i'm
minent danger or an appeal for improve
ment within some definite field. With re-
gard to the problems arising from the war,
Charles A. Boards Gross Currents in
Europe To-day" is to be recommended; it
is keen and farsghted analysis of the
economic and political questions born of
the great conflict. After arraignng the
secret diplomacy which he holds largely
responsible for the contest, the authop
shows conclusively that "all the diplomats
of Europe were convinced that a general
war was in the highest degree probable and
devoted themselves to special alliances and
agreements in preparation for the terrible
eventuality" This condition appears par
ticularly diabolic when we remember that
neither the Members of Parliaments nor
the masses of the people knew what was
going on behind their backs" In order
to prevent wars, even more CHASTITY and
destructive than the recent world conflag
ration, nothing can be effective, contends
the author, short of a new constitution of
nations. "a grand European league" as the
alternative to new and deadly combinations
of the powers
Among those books which deal with our
economic problems without regard to the
effects of the war DR.. Rudolph Stener's
1.-THE Threefold Commonwealth" stands
forth conspicuously. This represents a
carefully reasoned and original appeal for
new social order based upon the en-
phasis of spiritual forces and upon the
creation of a greater opportunity for self
development and self-expression. Individ-
uality should be one of the keynotes of the
social structure, indicates DR.. Steiner we
should consciously bend our efforts toward
establishing a system that would allow
each man to bring forth the best in him
unhampered by arbitrary rules and DEGREES
This does not mean that we should become
anarchistic. but merely that we should take
care not to crush those forces which
stimulate personality; that we should
make every man a partner in the enter
prise he serves, and should establish
"threefold commonwealth" in which the
economic and political factors might be
tempered by the spiritual.
Somewhat similar is A. F. Thomas 1.-THE
Way Out" which likewise makes a COM
prehensive survey of the sources of social
disturbance and arrives at wide-reaching
and Independent conclusions. Like DIR.
Steiner, Mr.. Thomas is a believer in in
dividuality; he contends that the individual
is the all-important thing; that "the
stream cannot rise higher than its source"
and that the quality of our social structure
must depend upon the quality of the men
and women that compose it. THE press
ing need" he declares, is for human de-
velopment;" we must consider first of all
what can be done to increase the capacity
of the individual, for until we find some
way of reducing the vast horde of morons
and of the mentally defective that is can
old man of the sea upon the back of
society,"" We cannot expect that social
evolution will be other than sluggish.
Another important suggestion for social
reconstruction occurs in Consumers Co
Operative Societies." by Charles Glide.
Here we find an indication that the social
lists, syndicalists and other schools of re-
formers are perhaps wrong in placing the
primary emphasis upon the production of
commodities; we are informed that con-
sumption is more important than produc-
ton, since it is the object of production and
a.