Milford chronicle., 1923-10-05
CONFEsSING OUR FAULTS
editorial Sunday North American)

COMPOSING OUR FAULTS
Editorial Sunday North American)
few months ago Elizabeth Tilton, legislative chairman
of the National Congress Mothers and
Associations, asked number of prominent American wo-
frank expressions to national faults Ma
uray based her questions the assumption that
have them! According to persons, we have them
bad" For instance, H. L. Mencken once said:
"The American people, taking one with another, are
the tmorous snivelng polroonish gnomnious mob
and goosesteppers gathered together under
one flag in Christendom since the Middle Ages"
Miss Tilton felt this going little too far though
had pretended to trumpet her own people as
paragons of perecOns faults She also felt would
be good thing to visualize faults, and with this in
view she wrote to various women leaders through the
country dealing with large of the American
people suggested that they declare what to be the
main faults of constituents. Although these same
women had months previously answered at once and
fully QUESTIONABLE thirteen of the broad issues of the
day. very of them replied to this request for summary
American faults wrote frankly they had ideas
on the subject One two wrote vrtuously that they
thought boosting better than knocking. few sent
concise and thoughtful
Among the last named Mrs Thomas G. Winter, pres
ident of General Federation of Womens Clubs, who
gave it opinion that the following represent our
biggest national faults:
Lack of law-abiding spirit.
Snap misunderstanding to undigested activities
Lack of persistence.
Tendency to divide into groups, blocs classes
Inadequate education
From another officer of this nationwide womens or
ganzation- Imogene Oakley of this city, chairman
Of division of civil servce-came the following more
extended reply:
We are too cocksure of ourselves; too sure that we
are right and all the rest of the world is wrong This
may be fault of youth but surely old enough to
have outgrown it.
O. We are too confident that assimilate all the
races of the earth We refuse to admit that the melting
pot longer mets that non-assmiabe particles are
floating the top and spelling the whole brew that
the whole is in fact super-saturated solution
and we are not an American nation but groups of d-
verse; unassimlable peoples and that in consequence
there rocks ahead for democracy.
We desirous to live to ourselves and leave
Europe to fight her troubles alone forgetting that the
world has for any nation not to
suffer the others suffer; but this fault is less of the
whole nation than of rather medieval if not ante
diluvian, senate
4. We are too prone to worship financial success
without inquiring whether achieved honestly or
by following devious paths.
4. We are willing to cities governed by the
worst elements of people rather than the best We
sit by calmly permit graft and ncompetency in high
places far cities and often states also
remain Corrupt and contented, Philadelphia was
described; and fear she remains although she
has for company most of the other cities of the coun
try.
g. We tolerate in our courts antquated procedure
that mpedes prevents justice and crime
have served juror in the criminal court, and my
experience left profoundly depressed the sit
uation in and the absolute neciency of the
jury system as at present administered
In view of the reticence leaders to send
wers Miss Titon field of the opposite and
presents as single example of such opinion the follow
ing from Dr. W. Eliot president emeritus of Har
ward:
The main defects are plain enough. Most Americans,
educated or uneducated rich poor young old,
cept the men well trained for medical the artistic
the scientific professions hear straight
make an what they have just or
heard exactly for hour what they suppose
themselves to have heard draw the just limit
ed inference from premises, true false which they
accept
conclusion the organizer of this QUESTIONABLE her
self names these as our worst national faults
l. Poor ideaism- worship of the man of millions
rather than the man of vision.
O. Poor thinking-excess of emotion thought
g. Poor democrats-refusal to bow to majority rule
and obedience to law.
T. Poor persistence enthusiasm that puts through .
the law but peters in the harder task of enforce
ment.
Here is food thought the part of all Of u.s. In
Decd as Miss Tilton says: he need is to retrim our
thinking constantly and systematically Too wicks
are burning d throwing the light far the last slo
gan but not as the exceptional wisdom that alone
can make our democracy enduring asset in the march
Of progress"
Whatever else is is not true, we should think more
That much certain