The Denver Jewish news., 1924-12-04
The Mind in the Making
Review of the Book
by MAXWELL NJ. LEVY

the most interesting thing he found II
America. the Disarmament Conference
not excepted The theme Of the cs
say-the desperate plight of the mod
crn world, and how to work out of it
/ Professor Robinson calls "implacably
urgent" lie is loudly. not Historically
I claimant. His intense seriousness is
sues as continuous outspoken chal
lcnge to the powers that be, and the
vivaclty Of his manner Is means OF
getting into quite friendly, but never
suave, relations with his readers, whc
may possibly fight him all the way, hui
will remember what he says. In this
attack ON things as they are and their
defenders, he is not out to advocate
special reforms his sole aim being the
liberation" of the intelligence 81
Given that, the due rest will follow
In our social. industrial, economic and
political world. lie tells, all is chaos
Systems are breaking or crumbling be-
fore anything is ready to take their
place. We are perishing for lack of
good thought and. indeed. we have to
make the very mind that will serve us
in these regions, as we made the mind
10 which are due our modern scientific
discoveries and inventions.
Speaking for the great mass, Profes-
sor Robinson does not esteem highly
our endowment for the production of a
tolerable civilization. In man the saw
age and the child still predominate.
There is also the TraditiCnalist, (him-
self II barbarian), to complicate mat
tiers. Man is not naturally progressive.
1t has always been the intelligent,
creative few who have dragged up the
unwilling mass: the few who, contrary
TO popular opinion, have always been
giving their best, their very selves, for
nothing. That our knowledge about ex-
tcrnals should be so much more extern
Sivc and advanced than our knowledge
Of ourselves and the psychology of our
actions is fraught with terrible dan
gers, We want mind directed at our
selves, into ourselves MS individuals
neighbors, fellow-citizens and by mind
is here meant no fixed thing but some
thing going on; thing that we can
have lots Of. with due effort. Even now
tI.r.a t. nt,t ,,r1,A hnt
should be done, and they are power
less. The mass have to be dragged up
and forced to the training of their in
fantile, indolent minds.
How did we come TO possess physical
We began at the beginning
facts fearleSsly, faithfully
and with the utmost patience. The
way of scientific discovery may not al
ways suffice; but let us try it till we
find better. And we must scrap all
the economic theories, the political sys-
tens that have brought us to this pass
As for our friends the philosophers
the metaphysicians, they may 90 on
playing their pretty games, which con
Germ nobody else. To Il few imagina-
tive writer's, dramatists and novcliSts
Professor Robinson gives credit for do
ing good work in facing the problem
before us. Nowhere in this living book
will be found that strange fear of the
which is one of the most
dangerous signs of our unhappy time.
With quiet irony he assures us that,
however much we think. we are never
likely to be too Intelligent, or even half
intelligent enough.
What Is wrong with the world? Ig-
norancc and fear. The crowd of reac-
tlonarios today, the recovered tyrannies
we are wrapping about us the old
mOuldy traditions we are furnishing
up. get short shrft from him. Con
servatism he does not find romantic,
but merely one of the slulking tcrrOrs
of the primitive man. Not that Social
ism is more softly dealt with-unlcss
u NJ lllNl VI lllA' Nh'NN'lF lll' ~ l'l llll'i
tllist Are we then to live in the chaos
Of experiment: He would probably
answer that we generally do 50 live,
when we are alive; hut the traditional
lists will find his bark worse than his
bite. Let us take shelter where we can
til the new houses are ready, he will
conccdc just when we thought we were
being banishcd 10 the wilderness.
Mr. Rubinsun's irony is less fine than
Mr.. Vclben's; but the rousing yiyacity
OF his book is great \ book for youth
yet older people. with some courage to
face the evils Of our present state, will
find it Curiously eNhiluratiug