Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-09


NV training they generally
make up for
mon sense and practical
wisdom. The quality and ability OF
men in public life was never better
than today. Our American democracy
has succeeded beyond the widest
dreams of its founders and today is
the envy and marvel of the world"
DR. Charles NJ. Blackwell, American
philosopher at Yale University, was
replying to a charge made last week
about the condition of our politics by
another philosopher-Dr. Will Durant
the author of the book, THE Story OF
Philosophy"
Last week DIR. Durant told me that
American democracy was a fiat polit
fcal failure, because we have failed to
elect brains to office. Everywhere
said the noted thinker, we are ruled
by political bosses, professional poll
ticians are more than ever our mas
tiers today. everywhere intelligence has
fed from the hustings of democracy
as from an engulfing torrent and to-
day In the saddles of authority are
fools riding mankind. Such a charge,
coming from man of DIR. Durant's in
tellectual reputation. was startling.
l turned to another philosopher for
an opinion on the charges of DR.. Du-
rant.
DR. Blackwell Questioned.
DIR. Blackwell is an impressive per-
sonality. He is tall, broad -shouldered,
strikingly vigorous and with a rapier-
like mind. He was busy in his study
perusing q new book when l knocked
at his door. / found DR.. Blackwell a
good deal more than a book philoso-
pher. / found that he had been ac-
tive in public life Cor a good many
years and had been a State Senator
for two terms. He had been deputy
commissioner of the American Red
Cross in Italy during the World War.
His experience extended from books to
man, and before I had gone very far
in putting my qustions to him | felt
that DR.. Blackwell was a very practical
philosopher His retorts to my Quer-
les bristled with keen observations
on everyday life.
DR.. Durant. ! said, thinks that we
should send our politicians to school.
He thinks that if we made our poll
t1cianS take degrees In government
and not permit any one to run for
office who did not possess a degree
that this would solve our problem of
getting brains into public office. We
don't let the doctor, the lawyer or the
engineer operate at will on the pub
lie, DIR. Durant said to me, 'why,
therefore, should we allow our poll
ticians to continue to be untrained?"
What do you mean," said DR..
Bakewell, by degrees in govern
ment?"
'Dr. Durant,' / said, complains
about the growth in the difficulties of
government, the scientific nature of
the many problems confronting the
average legislator today and the ire
mendous. lack of any scientific knowl-
edge on the part of our public officials
who must pass on such scientific prob
lems.'
Need Men of Vision.
''Of course" replied DR. BLACKWELL,
I'VE want In public life able, honest
and fearless men, clear thinkers and
men of strong intellect; but most of
ell men of large vision whose contact
with realities and knowledge of hui
man nature and Of the practical con-
ditions to be met, enables them to dis
cover what is the next step possible
to lead us forward to more ideal con-
ditions. Often the next step possible
IL one that leads but a short way in
this direction, but If it is the next
step possible it is the only step that
VIII lead in that direction at ALL
But should we not secure such
men by requiring of all a degree in
government as DR.. Durant proposes
asked.
THE suggestion is absurd and fan
tastic," said DIR. Blackwell. I'm the
first place the people will never abdi-
cate in favor of such pretended ex-
perts- Their experience with experts
in courts of law is not such as to in
spire confidence in the authority of
expert opinion. But in the second
place. clustered training in graduate
school would rather unfit than fit one
Tor practical craftsmanship. One can
not learn the game of chess merely
by looking at a chess board or read.
Ing books on chess, but only by play.
ing the game.
Similarly, one can only learn the
science of government by actually
playing the game. Finally, there is
not, nor ever can be, a course of study
in government running through a few
years which is at once thorough and
comprehensive enough to cover the
whole field OF requisite knowledge
The field is vast and ones own little
corner where one can gain expert
knowledge is very limited The only
result of such graduate school train
ing would be to produce a lot of mar.
rowly trained experts, of the kind OF
men who every day know more and
more about less and less
Specialist i'm Public Life.
From my own experience / should
say that generally speaking the most
helpless and hopeless and useless man
IN public life is the narrowly trained
specialist. His vision is restricted. he
sees facts in his little corner of knowl
edge very clearly, but (perhaps for
that very reaSonD is apt to be filled
with a conceit of knowledge in other
fields, that distorts his judgment and
makes him inefficient in public life
He is apt to be condescending. to talk
down to the people and expect them to
kow-tow to his assumed superior wis
dom; and ne is almost always i'm
patient of compromise, necessary tC
reach results. We might put it in this
way: Every man in public office ought
to keep his head in the air, where II
- belongs, and at the same time his feet
on the ground, where they belong
The narrowly trained expert may keer
his head in the air. but rarely has his
feet on the ground"
But the situation looks rather
bad interrupted. DIR. Durant
thinks that the Senate. which manN
people pick as the most intellectual
body in eur politics, is only about IL
per cent brainy. More than that, DIR
Durant says that we are thoroughly
ruled by bosses, and implies that our
public men today are nothing more
than puppets"
Nonsense" snapped DIR. Bakewell
his disapproval of DR.. Durant's indict
ment showing plainly on his face. 81
should say that 80 per cent of those
in the Senate had "a higher Intelligence
than the sensational critics of our ex
listing order, despite the fact that oul
Senate has lost in popular prestige.
Thinks Bosses Necessary.