Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30
RE7IVA[ISTS SEEN
THOUGHT LEADERS
Everett Dean Martin Says
Americans Can't Play,
Sing or Cook.
Ev Consolidated Press.

~ Consolidated Press.
NANTUCKET ISLAND, Mass. Sep
TENDER Christening philosophically TO
half a gale rip shingles off the roof Of
his study. Everett Dean Martin contem-
plated the wide. windy sky and the
vide, windy presidential campaign
which at the moment plays havoc
among the shingles of the national roof
tree.
Detsc hed. indeed. seemed the pother
CT politics from the tunbled glory of
the Atlantic along Wauwinet at the
harbor's end. Equally detached was the
Gsartin viewpoint, as might be expected
in man who is internationally known
ss writer and lecturer on social psy-
chology, head of the Peoples Institute
OF New York City and chairman Of the
executive committee of the American
Association Tor Adult Education.
Americans are an emotional people
lacking in imagination" said Mr.. Mar
tin, which is why we don't know how
to play, sing or cook; why we import
cut art; why we have government by
comedy, and run our presidential CAM
paigns on the lines of religious re-
vival The current presidential cam
paign is typically revivalistic in its
methods. There Is the appeal to the
emotions rather than to any other fac
ulty; sectarianism, the desire to con-
vert; the suggestion that salvation is at
stake and that the country will go to
Gamnation If the other party wins.
Appeal to Enthusiasm.
Everything with us is an appeal 10
enthusiasm. We have to get emotion
behind anything to make the people
believe in it, This is because nearly all
the thinking OF Americans on nearly
all important subjects has been derived
from revivallSt ministers. This, in turn.
il because our pioneers got almost their
only contact with civilization through
revivalist preachers and because the
larger proportion of Americans have
always come from the lower classes.
we haven't learned to combine emo
ton or inspiration with form and thus
produce art Study our gospel hymns
and blues and you'll find We can't
sing. A people that can't sing can't
cook and for the same reasons. Amer
Scans haven't learned to make the lit
tie things a game.
Not knowing how to play. Americans
have to be amused. Instead of getting
our work and play together, We isolate
our play-it is passive. 1t doesn't touch
our daily existence-and PROFESSIONALISM
our sports We get our base ball from
the bleachers and our thrills from de-
tailed reports of murder trials, which
are to America what the bull fight is to
Spain.
Americans Fear Leisure.
Americans, not having learned to
make an art Of living, fear leisure
Early visitors to America noted that
when Americans didn't do anything
else, they sat around whiting. When
ne find some leisure on our hands to-
day, we organize it.
People who are emotional and not
Imaginative are also lacking In humor.
They idealize themselves That is why
Americans are so boastful 1t is why
the prohibitioniSt is humorless and the
anti-prohibitionis equally So
As another shingie tipped of the roof
and went Skittering down the beach, we
inquired doubtfully If there was any
hope for American democracy
"A radical" Mr.. Martin said with a
twinkle, lis man who loves labor and
hates work Yes. there's a gleam of
hope. A few Americans are beginning
to look in the mirror, to see the coun-
try as 1t is. I wouldn't advocate any
other system than democracy. even
though sometimes I think about the
only thing 1t has produced so far is
nfillionaires. What democracy needs
Is the leadership of educated men, less
eheapness and more time for something
else besides propaganda. America needs
imagination in politics. America needs
q Voltaire''
Copyright. 1929. by Consolidated Press0