Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-25

summed this country Staggering
but soulless." Out of the opinion of
this scholar of philosophic bent rises
nm important query. Has America lost its soul
along ways of sheer wckedness as man him
self does? Or has it not yet evolved this prime
essential of true existence? No answer is to
be found in the summary Indictment. So, COM
fortably reminded that no one mans Judgment
is conclusive, not even that Of q very great
man. America is inclined at the moment to
ignore such serious charge. But there obtrudes
at this point the recollection that this identi-
cal utterance has become q theme song. indeed
o chorus of accusation uniting from innumer-
able diverse sources and running to the eject
that csAmerica has no SOUL" America is mann
mon, come back to earth for the destruction
of man." "a monster of materialism, "a Grass
and brutal industrialist," "as yet unborn to Gull
tlre" and on and so on, and so on NOW
If these thunders of diatribe and philippe were
wholly of foreign source, there might accrue to
such clamors of protest the suggestion of ma
tional envy, of political jealousy OF half dozen
other ungenerosities of frail human nature.
But, here at home, there Is something like the
same trend and volume of declarattye statement,
accompanied by equal fervor of prophetic
lamentation over the future of America. Social
seformers here statesmen, politicians. academic
lists" of every class and name, moralists and
religionists-an agree in passionate sincerity
that America is in acute danger, in danger
either of losing its SOUL or in not being able to
acquire one.
To the common man, the man out on the
street looking around little, there is no sense
of impending national disaster. To him it looks
like an amazingly great and beautiful country.
A deal dazzling, to be sure, in its gigantic
strides of growth, IN its tremendous increase of
work, work for everybody In its astounding
celebrity of communication in it's wizardy OF
invention-in its very general ameiioration OF
the lot of the common man-your lot and mine.
To him this country is far from being the hard
,, vtoI &c coid tn he M
does manifest need appear than fully adequate
measures to meet it are devised. This is seen,
by the man on the street, to apply both to
masses of the people stricken by fire OF flood
or disease, and to the individual as well who Is
overtaken by calamity to his home, to himself.
No sooner does such misfortune come into the
open, than practical cognizance is taken of It
by official bodies, by newspapers and social
groups of the immediate vicinity. pretty big
place." says the man on the street, land fine.
I'm glad it Is my place" eyes, but look at the
mess that your culture is in, Notwithstanding
the general prosperity" growls the visiting Eu-
ropean or the disappointed native. you have
no art-no WRITER'S no painters, no architects.
no readers, no lovers Of beauty" Nov you
are clear beyond me-but, just as case in
point I think our buildings are grand At any
rate, they make me feel grand when look at
them Isn't that what art Is about? To stir
something inside you toward far beyond
somewhere, which no one can explain. but
can feel and do feel? hardly know what I'm
talking about but this country of mine, of ours,
stirs me away down. deeper really than am,
except for the threadlike roots Of me that strike
into remote subsoiis of feeling, except for
thoughts of mine that soar higher and higher
for my native kinship to the great country.
Maybe I'm wrong-but I'm not even though
the trouble-seeker, both at home and in other
lands, may continue TO shout in a growing
frenzy that the United States is its head
long way to the eternal bow-wows, wherever
that dire limbo of everlasting retribution may
lie"
seere is the time for all of to meet man
who has come across from England to visit
America. oh, no, not for the first time. Rather
Is he In possession Of an intimate hrSt-hand
acquaintance here. Moreover, he is equipped
with the SURPRISING resources Of the trained
journalist. And, by the way, 1t is the compe-
tent newspaper man who sees further than men
of other professions. who thinks more broadly
and dispassionately who rounds bodies of fact
into more Illuminating effects, who says his say
more pithily and dramatically than does the
man of other arts and crafts. And right here,
Is that sort of man, Mr.. Huddleston, London
journalist and world traveller.
WHATS RIGHT WITH AMERICA BY Sisiey
Huddleston, author of Europe in Zigzaes"
etc. Illustrated. Phiiadelphia: J. b. Lippin-
colt Co.
THE key to this survey lies II its title. Keen
- observation, waywise seize Of national
characteristics and trends, an dependent ra-
tionalism of thought, practiced competency in
appraising values and in extracting from these
their outstanding dement's and dangers, an en-
gaging way Of writing-these are the powers
that Lie back Of this optimistic outlook upon
America. The United States, in its own right
and by passing comparison with Europe, stands
as the sum Of this interesting study. Mr.. F1ud-
dleston begins simply, with the things at hand
so, naturally, he begins with New York, With
the towers Of Gotham" And this leadS
pr0mntlY To the pcint of American archftec-