Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-21
BY WALTER b. PITKIN.

Author o, The Twilight Of the American
Mind etc.
w YdlCH living Americans have
n achieved the most? This
wv question can be answered
with a fair degree of objec-
tive accuracy. 1t need not
BE- mere guessing contest, nor a ma
1ority vote of uniformed opinion. For
an achievement can be analysed and
measured.
Achievement is not merely success.
For success, as the dictionary so we'll
says, is "the favorable termination of
anything attempted" A college boy
passes his history examination. That's
success. A girl craving to see a
! movie" calls up a boy friend and in
vites him to invite her to see Loves
Purple Fringe" That's success. A
stenographer, wearying of her job.
makes $4,000. That's success. The
variety of successes is infinite and tril-
lions of them are trivial But achieve
ment is quite another matter.
Achievement is distinguished success
full endeavor in the face of difficulties.
It involves a certain superiority of aim
Then, too, it exhibits rare skill in exc
cution. Finally, marked persistence
and energy appear in the conquering
OF OBSTACLES. All dCtlleNeHlenb HluSJ
score well in these respects to deserve
high rank
AS for the resulting success, it may
be judged from two angles. We may
measure it strictly in terms of the
mans aim and intent. Did he get
what he went after? If so, that is
high order of success. of course. But
we may also pass social judgment on it,
Was his aim worthy? In attaining it,
has he accomplished anything of larger
significance? Has his success any
value to the world?
Measures in Four Dimensions.
So we measure achievement in four
dimensions. And we grade it in each.
What has the individual striven to ac-
compliSh? If a clear, well conceived,
large ambition, we score him A, in our
best Dun and Bradstreet manner. How
vast his obstacles and how perSistently
has he fought to Surmount them? If
with apostolic zeal, we score him an
other A. How thoroughly has he ac-
complished what he set out to do?
Here comes a third A to his credit, If
he has won exactly what he wanted.
How significantly and humanity valu-
able is his success? If very great, he
wins q fourth A. Thus we might set
up credit rating of all American citi-
Gems, from the small AAAA group ell
the way down towel. as far as you
want to go, even as Dun and Brad
street.
Let's begin with the men and women
of America who score highest. Natu-
rally, nobody can get at all the facts
which determine their precise rating.
My present list may have to be re-
vised; but, as far as have been able
to get the facts, it is a faithful meas
urement. 1t is just like Dun and Brad
street again; a man may be rated too
high or too low simply because we can
not get at the truth about him.
The AAAA Group.
Let Us consider only living Ameri-
cans. I find four and only four who
wholly satisfy me as embodying all
four achievement factors in the high
est degree. They are: Helen Keller,
Thomas A. Edison, Orville Wright,
Edward Acheson,
Helen Keller's aim was to learn to
know the world as normally equipped
person does Her obstacles were deaf
ness, dumbneSs and blindness. She
toiled to overcome these with relent-
less persistence throughout her long