Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-01
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
1. C.. NJ.

New YORK. T.. +. OuCton d 20.
Look like twins, the two primers. Not
a drop of common blood between them,
however. The likeness Is only skin
deep. Any comparison is altogether
that Of contrast. The famous and now
program, nothing but. A plan, ex-
pertly devised and rigidly imposed, to
transform q great despotism, ingraineo
as such by centuries of oppression, into
a communistic industrial state. And to
do this within "five-year" stake.
Americas Primer" is, on the other
hand, q search-at points something
like scramble-for any stable, Cen
nitely organized or solidly supported
project for bringing the United States
through to its present status as a pow
erful nation, Democratic in principle
representative in operation. A truly
Republican form of government.
In Russia, at bottom, huge mass
OF humanity, 150,000,000 peasant mass,
born to submission, bred to blind COM
pliance. In America 130,000,000 free
citizens, each holding fast to his own
"riohts" A huge spectacle OF pure in
dividualism, rampant, so to speak.
The Russian Primer" stands as mere
suggestion, take it, to Mr.. Ernst for a
vigorous and pointed overlooking of
SS~a
simplicity, In easy primer words and
open ways. Looking for the national
pattern, for the fundamental plan, to
see in what measure-provided one be
found-it has shaped the national
thought, framed a national policy, out
lined a national future in fair sequence
to its past.
The sturdy undertaking sets off like
this: Have We National Pattern?'
It ends like this: THE Implanted Pat
tern" In between, lie survey, expo
sition. argument. The whole, fairly set
out, resembles sample OF slatternly
housekeeping on a national scale. A
job which, save for climate, natural re-
sources and the grace of God, would,
long ago, have led to cleanup from
the outside in common interest to the
world at large.
Here are some of Mr. Ernst's ulti-
mate findings as he closes the door
upon Americas misdoings and no
doings so far In its great career:
I'VE are people Of confusions." I'VE
are the richest nation in the world,
with the longest bread lines" I'VE do
lip service to competition. but form
unions and mergers to defeat it." I'VE
are daring gamblers, but humorous of
new ideas in government. So timcrous
that we reject any planning of life
and so on, with a few other conclu-
sions concerning the planless plight of
the great country.
Along the way this study makes in
teresting disclosures as to the wealth OF
the United States and as to the divi-
sion. the unequal division. of this
wealth. Mr. Mellon, Mr. Rockefeller,
Mr. Morgan, Henry Ford and a few
others are made to stand here-as they
G FREQUENTLY IN oil
the 'malefactors of gain" All the rest
of us represent a modest competence or
no competence at all. candidates for the
bread line or the dole. 1t is an old
story-not a very solid one at that
Excellent chapters here on the subject
of Work" These in a measure glorify
work, and should. Why do we work
oh, for many reasons. Primarily to
live. Then above that is the margin
of work for fun. for power, for praise,
for all those things that expand and
exercise and train the self-the body
and-Splrit self. Then, OF course, Mr.
Ernst shows, though we knew it be-
fore, that too many things accrue out
! OF so much Of effort. too much of power
and the abuses of power Yet there is
much of beneficence issuing from great
power. but nobody appears to take note
of this. I wonder why? A graphic and
! Illuminating point of this primer is the
picture of our 48 States. each a huge
laboratory, a factory for the making OF
things, for distributing these and most
tenac.ousiy jealous OF its individual
| rights" in the material enterprise of
life. Toward ideas, their creation and
spread there is lassitude and laxity-
save when these become of marketable
value. The radio, the moving picture.
the newspaper and all other agencies
OF information and pleasuTing are sec
ondary In this great country overridden
by things" Like other enthusiasts of
lusty and fortnight habit. Mr. Ernst
is committed to his own side of the big
story Most Of the time he is impress
sively right. Some of the time his
work is cut on the bias. Now and then
not deep-seeing enough to be altogether
fair to good intent, to the nature of
things, to the diversities of capacity and
achievement. But nobody is fair to the
successful man. I wonder why? In the
main, an excellent picture of prosperity
IN spite of itselfr-of this huge "un-
planned pattern" of the United States
ESSAYS ON RESEARCH IN THE
SOCIAL SCIENCES. The Brook
ings Institution. 1950-31. Washing
ton: The Bookings Institution.
Some day somebody will tell the story
OF the Brookings Institution. Estab-
lished here in Washington less than five
years ago, it has already performed
public service of high quality in more
| than one direction. 1LS sponsors and
officers are men Of recognized achieve
ment in useful fields, scientific. literary
political, economic. Its purposes are
| primarily, two. One, to give construc-
ST
| policies. TWO, to offer training of super
graduate character to students along
lines contributory to the aims of the in
stitution itself. Already plans are afoot
to maintain cooperating Institutes OF
research. Each year a seminar is given
for the benefit of its staff and research
fellows. The book in hand is a report
upon the seminar of the past wear
| The social sciences in their outstanding
problems cover the work of this period
Less exact than the natural, the
physical, sciences, yet quite as close in
their applicability to community life
the social sciences are approached here
by way of definition and illustration
| rounded the seminar itself and projected
them finally into the open field by way
of this volume.
OLiocl IllCSc SpeCldI SIuuleS anu eX-
| pert Investigations the social sciences
open out to wider understanding and
to the inclusion of many parts not
hitherto recognized by the general
| reader as of direct social significance
and Importance. One lecture considers
social study as a science, establishing Its
status as such. BY one and another OF
these professionals in social research
and findings methods already applied
efficiently in other prime interests are
shown to serve equally we'll in this
relatively new field. Methods applied tc
political science belong here as we'll
The ways Of approach and treatment OF
economics, the research in psychology
both have direct bearing upon the mat
ter in hand. History in its scope and
trea tnnent sets q nath for the social