Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12
CULTURE AND LEARNING
DECLARED UNRELATED
Good Taste Is Chief Element, Educator
Says, in Noting Need of Great
Cultural Movement.

paramount, and when he pointed out
that castles were lacking in modern
Improvements 1t sounded loud and
funny. The basis of criticism was
largely that of the plumber.
Even Emerson let the eagle scream a
little. He boosted that he was as
ready to write Boston and New
York" as Rome and Paris" After his
survey of European art galleries. he
concluded that he could see Just as
wonderful things in his own back
yard, and he compared frescoes Of
Angelo to drawing Of dog with a
litter of puppies. Now 1t comes as a
sort Of shock when an American turns
around and begins to throw the mud
at his own land We'd rather have q
writer plaster foreign lands.
Sinclair Lewis Is not the only minor
prophet who has pointed out our ma
tional sins against taste, although he
may have done this more profltably
than others. He has made fame and
fortune with his kind of literature at
a time when people were going in for
the tango mud bath treatment. The
American Mercury has done this. too,
and with an ever-increasing circula-
ton. Then there Is Theodore Dresser,
with his native repugnance to style. to
say nothing of the revolving satellites
Of these planets.
New National Exhibit.
Our national exhibit No. 2 is q Diff
ferent sort of bird from the old one
that did the Growing. This one fouls
its own nest and, incidentally. feathers
it. Evidently 1t pays to say nasty
pie want that sort Of thing. The mar
ket in mud has not suffered from the
slump in Wall Street.
We owe a debt of gratitude to these
minds and we pay In coin Of the realm.
They have given us their new cures
for old ills and We pay the bill with the
enthusiasm we feel when we meet the
bills of doctor. dentist or chiropodist.
We know that we should not keep beat
ing the drum Of national importance.
although We do not relish the idea OF
Why not get rid of both rooster and
buzzard? Then we may be able to
hatch out something in the form Of
American culture.
Creative Power Expressed.
An intellectual inventory of America
includes q certain amount Of cultural
material in the form Of literature,
painting and sculpture dating as far
pe1Ch dS LIle MOpy OACA cGd III OuE
Nations history. Today we have gi-
which in the form Of the setback sky
scraper gives q tremendous impression
Of culture If only in crude. CONNER
cial form. Our creative power as q
people shows itself in this ancient Ash
attic and African form. for we have our
pyramids and Tai Mahals. There Is
no question about the size or strength
Of our work, although one might ques-
ton whether 1t has the spirit Of the
Middle Age-enorme ct delicat.
It sounds a bit pretentious to COM
pare the modern American with the
ancient Athenian, but certain analoges
are bound to strike one. We have the
ancient sense Of enlightenment and
are inclined to heed the command Of
the Delphic oracle-"Know thyself. !"
Our main trouble Is that we have been
led to believe we should see psyche
analyst about this business Of self
knowledge or get an expert to deter
mine our intelligent quotient. Socrates
did his own interpreting, and instead
discovered man with ideas. We can
do the same thing on small scale II
we Will only be sensible.
Colossal Idealism In Art.
We have the primitive Grecian spirit
In its robust creativeneSS. We are fol-
lowers of DionySus rather than Apollo.
but the god Of intellect may be rising
over the horizon. Our art, still Asiatic
in its colossal idealism, Is in the con-
dition where Myron found 1t when he
carved the Discus Thrower." Refine
llContinu& q Fourth Pagel