The Washington times., 1931-08-11
True to Type
THEO. DRESSER INDICTED
IN HIS INDICTMENT
OF SOCIETY
.RY GLRERT SELDES

:
five years in this connection, The justification lies
elsewhere It lies in the original story of Chester Gil
lette who killed the girl who bearing his child and
put to death for his crime by the State of New
York many years ago; and lies in the clash of two
fundamental ideas: The idea that society is responsible
for the criminals it makes the idea Of human
responsibility which you may call free will.
ReIishing Misery
The mind of Dresser is full of the ideas of the
1905 he suffers not only from the prejudces of that
time but from its enthusiasms. mean the joy which
that found in proclaimng the joyessness of life.
vain and Illusion the bright look with which pessi
mists proclaim that there is no brightness And
I might add the furious wilfulness with which they
proclaim that has will of his own: Himself
reast-solemn, sincere, podding and dull-he makes
life in his books duer than it can ever be, but more
! heart; the story of Clyde Griffth-the fictional
parallel in can American Tragedy"-wrings your heart
and depresses you, too.
Whose Fault?
Mr. Dresser wanted to ndct society and protested that
the moving picture indicted only AS result
of his protests told the picture is better than it
would have been left alone certainly attempts to
show US how poverty the chaos of early life the cruelty
of the prosperous and an unappeased longing for life
combined to catch Clyde Griffith in net from which
he attempted to escape by murder.
The book and the picture BOTH little tricky when
it to the point they both show that murder was
intended at the beginning but neither makes it clear
that murder intended DONE at the end We know
that Clyde wanted the unfortunate Roberta dead;
know that when the boat overturned, he made
attempt to her. Was the upsettng of the boat
accidental was it willed? Was it accident which
corresponded to unconscious intention!
Dresser, Perhaps?
The picture certainly does give you the that
the boys fanatcal parents his rich and disdanful rea
ves and the whole social system of the factory town
much to blame himself for the crime. This is
partly due to certain defects in the picture but it is
largely due to Dresser himself. He, individually thinks
the environment the boy to act he does he
he reaches into science and philosophy to persuade
you that he is right But he doesn't convince. He
you that district attorney, for reelection,
NAV fake evdence but not that the legal SYSTEM or any
9TH iS than who
against it,
The idea that we have absolute choice-free willard
the idea that have no freedom whatever, both
natural and both improved assumptions. When you
think of the and vciousness of some human
beings you may justifiaby that they must be acting
deliberately choosing to be brutal and bestal; and also
observing the founess you may say that no one
could will any such black depravy and therefore people
must be the slaves of circumstances-and predestned
to damnation.
The Philosophy Of AS lf'
We live usually, on tight rope between the two ideas.
What we proud of, we say we wanted to do; what
we regret we say we had to do But no matter what
philosophical religious idea accept in actual
tice individuals and society both pretend that man is
responsible being We act as IF we were free because
that gives the greatest satisfaction and if
willing to take the satisfaction we ought to be willing
to take the punishment.
And if Mr.. Dresers idea is that it is too bad that
Roberta killed and it is too bad that Clyde was
killed. and if you go back to first causes everybody is
equally to blame and life is only lot of atoms dancing
in a meaningless and endless dance-then the answer
to him is only that to find the endWhich is the purpose
and the meaning of the danceis exactly the function
of the philosopher and the artist 1t may be another
ilusion-but it can be mighty fine one.
The Man of the Future H..
can why Representative Robert L. Bacon has
rejected with vgor, the idea that he is "a true
specimen of the type that is becoming typical of
America" and, in sense the American of the future.
can't take too many precautions in these times.
It may have occurred to Mr.. Bacon that being six
feet TALL blue eyed, with light brown hair is all right
just now, but that the perpetuaton of these qualities
may be dangerous The height of six feet is above
the present average and in the next ten years may
have good reason to go in for dwarf sizesto escape
the bullets of gangsters who happen not to be firing
trenches which to be preparing for US. Mr..
Bacon is, moreover, public figure of good
family and prosperity and these qualities too,
may be something less than asset in the years to
come. We may crave obscurity and poverty when the
present system breaks down.
Fly Low in aPan
The detention of Pangborn and Herndon in Japan
may not become international incident The jap
sensitive about people flying their for
titled and want to examine photographs taken: