Evening star., 1932-11-20

litical success In this country, must have
something in its programs, something in
its leaders of the type suggested. Indeed,
just because political leaders show signs
of waking up to that fact, there is
danger in the spread to politics of this
idealism of youth, at once naive and
eager.
THERE is, for instance, good deal Of
ruffianism in Hitlerism and a good
deal of cowardice in its leader. To say
that the enthusiasm behind movement
is idealistic is not to say that the ideals
are sound or hopeful. The religious
impulse in the past has expressed itself
in orgies as well as in mystical raptures.
Moral and political enthusiasms have
gone into murderous expressions and
bigotries as well as into movements
making for freedom, for peace and for a
more generous and just society. Brutes
and scoundrels, if they are sufficiently
adroit and persuasive, can waken the
moral enthusiasm of the young as well
or better than can saints and philoso-
piers
Indeed, there are signs of attempts
in this country to initiate some of the
narrownesses and brutalities of the Hit
Ter movement in Germany; and signs
that similar appeals to essentially inno-
cent impulses of patriotism are being
made. There are signs, on the other
hand, that even the old political parties
are waking up to the fact that merely
political formulas will not work with
the younger electorate. In the recent
campaign there was at least the occa-
sional symptom of some appeal beyond
the movement and beyond the imme-
diacies of tariff and bonus Even in
speech on duties on farm products to
farmers in Iowa, Mr.. Hoover talked for
moment and apparently with sincerity,
about matters that reach deeper into the
spiritual life of America than corn and
hogs and machinery. And suspect that
the large following of Mr. Norman
Thomas among the young is not pri-
marily because of an enthusiasm for
him personally, but because they feel
that the Socialist program is more
frankly and radically concerned with
transformation of the political life in
this country in the direction of justice
and humanity than either of the old
parties.
There is, finally, a possibility that that
positive movement and positive person.
ality which will form the focus of lead
ership of the growing generation in
America may not appear first in poll
tics at all. The course of history has
frequently enough been ironic and di-
rect. The not impossible appearance Of
some really great and contagious per-
sonality in morals or religion or educa-
ton, the enunciation of some deep and
moving moral ideal attuned to the ext
gencieS and the particular crises of our
time may turn out to be the first step.
Youth may find a moral and religious
leader, moral and religious leadership
to center their awakened and restless
idealisnlS long before the politicians
have ceased munlbling the old formulas
and making the same old empty gestures
and routine.
Of it may happen (there is just the
barest chance) that such leadership and
such program may turn up, by some
miracle, in politics. The currents of
American life have swept such an ideal
ism into politics before this. When and
if such a person and such a politics,
illumined by moral vision and social
hope, occurs, there will be millions, most
of them young, ready to listen and to
live for their country. All they are
waiting for is leader and faith. Such
leader would have terrifying re-
sponsibility. For the young, in their
very peneraSitv in the terrible earnest