The Washington times., 1933-07-27


ing a rush wire to Stain saying, "What shall do
next Mr.. Bruce Biven has political experience
than He notes this pont-that many radicals "a year
ago insisted that this depression was unlike previous
ones. and would get progressively until revou-
ton peaceful or violent would be the only way out"
But ne makes some other points of Importance.
Following Russia
One is that the Roosevelt administration has stolen
the thunder of the critics. especially in such things
putting end to the brutality of deportng alien Com
munlsts to face certain death Imprisonment in their
nome countries treating the bonus army decenty,
and putting through such administrative reforms of in
dustry abandonment of child labor in textiles for in
stance) years of fighting had failed to accomplish
The attitude toward labor unions (even if they are
conservative is also noted.
Almost in parenthesis, Mr. Bliven says the most i'm
portant thing of ALL that it not capitalist selfish
jingo America but Communist, international brother
hood-ofan Russia which first set the style in
tionahsm the style called economic sefsufcency When
Trotsky driven out the Russians turned to them
Selves perhaps they forced to- that is another
question: It defeat for internationaism of the
old style marked the defeat of the League of Ma
tlons ideal when America rejected it.
Trotsky was the man for permanent revolution, con-
VDced that Communism needed support outside the Rus
sian republics Stain is the of perfection of the
Russian experiment first and if it succeeds who be
sure that prosperous Russians will be willing to aid
poverty-strcken Germans Chinese the way to Com
munsm? Revoutionaries when they in power show
slight but human) tendency to forget their promises
The only ideals which change those not put into
action
Irving Babbitt
was surprised, and not pleased to read in the obit
uary notices of Prof Irving Babbt the statement that
his students went to his classes lark not expecting
to learn anything but to be amused by the oddities and
crotchets of strange individuals behavior This not
true in 1918 and do not think it true last year.
For Babbt dull lecturer, forcefu in hamrnerng
way, witty and not odd at ALL It may be true that
'bOoks made how many times he would mention
in hour and how many times he would attack Rous
but most of his students expected and got great
deal from him.
It odd thing that Babbitt eventually made the
taboidS when the about ''the humanism" rose
in 1928 and 1929 For he not only despsed popularity
but did not understand it. He had taught perhaps so
men year and suddenly found his ideas being melted
down and cheapened for 50OOOO0O. He must have
dered, at times, whether the who boosting him
had ever understood him.
No Small Change
One of the things said of him when he died. true:
That he did not change his ideas. He himself said few
years ago that he repeating what he had said in
1912 But the wrong construction ought not to be placed
his words He dked change for the sake of change;
he believed that certain things permanently true He
would have been ashamed to think that what he believed
today would have to be thrown out next year. For him.
that kind of belief wasn't worth holding.
In my undergraduate days I undertook to teach him
something To complete my wrote thesis
with hundreds of quotations. all intended to prove that
Babbtt had been wrong in his estimate of Nietzsche He
kind about it, he told that he had not been
of many of the things had quoted from NietZsche And
the next day. Glass; he repeated his old accusation word
for word The odd thing is that now am not at all
sure that he wasn't right.