The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-10-03
Liberal Viewpoint
by DR. HAIRY ELMER BARNES

TT has been my practice to avoid quarrelng
i with many critics in the correspondence col
umns. Before they can quarrel with me have
had my say, and it is only fair to let the reader
have his comeback If he wishes.
But the bitter attack made upon Haywood
Broun and myself by Professor Snedden Of Co
lumbia Teachers college raises issues so far be-
You'd the personal angle as TO deserve some
philosophic comment.
What Mr.. Broun said few days ago about
e4-Presdent Hoover" he said, "and what DR..
Barnes said yesterday about the strike Of cap
itaP are not only cheap and vulgar expressions
but seem to me tainted with subtle naignity.
Can well-informed men be sincere in such utter
ances?"
Haywood Broun is quite able to take care Of
himself Personally regard his columns on
Mr.. Hoover as high points in the styistic
achievement Of master Journalistic prose, and
certainly in as good taste as Mr. Hoovers articles
which invited the comment.
T MUST say that I was greatly surprised 70
L read such an acid attack on my rather OBJ
vious column by man of Professor Snedden's
background. From all one can learn Of the man
he is just the sort Of person who should welcome
this type Of economic criticism.
He has written many books on the socializng
of education. He has argued in the abstract at
least, for honest wrestling with the social reali-
ties of our day. While by no means as advanced
in his thought as such Of his colleagues as Pro-
fessors Counts, Watson and some others, never
have known him to be open to suspicion of
speaking in sheer animosity to elementary So
cial facts.
It might be interesting to have Professor
Snedden indicate just and when it became cheap
or vulgar to present some Of the most obvious
facts about American economic life, and eSpeci-
ally when these facts are of the kind designed
to save the very social system to which DR..
Snedden is so attached.
THE current strike of capital is the most Sc
l. rious and sinister blow at the success of
the New Deal which has arisen since Mr.. Roose-
welt was inaugurated If it continues and Sue
ceeds with its purpose of wrecking Mr.. Roose-
velt it will throw us into the hands of reac-
tionaries or radicals Surely, DR.. Snedden can
not be too cordial toward either Fascism or
Communism.
THIS strike of capital is no imaginary DOGGY
Il 1t stares at us right out of the figures
have quoted in the columns devoted to this sub
ject 1t is hard to see how there is any subtle
malignity" in calling attention to it.
What makes me think that Professor Sned-
den must have written this letter rather late at
night is his insinuation of lack of sincerity
If there was any insincerity in this column, it
was the insincerity growing out of restraint
rather than out of exaggeration.
1t is rather dubious procedure to assume
that when another person differs from us he
must be SO wrong that only the hypothesis of
insincerity can explain such colossal error
1t is all right to contend that one of our op-
ponentS is wrong, foolish or even crazy But to
charge him with insincerity suggests rather
extreme exaggeration of intellectual arrogance
If those who are working for better day
in the United States can get no support from
education, from professors of education. and
above all, from professors of education who long
have traded upon an ostensible social point of
view, then things certainly have come to bad
pass in this country
Professor Snedden once wrote a book on
What Is Wrong With Education?" His letter
throws great deal of light on this query.