The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-04-19
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HAIRY ELMER BARNES

ONE Of the most intelligent ways in which to
- approach the new deal is to back away
and get proper historical perspective. This
need not lead to any foolish worship of the
Fathers.
Dean Brown has brought together some in
teresting biographical studies dealing with i'm
portant Americans in various walks of life from
Benjamin Franklin to David Starr Jordan (They
Were Giants. BY Charles Reynolds Brown. Mac
MILAN. 5000. Many of these men were giants
indeed, but there is no reason to doubt that they
easily could be matched among Americans today.
Professor Carman's book is the second in
three volume study of American social and eco
nonlic history Social and Economic History of
the United States, Vol. H. BY Harry j. Carman.
u. Z. Heath So. When finished, certainly it
Will rival the very popular work by Professor
and Mrs Beard, and it contains far more infor-
nation on American social evolution than the
Beard volumes Few works on American history
SO well combine the intelligent selection of many
important facts with an engaging manner of
| presentation.
| DROFESSOR LUCCOCK of the Yale Divinity
4 schools very broad minded attitude toward
literature, indicating the belief that the latter
affords more insight into the religious trends of
an age than much of our formal religious writ
Literature
| llglon. BY Halford E. Luccock; Willett Clark e.
Co, So. While definitely inclined to find as
much sympathy with religion as possible in our
current literature, he does not fail to point out
| many evidences of growing antagonisn on the
part Of the intelligentsia
The elimination of American history is Of
course, the new deal of President Roosevelt
professor Patterson has edited an EXTREMITY in
tereStlng anthology Of current attitudes on the
efforts OF the Roosevelt administration to head
US back toward prosperity. CThe Annals of the
American Academy of Political and Social Sci
ence. Vol 172. SD There are few places where
one can discover such diversity of authorita-
tive opinion, running all the way from the chair
man of the Weirton Steel COMPANY to Mr. Sid
ney Hilman of the Amalgamated Clothing
Workers.
ME new dealers were bound to come in for
n their turn at appraisal in new washington
Merry-Go-Round. The book now has appeared
and there is much conjecture as to the author
tine New Dealers By Unofficial Observer
Simon and Schuster. $275) It maintains the
high level of journalism achieved in the "NEir-
rors OF Washington" and in the two volumes of
the erry-GO-Round" While letting the chins
1al where they may, the well-inforned author
Is OBVIOUSLY sympathetic with the general aspi-
ratlonS OF the new deal.
The book by Messrs Will and Walling. with
a toreWord by William Green represents a semi
official statement of the current philosophv of
conservative American labor (Our Next Step
A National Economic Policy BY Matthew VOL
and William Walling. Harper. $2) It shows
that even this section of American opinion has
received at least temporary "shot in the arm"
and has caught something of the spirit of the
new deal
OF American socialists to date, it is probable
| that Morris Hillquit ranks next to Eugene Debs
IN the esteem of the party and of the country at
large. The present book is a sort of a post
numous autobiography which comes down
through the La Toilette campaign of 1924 loose
Leaves From Busy Life. BY Morris Hillouit.
Macmillan. $3.50 1t throws light not only upon
d distinguished American socialist but on the
history OF American radicalsm as well
Norman Thomas is the outstanding socialist
IN this country today In his latest book. he
| analyses the prospects of a world faced with the
alternative of communism, constitutional So
clallsm, the new deal and Fascism. (The Choice
Be1ore Us, Mankind at the Crossroads BY Nor
man 1homaS. Macmillan. $1,000 Mr. Thomas.
quite naturally, argues for the superiority of
constitutional Socialism which he presents in
the gulse OF THE COOPERATIVE Commonwealth. !"