Evening star., 1934-02-10
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH C. BOWERMAN.
THE FUTURE COMES. A Study Of
the New Deal. BY Charles A.
Beard and George H. e. Smith.
New York: The Macmillan Co.

the New Deal. BY Charles A.
Beard and George H. e. Smith.
New York: The Macmillan Co.
The maxim, History repeats itself"
is one In which DR.. Beard and his
colleague either believe not at all or
with very decided limitations. Their
whole contention Is that the United
States cannot turn back the pages OF
its history or write new ones like the
old. The "full dinner pail" the new
freedom" and return to normalcy"
are dead slogans. "The future comes;
what will it bring? That question Is
not answered, cannot be answered.
AT best the program can only be re-
garded as the beginning OF transl-
tion," and, we are reminded, "observ-
ers who are inclined to imagine that
President Roosevelt is making history
and to forget that he is also a victim
OF history will get false perspective
from the following pages standing
alone" As q preliminary to the dis
cussion of the recovery program the
authors outline the background Of the
crisis of March 4, 1888, and the events
of the crisis itself.
The program, as they analyze 1t,
falls into five divisions: Government,
industry and transportation, agricul-
ture, finance and relief. What has al
ready been done in all those fields is
SO concisely told that at the present
time the book Is an admirable brief
reference work on the subject. Such
reference work, Of course, becomes
out date over night. AS the oppo-
sition gathers against the recovery
program. the authors point out that
the appeal of the administration is to
"the great body of the lower middle
class, laborers and farmers; but the
task of consolidating their support is
not an easy one. A number of ques-
tions are raised, for consideration, not
for dogmatic answering. What are the
prospects of the opposition to the pro-
gram? How will the administration
defend it's position? If it is defeated,
| what next? Will trade combinations
established under the codes be sub
jected to prosecution under antitrust
laws? THE Future Comes" is a
thought-provoking book and DR.. Beard
| tells us that it is only by-product of
Ioi SCi "oih, AAc AuCo Va Natloiidl
Interest"
| URBAN SOCIETY. BY Noel P. Gist
and L. A. Halbert. Crowell's
Social Science Series. New York:
Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
Mr.. Gist Is attached to the Depart
ment of Sociology Of the University
! of Kansas and Mr. Halbert is a menu
| ber Of the Board of Public Welfare.
now supervisor Of the Division Of
Emergency Relief Of the District Of
| Columbia. Their book Is q thorough
study of city life and the problems
which is brings. It has value as a
textbook in sociology, for an impor-
tant phase of the subject, or as a
reference book for all students of
| sociology and workers in public serv-
ice and public welfare Its statistical
material is based on the 1880 census
| and on still more recent data from
typical large cities. The arrangement
| Of subject matter is systematic and
logical, under five divisions: The
Rise of Urbanisn," "Distributive and
Selective Aspects Of the City" so
| cial Relationships in the City" THE
Organization of Life In the City" and
Planning and Control of Urban So
| ciety"
AS city develops 1t becomes the
center of more or less extended
market area or hinterland. "Activi-
ties in the city itself assume char
acteristic patterns. depending on
geographic conditions. population
traits and economic functions" The
authors have surveyed the functions
and institutions of the modern city,
together with its social problems and
pathologies." and the mechanisms
which have arisen for handling the
problems. Some Of the mechanisms
have been more successful than 9TH
| ers and all are more successful in
times of prosperity than in times of
depression. Concentration of popu-
lation In cities, deplorable as 1t seems
| to many from the standpoint Of
human welfare, was inevitable from
the time when the modern factory
system began to contend with and in
a measure to replace an agararian
society. No prediction Is attempted
| by the authors as to the future of the
! city. Whether mankind has built
! q monster that will in the end de-
| stroy him only the future can tell. 4"
| They are inclined to the opinion
! that "polynucleated or decentral-
| ized, city, planned according to func-
/ ton, has the greatest chance for
safety and success in the future. A
''mononucleated" city. with the pop
| ulation closely packed into warrens,
is vulnerable to attack both by outer
and inner social enemies. Each
chapter of Urban Society" is supple
mented by a list of SUGGESTED prof.
ects and a selected photography.
! There is an index of cities as well
as a general index
OUR STARVING LIBRARIES. BY
r. L. Duffu. Boston: Houghton
Mif1in Co.
This little book is further described
on its title page as Studies in 10
American communities during the de-
preston years" There is no need to
| enumerate the cities the vicissitudes
of whose free public library systems
during the hard times are here set
| forth. Several of them are large:
some are of medium size or small.
Most of them have been very hard
hit, one or two have suffered but
slightly. But their experiences in
meeting the vastly increased demands
on their service which have come to
them during, and as one OF the re-
suits of, the depression, may be re-
garded as typical of American public
libraries generally, including our own
Washington Public Library. 1t is a
story of greatly cut appropriations, at
the expense Of library salaries, al
most everywhere much too low in pre-
depression days. and Of funds for the
books, insistently sought as never be-
fore by readers needing them to for
tify themselves against threatened loss
of Jobs or to help them to forget their
troubles. 1t is a story Of reduced IL
brary stats, of branches closed alto
gether, of main libraries closed on