The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-06-25
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

THERE has been much nonsense written
Il since President Roosevelt declared in his
message to congress that the American people
are entitled to a home. job and the protection
Of social insurance.
| The President has been accused Of being a
dreamy Utopia builder, out OF touch with all
reality. 1t has been implied that the satisfaction
of even the most elementary human necessities
of the American people as a whole is beyond the
realm Of reason and common sense.
| 1t is taken for granted that the qualification
| Of our material wants is a sort ofIainboWs end,
| to be attained only in some mythically distant
| future where the problems of perpetual motion,
the transmitting of the baser metals into gold
and the indefinite proongation Of the human
life already will have been achieved.
The absurdity of any such attitude recalls to
my mind the notable passage in Plato's Re
public" where he draws an engaging picture Of
population which had become satisfied thoro-
ughy with all its material necessities:
will they not produce corn, and wine, and
clothes and shoes, and build houses for them
selves? And when they are housed they will
work, in summer commonly stripped and bare
foot, but in winter substantially clothed and
shod
They will feed on barley meal and flour or
wheat baking and kneading them. making noble
cakes and loaves these they will serve up on
a mat of reeds or on clean leaves, themselves
reclining the while upon beds strewn with
myrtle.
And they and their children will feast
drinking of the wine which they have made
wearing garlands on their heads, and hymning
the praises of the gods, in happy converse with
one another
" A ND they will take care that their families
n do not exceed their means; having an
eye to poverty or war. Of course, they must
have a resh-salt, and olives and cheese and
they will boil roots and herbs such as country
people prepare; for a desert we shall give them
figs and peas, and beans; and they will roast
myrtle berries and acorns at the fire, drinking
in moderation.
And with such a diet they may be expected
to live in peace and health to good old age,
and bequeath a similar lie to their children
after them"
This is admittedly, a somewhat more expan-
sive prospect than was implied in Mr.. Roosevelt's
restrained plea that all normal Americans be
assured of a roof over their heads, clothes on
their back, and a square meal on the table.
Did Plato regard this Set-up as a Uptopian
achievement? He most certainly did not. He
described such society and culture as "a city
Of pigs And he was not wrong in viewing
civilization which merely supplies our materia@
necessities as essentially swinish in character.
In spite of all the exaggerated talk about
the wonders of our material cvilization-and
IF Americans has not yet reached what Plato
described as the pig stage" of cultural evolution.
THE aims embodied in Mr.. Roosevelts mes
Il sage at least would enable us to attain the
level Of what Plato calls society of happy
pigs. This is the first immediate necessity
But the real problems Of civilization will lie
ahead to be conquered. We must first triumph
over the challenge of necessity and then be in a
position to tackle resolutely the more noble and
worthwhile issues of leisure and civilization.