Evening star., 1935-09-29

and therefore cannot possibly gain
countenance from those whom they
are designed to guide. They are. in
short, the ever-present voices Of wis
dom and despair.
Mr.. Russell discusses Communism
and Fascism and explains why both
doctrines are humanity untenable. He
discusses the soul, architecture and
economics. As he is Socialist, he
makes a case for his own brand of
salvation, but, one feels, rather from
habit than from hope. 1t is the marked
flaw in his book that he puts forward
any political remedy for the condition
which elsewhere he shows to be not
the fault of politics but of general
human folly, folly of which any po-
litical behavior is inextricably a part.
He is in this book, as always, fine
writer. Whether one agrees with him
or not, it is pleasure to read his
sentences.
STUMBLING INTO SOCIALISM. BY
David Lawrence. New York: D.
Appleton Century Company.
A CONSTANT stlsm of books on
public affairs is now. coming from
the presses. Plainly, the thing which
is called the condition of the coun-
try is, at present, news. The admin
istration, the Supreme Court, the Red
menace, the yellow peril, the bogey of
dictatorship, all the old Nightmares,
in fact, and quite a congeries of new
ones are up for ruthless expose from
the professional takers of the worlds
pulse. And, of late, one Of these
fears seems to have been taking a
marked lead over the others, so much
so, indeed, that it can easily be termed
the favorite. This is the fear for the
safety of the Constitution.
Those who are alarmed for the fu-
ture of the great document of our
liberties are rallying round it with a
passion which makes obvious that, If
the Constitution is to perish, it will
not. die undefended.
There is interesting material in Mr..
Lawrence's book for those who hon.
estly see a menace to American~lb-
critics in the present trend of public
policy. Mr.. Lawrence believes that
the present administration is going
in the direction of Socialism. He says
that the campaign promises of 1882
were admirable, but that they have
not been kept. He advocates the for
nation of new party, sworn very
largely to keep these same promises
and to defend the Constitution against
socialistic innovation. He makes a
pretty complete case of what this
party ought to do and even indicates
the present members of Congress who
| might be expected to go over to it.
1t is an idea; it seems unlikely that
any group will succeed in doing just
what Mr.. Lawrence advocates. But it
makes fairly interesting reading.
! GOVERNMENT IN BUSINESS. BY
Stuart Chase. New York: The
Macmillan Co.
THIS book, first of all, is an i'm
pressive gathering together Of
facts. Its author has not been so
particularly interested in telling us
where we are going as he has been in
showing us where we stand. If, from
this position, once determined, he in
dicates where he thinks we shall have
to go, that is more or less by the way.
Government in Business" is a state
ment of facts first and faith after
ward.
Like most of us, Mr.. Chase has
heard, borne on the political breezes,
rumors to the effect that governments
all over the world are taking over an
increasing amount of those economic
enterprises which for long have been
the undisputed realms of private cap
ital. Unlike most of our political OBJ
servers, on hearing these reports, he
has not leaped as the startled fawn
for the nearest traditional covering,
there to lie trembling until the un-
wonted airs subsided. He has, in
stead, ventured boldly out to chart
these winds. He makes his report in
this book. 1t is highly interesting
information, although at tinaes it be-
comes somewhat obscurely tenchnical.
In sum, Mr.. Chase tells us that the
traditional practice of having govern
ment control without government own
erShip will not work 1t will not work
because it has not worked. Early in
the persent year, he informs us, 40
per cent of the entire population of
this country was dependent, directly
or indirectly, on Federal or local gov
ernments for support. The breakdown
of the old theory, he feels, is made
clear by this condition. 1t is not a
question, as he sees it, of whether we
want the Government in business or
not. 1t is plainly evident, he says,
that we already have it there.
1t therefore becomes a matter of
vital Importance that we adopt sound
but new-principles to guide this
public business which has grown up
SO enormously among our institutions.
This, Mr.. Chase sees to be by far the
most important task of modern states
manShip. Under his chapter AN |
Order of Business" he lays down GER
tain principles which, he thinks, would |
be serviceable. His book, in its factual
quality, seems an excellent one among
an ever-growing number Of works de- |
voted to diagnosing the country's con- |
dition.
JANE ADDAMS. By James Weber
Linn. New York: D. Appleton
Century Co.
THIS IS Miss Adams authorized |
biography. Its author was her
nephew and in preparing his book he
had her full cooperation. The book,
by her wish, is neither an eulogy nor
an attempt at an Interpretation of
her character, but a plain, straight
forward history of her life. As such
1t obviously touches on many impor-
tant phases of social development in
this country. It is readable and in
terestingly done, but even If this were
not so the book clearly would be an
important record in annals Of social |
history Of America.
HUEY LONG: A Candid Biography. |
BY Forrest Davis. New York: |
Dodge Publishing Co.
ON THE morning of September 10