Evening star., 1937-12-19

dous Huxley Search for Perfection Dips Currents
and Fashions NonAttached TypeRecen Books and Ideas
of Their Authors Reviewed.
By Mary.Carfer Roberts.

to fullness that change in his phi
i losophy which was prefigured in his
last novel, 'Eyeless in GAIA" In
that book, readers may remember, the
action closed with the hero abandoning
q course of conduct which was based
on belief in the meaninglessness of
human existence and adopting posi-
tive attitude toward society and his
individual duty.
Mr.. Huxley was at the time a little
vague about that duty. He set it
down in cropping and in puzzled terms.
The practical side of it seemed recog-
nizable enough; it lay as it has in
the works of so many modern social
philosophers, in giving battle to the
ouAterialism, intolerance and militar-
Ism which are our present obsessions
But this familiar prescription. in Hulk
ley's writing, seemed to be based on
totally unfamiliar diagnosis-s dag
nosis in which there was an appre-
hension of troubles lying outside any
possible social" treatment, and more
than hint of belief that the sor-
rows of our time can only be healed
by the improvement of individual men
through individual effort.
Now, without vagueness, free of any
puzzlement and clearly imbued with
the spirit of the apostolic teacher, Al
dous Huxley elaborates that early,
dlmly apprehended diagnosis to its
fullness. The result is one of the
most amazing books which has been
written in our decade
To understand it. the reader must
f1rst realize that Huxley has been
sleeping himself in the writings of
the mystics-not only the mystics Of
Christianity and the West, but also
more effectively, it would seem-those
OF Buddhism and Hinduism. He
writes now in terms of their vision.
Consequently, it is necessary for the
reader to read in those terms. And.
unless a reader can do that, the work
Is likely to seem to him unbearably
naive and savorless.
The burden of the book is that the
world lies today in pit of evil whith-
er it has been plunged by worship
of materialism which has grown out
OF our blind reliance upon the physi-
cal sciences. The great effect of this
worship is an obSession with war. We
are exclusively pre-occupied, says Mr.
Huxley, with devising improved
means to unimproved ends" Science,
above all, is the means by which we
prosecute the one chief end of war;
and such is the improvement of the
means that a great modern war. once
entered upon, would be the destruc-
tion of us all.
To alter this fatal preoccupation
with materialism he prescribes ideal
ism" but the difference between his
use of the sad, old word and the COM
mon use is almost incalculably wide
For his ''idealism" is not that of the
merely good man who simply avoids
the more f1agrant sins or that of the
socially conscientious man held UP to
us as model by so many modern phil
osophers or, indeed, any of our pres
ent distractedly uttered panaceas. 1t
Is the idealism which stems from
soul contemplation, from mystical
meditation upon the ultimate spir-
itual reality that is perceived as ST.
multaneously beyond the self and in
some way within it and which has its
practical Towering in the practice of
the virtue of n-attachment.'
Admitting that only very few in
dividuals are capable of this elevated
acceptance of life, Mr.. Huxley still
contends that the lives of these few
can be made of immense practical
effect in changing human preoccupa-
ton from materialism to spirituality.
In Ends and Means" he takes I'D the
various fields of our modern existence
Industry, education, sports, religion,
Eovernment-and states the methods
by which, in his belief, the influence
Of non-attached individuals could be
made to penetrate down from the
heights into the masses for the masses
good. He sees all other types of re-
forms as useless. Our troubles will
not be cured by changes in the eco
nomic system, he says, or by moving
from one kind of governmental phil
osophy to another. The work must
be done by individuals, by such rare
individuals as are able to master the
technique of mystical meditation
when, strengthened by their vision,
they can teach the practical virtue
OF non-attachment to lesser men.
In other words, Aldous Huxley, who,
Tor years, has cried out against the
lack of a plan in human affairs. now
recants, and accepts before the world
what seems to him the great plan, the
one which, after long seeking, he has
at last found adequate And more
now assumes the role of teacher, i'm
parting his plan to men.
1t might seem to be the completest
OF reversals, but actually to one who
has read his past livid works with
understanding, 1t is an utterly pre-
dictable development. For no man
could have reacted against painless
ness with so great bitterness as
he has shown in his past writings
without having love of order as
his great passion. No man could
have turned on disorder with so con-
suming fury as he has used, unless
order was the great need and desire
OF his being. So, while Ends and
Means" may be called an amazing
book, as compared with other works
on social philosophy, it is not amazing
in what it reveals Of its authors de-
velopment. 1t is, in that context,
almost inevitable.
Yet, though the development may
be taken to be inevitable, it is a very
great one certainly. How great it is
may be seen in the manner of the
writing. There is little, If any, of
the old Huxley manner in this book.
For his past terrible passion he has
substituted q terrible patience. For
his old brilliant contempt he uses a
new laborious humility. There can
be no doubt indeed that he has writ
ten in . spirit of pure dedication.