Evening star., 1937-07-25
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.


n the American Medical As
~ sociation last month, re-
a markable surgical operation
was reported--potentially, perhaps,
one OF the most significant events in
the history Of mankind.
An unsuccessful stock broker had
developed a brain tumor. In order to
save his life it was necessary to remove
one Of the pre-frontal lobes of his
cerebral cortex. Once rid of this
grey matter, the fellow had an un-
eVentful recovery and in few months
Of intensive effort made a half million
dollars. Yet it was demonstrated by
repeated tests that his basic intelli-
gence had somewhat deteriorated.
Naturally, few reports ever have
caused so much satisfaction to the
great mass OF mankind who never
have been able TO accumulate a million
dollars and in consequence have suf-
fered from feelings of inferiority to-
wards those who have. And as for
the joke-makers, the thing is already
getting a bit stale. 1t is, of course,
great satisfaction when the million-
aire rolls by in his llmouslne-or is
cross examined as TO his tax evasions
to stick out our chests proudly and
say:
Poor chap, he hasn't any brains"
Brains or Million.
And wherever good fellows get to-
gether somebody is sure to ask for
letter Of introduction to a competent
brain surgeon. Strange as it may seem,
lots Of folks would be willing to sacri-
fee their brains for million dollars.
The whole reaction impels us to
certain melancholy philosophical re-
flectlons in the light of recent world
trends. II may not be so absurd as it
seems to present the thesis that the
greatest need of mankind today is for
some simple, safe means of getting
rid of brains. OF course, this is not
altogether serious but.
II might even be maintained that
the brain is an evolutionary relic,
like the vermitorm appendix or the
tonslls. TWo-third Of mankind TODAY
is engaged in titanic efforts Of one
sort Or another-political educational.
military, etc.-to abolish thinking
Over almost half the earth anv person
caught In the act is shot, decapitated.
exiled or incarcera ted. In the United
States, 1t is true, Few overtlv repressive
measures have been enacted to date
perhaps due largely to that exaeger-
sted sentlmentality which is so promi-
nent a trait Of the American char
acter. But this does not mean that
Americans approve the practice of
thinking. Perhaps nowhere else in the
world is it so froWned upon by good
citizens Of all classes.
Brain Trust" Amputated.
The word brain trust" was repeated
With growing scorn and derision until
the administration had the good sense
to get rid Of it in time to win the last
election. 1t will be remembered that
one Of the foulest inuendos against
the Republican candidate was that he
proposed TO establish a brain trust"
OF his own. All the publicity artillery
OF the National Committee vas put
into action at once to combat the
ridiculous charge, but nevertheless
traces Of it fingered in the public con-
sclousness and may have contributed
materially to the overwhelming defeat
OF last November.
All the world. for that matter, seems
to have been unduly sentimental about
brains IN the past. One doesn't
like TO shoot faithful old horse and
there is a bit Of foolish regret even
at sending the worn out family car to
the junk yard. Thinking has been the
means by which man has made his
laborlous way upward from the ape
dom to the radio and from the naked
shiftlessness Of Congo village to the
w. P. A. Naturally. there is an
antiquarian interest in it. There is
room for few antiques in the mu-
seums, but We don't want the place
cluttered up with them. We have
arrived. Any further progress, the
world admits. is pathological and
dangerous. 1t threatens the founda-
tions Of everything We hold sacred
Why continue at something which is
bound to get us into trouble? We may
now look foreward hopefully to the
day when St. Elizabeth's hospital will
no longer be burden on the tax
payers but a source of considera BILE
revenue-visited by every siehtseer who
comes to Washington for a glimpse of
men with brains safely shut up in iron
cages and few curious specimens
Of brains picked in alcohol.
Rob World Of Utopia.
The evil Of thinking is that it is
an insuperable bar to any sort of
Utopia. 1t is as bad for the Utopia of
John L. Lewis as for the Utopia for
John Pierpont Morgan. 1t is as bad
for the Utopia OF Herr Hitler as for the
Utopia Of Comrade Stain.
1t is child's play for any of us To
wreck this sorry scheme of things
entirely and build it closer to the
hearts desire But even a Tugwel,
can't remake the world If he is to be
pestered perpetually by thinkers
Utopias must be nodded from plastic
material. Mind is granite. It is
equally refractory in the hands OF
communist or capitalist Except in
the past few years, only the military
have been able to dispense with the
sickly sentimentality which has stood
in the way of getting rid OF the refrac-
tory material. They have made short
work of it, with the firing squad if
necessary, and as result in time OF
war, when they have been in control
the world usually has been blissfully
free OF it. Public schools have done
their BEST but it has been none too
good.
Let us PROFOUND the loveliest scheme
Of society imaginable. Abolish pov-
erty, abolish crime, abolish disease,
abolish war with a few taps on the
typewriter Make everybody happy.
Anybody can do it. All sorts of
benevolent millionaires and wild-eyed
radicals are adept at IT and their