Evening star., 1938-06-28
OF STARS
MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Prosress
in Field, Laboratory
and Study.
By THOMAS r. HENRY.

| OTTAWA, June 28.-The unparalleled
popularity Of the moving picture Snow
White" Is concrete evidence Of an un-
| conscious drive Of the American people
to escape into land Of phantasy from
the growing confusion Of the world, DR.
Stuart A. Rice, director of the New
Deals Central Statistical Bureau at
Washington, told the American Asso-
citation for the Advancement OF Science
here last night.
During the depths Of the depression,
DR.. Rice said, 1t commonly was pre-
dicted that there soon would sweep
over the United States one of the great
est religious revivals Of all time as the
populace, hopeless Of adjusting itself
on earth, sought refuge in other world
illness. This has been q common phe-
nomenon with depressions OF the past.
1t did not come DR.. Rice believes, be-
cause the recovery after 1888 was 30
rapid that everybody was given revived
hope OF worldly success. Now, with new
economic troubles, the threat Of another
world war, and nothing but confusion in
prospect, folks are fleeing from real
life into the fairylands Of Imagination,
where magic kisses solve all problems
Another symptom Of the same sort, he
said, Is afforded by the popularity of
the book and movie THE Lost Horizon, 4"
whose characters lead an idealized life
shut on from the real world.
DR.. Rice was the first speaker in 4
symposium Of the Association on Science
and Society which will continue through
the week.
"A characteristic of periods of social
stress and strain" he said, seems to be
the tendency Of peoples to seek escape
into phantasy and other worldliness.
On an international level the faith in
world order has been largely dissipated.
Warfare has served at many historical
Junctures as force making for social
unification, organization and cultural
diffusion. But now. with the World War
marking turning point, it has radically
changed Its character.
traditional war has been a conflict
between armies. The morale Of the
civilian population behind the lines was
usually strengthened by it. Today there
are no lines to stay behind. The de-
struction Of the morale and social Or
ganization. not to speak Of the civilian
lives OF the enemy nation, have become
the major military objectives.
FOR these reasons a catastrophe
breakdown in social organizati ton a. q
result OF another world war seems a dis
tinct possibility. A second possibility,
that of slow decay Of the social order,
arises from more subtle forces Of disin-
tegration at work within the social
structure itself. The retardation of the
olrthrate, with prospective stabilization
or decline Of the national populations,
the weakening or disappearance of ira
ditlonal sanctions for individual be.
havior, and the failure to devise efficient
means for distribution of the products
OF technology seem to be among these
forces"
Escape into phantasy. it was stressed,
Will AFFORD no real relief. DR.. Rice saw
the best hopes for the future in inten-
hVe development OF the social sciences.
4
Mother Earth can feed human FAM
lily three or four times as great a. the
present world population, II they can be
made TO behave.
This estimate was presented before
the association here last night by DR..
Frank E. Lathe Of the Canadian Ma
tional Research Council.
Even now, he said, there would be an
abundance for everybody on earth to
eat and wear If it were properly dis
tr1buted, he said, and science has the
means, at present utilized haphazardly.
II at all, OF enormously expanding pro-
duction in most lines
1t Is reassuring to know" he said,
that major increase in food produce
ton Is really possible. This may be
brought about through the more eener-
Gus application Of artificial fertilizers
which are now available in any desired
quantity, the extension Of present agri-
cultural areas by development of new
varieties Of plants, the suppression of
plant and animal diseases, control Of
weeds and insect pests, growth of plants
IN nutrient solutions without soil. and
the use Of plant hormones. Further.
there is the possibility of direct COM
mercial synthesis of carbohydrates for
human and animal food"
With the great developments recently
In the production of artificial organic
and mineral fibers, he said, nobody need
60 cold or ragged in this teeming world
OF the future. Folks may, however.
have to 60 without giant sized news
papers and pulp magazines.
The enormous increase In the use of
paper in recent years." he said" has
Deen major factor in the rapid cut
ting of the worlds forests. At the pres
ent level Of consumption the supply of
raw materials dor paper can be main
tained almost indefinitely. If the re-
cent upward trend continues price in
creases sufficient to curtail present
wasteful practices may be in order"
Heat and power, he admitted, may be
q problem for a world population four
fold That Of the present. But, he
stressed, there are the as yet unde-
veloped possibilities of tapping the great
furnace Of the earths interior, utilizing
the power Of the winds and tides. and
converting directly into power the heat
OF the sun, most Of which now goes to
waste.
But In spite of Mother Earth's bounti-
1ul larder, DR.. Lathe stressed only three
nations in the present political set-up
OF the world-the United States. the
British Empire and Russia-will be able
TO support themselves. All the rest of
the world will be mutually dependent.