Evening star., 1938-12-08
Confidence Is Lost
By Demo(raties,
DR.. karitain Says
Moteriolism Bemooned
By French Author at
Georgetown U.

One Of the ''tragic aspects" Of
modern democracies is their mate
rialism and unwillingness ito accept
the risks inherent in the recognition
of justice" DR.. Jacques Maritain,
French Catholic philosopher and
author, declared in a lecture last
night at Georgetown University,
under auspices of the Societe de
Jean Labat.
The French Ambassador, Count
Rene de Saint-Quentin: the Swiss
Minister. Marc Peter, and members
of the French Embassy staff were
included in the distinguished audi
ence of French scholars and teach
ers who crowded the Copley Lounge
for the lecture. DR.. Maritain spoke
in French.
DR.. Maritain avoided a discus
sion Of events leading up to the
peace Of Munich or European poll
tics In general in outlining his views
on Personality and Liberty" He
did, however, contrast the loss Of
confidence" on the part of democ-
racies to the stronger determination
Of the totalitarian relationships.
Overplay Of Individualism.
The lecturer distinguished care
fully between individuality and per-
sonality. The one finds its roots
in the material while the other, he
said, is based on the spiritual. The
excessive "overplay of individual
ism," he warned, is one of the tragic
weaknesses Of democracies.
These thoughts lead us to the
conclusion that the tragedy of mod
ern democracieS is that they saw
something desirable through er-
roneous channels" DR.. Maritain said.
IT they can escape the disaster
which threatens them, it is only
by seeking new orientation, true
significance Of the personality and
to allow its full development.
Another aspect of the tragedy
OF democracies is that they have
lost confidence in themselves. Their
true basis is justice and they do not
want to accept the risks inherent
in the recognition Of justice.
I'm the meantime, the totalitarian
dictatorships, who are much more
Machiavellian, have an absolute con-
| fidence in their fundamental prin-
ciple of brute force-and they stake
everything on that.
Truer Humanism.
If the democracies are to return
to the sense of justice and the as
sumption Of risk, then it is only by
the abandonment of a purely ma
terialistic concept of the individual
and q true conception of the role
Of personality in society. To the
inhuman humanism of absolute in
dividualism would there then sue
ceed a truer humanism which would
place the personality in the common
service Of justice and brotherhood" !"
DR.. Maritain explained the rise Of
Communist and Fascist dictator
ships as reaction from the. failure
of bourgeois" society to take into
account the human personality. He
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Fascism for their denial of human
rights, citing particularly the recent
purges Of the Soviet Union.
In the audience that heard the
distinguished professor of philosophy
on the faculty of the Institute OF
Medieval Studies at Toronto was
Mrs. Jean Labat, widow Of the
Georgetown professor after which
the French society was named. DR..
Leon Dostert Of the French depart
ment, who has arranged the series
Of French lectures at Georgetown
spoke briefly, and DR.. Wilfyid Par
sons, s. j., dean Of the graduate
school Of Georgetown, introduced
the speaker.