The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-03-04
TO END DRIFT
 OF DEMOCRACY
Eminent SOciOlOgist Says Minds of People
 Bar Progress

New York, March 4.-(UP) Am erica can save itself from Fascisnl or Communism by setting up a real democracy, pr. Joseph K. Hart of Columbia University believes.
 But the United States is not yet democracy, and has long way to go to attain the goal of 1776, Dr. Hart, an eminent sociologist, con- cludes in new book, Mind ill Transition" published by Covici- Friede
 Dr. Hart is angry at the com mon statement that America has only two alternatives Communism or Fascism. Why not, instead of re- sorting to these extremes, give dem-
 ocracy q chance? he asks. In a careful and scientific exposition, Dr. Hart traces the history of the hu- man mind, and concludes it is about time we stopped letting civilization drift" and took our destiny into our own hands. Democracy, he argues, can do lot better job than any social philosophy the world is trying now.
 People Don't Care
 The trouble ts, as Hart himself admits, that most people don't care much what happens to the world. What happens to them as individ- uals is important. Democracy, which implies an intelligent solution to the problem of where we as q nation are heading, is hard to operate. Most folks would prefer to let home dic- tator do all the thinking for them. At least, that's Dr. Hart's idea, which he proved time and again in his tory.
 Dr. Hart argues that world cvo- lution moves so rapidly, that mans mental capacity to absorb his dcs- tiny lays Science, created by the mind, has become a tail wagging the dog. Teachers pass on to chil- dren only the pattern of q pre- vious existence, leaving them unable to cope with the tremendous prob lems which assail them In the world. The game must he played by the old rules, which no longer fit. AS a result, critical mind must be boot legged" if 1t wins an audience at all.
 Offers 5-Point Program
 So what? Dr. Hart asks. He has live-point program to revitalize American democracy so that Amer ica may work out it's salvation, accomplish an "econuomy of abun- dance for all," and maintain free dom of speech and freedom of mind.
 Here's the plan:
 l. Draft our scientists to put our economic house on an efficient basis for today and for the future, planning for the whole nation as though it was the home commun- ity.
 3. Uproot everything undemo- cratic from politics, and get the people thinking about democracy in terms of collective freedom for everyone, rather than freedom for individuals No rigid legal consti- tuition would do, of course. ~ 3. ReorganiZe schools to teach children how to live in their own world when they grow up; not how people lived in an obsolete world.
 4. Reorganize religion, discarding ancient traditions which Dr. Hart believes keep the people forever looking hack, or keep them await ing and saviour" instead of saving their world themselves.
 ,. Reorganize minds to keep pace with evolution, to accept rather than resist the changes constantly required by a changing world.
 The last is the joker, of course, as Dr. Hart admits. The book mar rates time and again the fact that human beings refuse to allow their lives, their religions, their tradi- tions, and their minds to be up- rooted. But Dr, Hart's plan for democracy would do just that.