Evening star., 1939-01-29

Author of "The Gardeners
TraUel Book" (Cushman &
Flint.)
charged that the Authority was more
or less playing ball with the labor
racketeers, thus running up con-
struction costs, and that it was not
keeping the public fairly informed
of its progress or its expenses, both
Of which, he said, were unsatisfac-
tory. He set forth an undeniably
impressive indictment and the edi-
tors of the Atlantic called attention
to his pieces in prefacing note.
Mr.. Straus takes up the charges
one after another and disposes of
them by saying that they are not
true. Where Mr.. Stevenson pro-
duced figures to show that they are
true, Mr.. Straus produces more and
different figures to show that they
are false. He is quite as positive as
Mr.. Stevenson and his references
are just as we'll authenticated. The
reviewer does not know what to tell
her readers, but suggests that they
get both sides anyhow. When you
have paid your money, you can take
your choice.
1t is little disappointing, to be
sure, that Mr.. Straus does not 60
into more detail in his refutation of
the racketeering charge. He is brief
about that, saying simply that IF
Mr.. Stevenson implies that public
housing in America has in any way
facilitated real or fancied labor
racketeering (racketeering, as he
discusses 1t, seems to be synonymous
with strikes of all kinds )"-the re-
viewer objects-she did not get any
such impression from Mr.. Steven
sons pieces-"then he fails to ex-
plain why the examples of this evil
which he cites are drawn largely
from the private construction in
dustry, while most of his citations of
the effective attacks upon this evil
are drawn from the history of public
housing by the Public Works Admin
istration and the U. S. H. A."
1t may be that that answer covers
the case, of course. But it does seem
to be pretty short A reader cannot
but hope that Mr.. Stevenson will
offer rebuttal In a forthcoming
issue Of the magazine, for the sub
ject Is an important one and the
charges made against the program
are serious. Mr.. Straus sums them
up by saying:
Viewed as a whole, Mr.. Steven
sons articles, while heavily docu-
mented with supposed facts and
ponderous footnotes, are a manipu-
lation of figures in an effort to sus-
tain prejudices and preconceptions
1t Is not housing, but rather misin-
formation about housing, that is a
disgrace, though happily not ma
tional one"
This Is, OF course, extremely good
news and taxpayers ought to rejoice
to hear it. But the reviewer is pug
zled as to why the ancient and hon
orable Atlantic Monthly, a magazine
which is by-word for conservatism
and caution, should open its pages
to articles composed completely OF
transformation" 1t hardly seems
In the Atlantic's tradition to have
done so.
DR.. Karl A. Menninger, whose ar
ticle Men, Women and Hate" is
mentioned above, is the author of
the recent book, Man Against Him
SELF" a treatise designed tc show
that the will to death is more prev
alent among human beings than we
recognize and the suicide has many
forms beside the one contained In a
brief taking off. In Men, Women
and Hate" he carries on somewhat
along this theme, but limits his re-
marks to the manner in which the
death urge affects those within the
institution of marriage.
His finding is that hate is the un-
derlying reason for mans longing
ta die or to destroy life, and that
hate springs from sex antagonisms
acquired in childhood, generally
from unhappy relations between
mothers and sons brought about by
the mothers subconscious deter
mination to revenge herself on men
in the person of her own male off,
spring. The revenge wisA Gin its
turnD comes from the social and
economic conditions which prevent
the woman from having a normal
loving attitude toward children.
AS DR.. Menninger puts it, "The
social and economic structure de-
prives women of children and an
tagonizeS them toward children.
The children reflect this in the sub
sequent association with other adults
and with the next generation. Men
turn from women to the company
OF other men and thus thwart
women further and they, in turn,
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