Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-29
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

America needs q master symbol" to
join its disillusioned people into an Or
ganic whole in the face of the coming
'black ages"
Such is the keynote Of an appeal to
the mind doctors of the Nation this
week from the William A. White
Psychiatric Foundation, made up OF
some of the worlds foremost psychia-
trists who for the past year have been
studying the problems of the present
war from the viewpoint of human mo-
tivations.
A group of three of these physicians
had planned to 60 To England this
month for a frst-hand study of the
actual psychiatric problems raised by
the war, but at the last moment was
unable to obtain passport visas.
At present, they declare in the appeal
issued in the current issue of the founda-
tons journal, Psychiatry, the difficulty
in finding master symbols to attach
the loyalty and devotion of the Ameri-
can peoples stands glaringly in relief.
The failure of the Wilsonian policy was
followed by the disintegration of the
world economic system. On the one
hand, therefore, there is feeling Of
satire about efforts to make the world
safe for democracy and, on the other
hand, a feeling that nobody under
stands anything Of these great economic
changes, as result Of which no one is
entitled to speak authoritatively as to
democracy, economics or world affairs.
"Tacitly the implication is that, since
no one knows what is best, any ones
solution is as good as anothers, and
one had better get what one can, re-
gardless. The obsessional drive to work
that has characterized the western
world has degenerated, through this dis
indignation of values, into drive to get
the greatest possible returns for the least
personal effort. A harsh, self-righteous
individualism has shifted towards blindly
avaricious self-seeking, fatuous devotion
to ostentatious waste and petty obstruc-
misunderstanding to the level of ones
personal security, income and Difference"
There is some virtue" the appeal con-
tinues, "in applying to the Nation the
modern biological concept of organism.
The organism is part of the universe
that has such organization that it can
manifest functional activity as it exists
| in indissoluble communal existence with
environing influences. AS a people we
must be organized This organization
| is in part political. in the sense that all
government activities are political This
| aspect of our Nation requires psychiatric
attention, insofar as the organizing
political structures are made up of people
who have to deal with people.
"a great many of the people who are
| functionaries in any government or
ganization are relatively inadequate for
the efficient performance of their often
! but dimly envisaged role. Some of them
are SO inadequate that they may be re-
| garded as analogous to destructive,
disease areas in the organism. Their
functional activity is disorganizing, Of
ten because their effective motivation
is wholly antipathetic to the welfare of
the organism.
THE psychiatric aspects of this prob
lem are very difficult of solution, but any
other approach is apt to do more damage
than good Widespread ignorance of
the interdependence of people and of
peoples is great handicap to the prompt
af
ciency."
Peace, prosperity, power, equality for
all
During the past few months at least
score of clergymen of various sects
have come to the Smithsonian Institu-
ton to make exact copies of this slogan
in the IroQuois language. 1t is phoneti-
cally reproduced over the model of an
Iroquois village in the Smithsonian ex-
hibft hall, and presumably has been the
text of numerous sermons dealing with
the present condition of the world.
1t was the slogan of the League Of the
Iroquois, perhaps the earliest expression
of democracy in the western world. 1t
QdtCS lIOIu db lcdSb GWU CSllLuIlCS UclOlC
Columbus. 1t has undoubtedly had a
profound, If somewhat intangible, effect
on the structure of other democracies-
particularly that of the United States.
On the other hand, the Soviet govern
ment within the past few years has had
officially translated and published for
the first time a manuscript of the
earliest American ethnologist to study
the league, in the belief that here is
to be found the prototype of Communism.
Among the relics recently added to
the Smithsonian chronological collection
are two Iroquois corn husk dolls pre-
sented by Mrs. J. N. B. Hewitt, widow
| of the foremost modern authority on
Iroquois manners and philosophy, which
are treasured because Of the exact re-
production of the dress of these remark
able Indians at the end Of the 18th
| century. The dolls, representing a man
and woman, are dressed in blue broad
cloth garments decorated with glass,
shell and porcelain beads and with
| colored ribbons. These costumes cor
| respond almost exactly with descriptions
| of the period. The dress of the woman
was particularly elaborate.
The Smithsonian has also just received
| from DR.. William M. Fenton of the staff