Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-02-12
Here Brief
Definition Of
Propaganda
Man S Mind
to See Your Viewpoint.
BY BENJAMIN DE CASSERES
HI READ it in a book:
Il What is DrOpapanda?

by BENJAMIN DE CASSEhES
HI READ it in a book:
What is propaganda?
Gorham r. MunSon in his in
tcresting book, Twelve Decisive
BATTLES of the Mind" (the Grey
stone PreSst, gives about the
best and shortest definition OF
that much-discuSSed word that I
have ever read to wit;
propaganda j. the art and
science of controlling the mind
of mankind by overwhelming in
sistence upon a point OF view"
Mr.. Munson'S II decisive"
battles AS eXempliiied in inten-
size propaganda are Pauls
"EpiStle TO the r o m a n s."
Thomas Painc'S Com non
Sense the French Declaration
of the Rights of Man, the
Communist Manifesto, - Uncle
Toms Cabin, Zola'S "J Ac-
cuSe," The Protocols Of the
Learned Elders of Zion" (propa-
Ganda for anti-SemltiSm), Will
sons Fourteen Points Lenin's
Theses Of the April 4, Hitler's
speeches. MuSsolni's We or
They declaration and the pres
cnt war.
Some of these, however. it
seems To me, are not definitely
decisive.
NHE French revolution faded
Il in the shadow of Napoleon.
The Communist Manifesto
the anti-JeWiSh campaign, Will
sons II points, XolaS propa-
Ganda for justice, the doctrines
of. Lcnln, Hitler and Mussolini
arc still in the balance, maybe
for centuries
And. indeed, Christianity is
again on trial, It looks as if ST.
Paul'S battle may not have beer
decisive.
What Thomas Paine and Juh,N
Ward Howe said in Common
sense and in Uncle Toms
CABIN" were really decisive.
OF course. Mr.. NunSOn like
any other writer. has a perfect
right 10 choose his battles, but
in decisive battles of the mind
he left out two Of tho most inn
portant. StupendouS and far
reaching the battle over Calico
and the Copernlcan theory in
CoSmic philosophy tthe triumph
OF C0pcrncuS carried away the
whole ancient WORLD and the
titanic struggle for evolution.
with those three giants. Darwin,
Huxley and Spencer, stripped 10
/ the waist
The main value Of this book
lies in the copiouS excerpts from
( the historic documents Of propa-
ganda
For sheer grandeur Thomas
Paine'S Common Sense tops
/ them all
THE psychology of professors
Il who have been professors
since their youth would make a
very curious and fruitful study.
They live sheltered lives.
They never come IN touch with
4 the human being IN the raw.
/ They deal entirely with ideas
and hlucprInts and dead tones.
They are, IN the main, a
mummiGed caste.
This sad truth comes home 10
mo more and more as / read
book after book by professors
on thus world crisis. They know
everything but human nature
and that Is because human ma
ture Is not found in newspaper
clippings. research work and
/ IN systems Of logic invented IN
/ ClaS>rOOnS.
Here. for instance. is A thiCIM
/ tome called Design for Power
by Prof Frederick l.. Schuman'
/ Cknopn.
It's hardly more than re-
/ writ" Of newspaper clippings
/ since 1881 But what makes IL
somewhat interesting is Profess
Sor SChuman advocacy of total
union OF the United States with
/ the British Empire and his belief
/ in the honesty Of Joe Stain.
He even wants the United
States of America and the Brit
/ l>h Empire 10 adopt a common
/ currency. a common citizenship
/ and establish a provisional fed
cral government.
He has not Imagination enough
TO sec that that would lead to
perpetual wars with every nation
excluded from this AnGlO-SaXon
! trust, for such il would be.
Or. maybe, the crudite but
unImaglnatlve professor would
| invite Russia into the trust?
do not know, but A professor,
cSConCed in his tOuCh-me-not
seat of authority, dare rush in,
YOU know, where we fearsome
columniStS fear TO tread-even
with our thoughts
But what / like about Profess
Sor Schuman is when he arches
his back like a puSSyCat and spits
out bad words AT all those who
do not agree with him.
That's real sign of life in
the CorralS of the ldca-truSt.