The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1944-08-10
Turning Over An
Old Leaf
BY PHILLIP A. Gladden.

There were faces to remember in the
Valley Of the Shadow;
There were faces unregarded, there
were faces TO forget;
There were fires Of grief and fear that
are few forgotten ashes;
There were sparks Of recognition that
are not forgotten yet
What is culture? In the broadcast
sense, culture is the cultivation of
life There are infinite forms of liv-
ing, lust as there are increasing ways
of making a living. An American
would not long feel at home within
the life patterns OF an Arab; they
represent two distinct ways Of life
The differences in culture are deter
mined by climate, landscape, and the
central concept Of reality. If it is a
new culture, the central reality is
acquired either by revelation or sub
jective experience. If it is an old
culture, the central reality is inhA'
tied.
In America we have culture is
lands within the ocean Of humanity.
Some Of these are old-world in trad
ition. Others reflect new-world
feeling, and are in uniformed, quasi
articulate shapes. Along with these
detached culture islands are the
standardized gadgets nationalistic
ideas, dress, morals and attitudes
These standardized and rcgimentcd
patterns are created and distributed
by means of city congratulations. Thus
every remote section Of the land is
daily influenced thru radio, advertis-
ing, and transport by these large
scale regimented products Of highly
trained minds made viable by mach
merry, whether human or material,
In spite Of the success Of the urban
culture, which at present dominates
our whole landscape both in terms Ct
mental and manual expression; that
dominates our religion, politics, mode
of Tess, and standard Of living, MAX
ing money the vital current (curren-
cy) that keeps human life in circu-
lation--there is nostalgia like poison
gas putting people to sleep. They
walk and work as in dazc; they
, have lost the soul of life These 'cul-
! turc islands, though non-dominant
/ vet remain either as Ravens Of mem
DRY or hope. Those who adhere to the
culture Of memory realize that the
past forms can never be restored
/ Those who are gropng fer culture
/ Of tomorrow live already within the
! eager Joys Of becoming. To these
latter people belong the future Of q
more balanced, sane and happy life.
| The only way to bring in d new cul-
tural era is to renounce the civilizat-
ion which is being sustained by the
urban centers.
In order to make suCl remuneration
effective it is imperative that people
forsaAe the city modes, and return tc
the landscape, as did Abraham Of old
Here in America the people who
yeam most for a folk couture on the
soil are the people Of the cities. Life
| Magazine last week carried a number
Of pictures showing a display Of folk
costumes being worn by city girls
! Here in our cities folk culture is
/ lived both as memory and as hope
but not as a present reality. In oul
countryside the natives hope to es-
cape the drudgery of the soil, procure
job in some industrial center. make
more and more money so as to have
more and more of the things that
most city people are tired Of,
Thus the people Of the city and the
people of the country find themselves
living in hope Of standing in each
others shoes--and as for their present
experiences of life they are meaning
less, hence the nostalgia.
The by-products Of many wars
j have been the infitration Of alien
cultures with the native ones We
were taught in history classes that
the Crusades Of West Europe against
the Saracens were the precursors Of
the Renaissance. Many people think
that World War ! fundamentally
,.b ,,i.,io,, Of
a elf-contained, isolated nation to
one Of interdependent relations with
all nations, and that pam American
ism bids to articulate new central
reality, that will be shaped in clothes,
manners, politics, religion, and art so
as to make wholly unique culture
And there many who say that after
this war America will turn inten-
sively to the cultivation Of new way
OF life, although no one can define
what this new way Of life will be-
If the more advanced people of our
cities are preparing to renounce ur-
ban culture in favor of Horticulture,
just what kind of folk culture will
it be? This all depends upon the cen
trail reality. Whatever power or force
that motorizes vision, will, and eX-
preston of this reality it must be
more powerful, more persevering than
the dominant ideas that at present
prevail. Most likely the new reality