Evening star., 1945-06-10

Reviewing The New Books
AreWe Moving From
Pon-Germonism to
Pon-SIuvism?
THE YOGI AND THE
COMMISSAR

Recanting leftists have been &
familiar phenomenon in the polit.
ico-literary scene for some years
They have been so common, indeed
that the interest in their recanta
tions has not been in the taking
off of their old coats, but in the
choosing of their new ones. Some
of them have become conservatives
some have avowed their faithful
ness to radical principles, declaring
that it was the movement, not
themselves. which seeded. Some
have insisted that they still stood
for their classic reforms, but per-
ceived that the reform mechanism
was adequately contained in the
democratic government. And so on
Now We have one coming out in
favor of religion.
Arthur Koestler, who for several
years has been expressing his dis
content with the autocratic methods
of the socialist powers, now takes a
positive turn and places himself
beside Aldous Huxley in stating
that contemplation still remains
the only source of guidance in eth
ical dilemmaS where the rule-of-
thumb criteria of social unity fail. y
In this book of essays he deals with
the worlds political situation and
concludes that leftism is bankrupt,
that for "commiSsar ethics" We must
substitute the ethics of the yogi.
The Other Way Of Knouins.
He has come long way to reach
that point, and he makes serious
effort to put the progress into his
book. Mathematics, history and
science are his milestones. The
significance of our era" he observes,
lis that science has been forced by
its own development to recognize its
limitations, and thus to make room
for the other way of knowing, whose
place it Usurped for almost three
centuries" BY the "other way Of
knowing" he means the commodity
which used to be called the soul, y
though he does not commit the
solecism of employing that term. He
speaks instead of the lost half of
our personalities, mans WhOleneSS
and holiness" To recover that lost
ness we-the common people-must
be taught the art and science of
contemplation, to do which we must
turn to the East" using qualified
Interpreters and, above all, a REIN
depreciation in the terms and SYM
bols of western thought
We must aim at stage. he says,
"when contemplation is taught in
schools side by side with science and
P. T-and instead of religious
dogma. Not to produce cranks, but
to reform mans integrity" 1t is a
vigorous program. One might COM
ment that a leftist can remain a
leftiSt even in recanting.
Failure Of Socialism.
The historical survey which leads
up to the conclusion takes in long
and unsparing essay on the failure
of Socialism in Russia with the con-
sequent discrediting of Socialistic
doctrine throughout the thinking
world. Mr.. Koestler on this point
reveals that he does not turn COM
pletely from his old faith. There
must continue to be Socialistic
movement, he says, but if there is
such a one in Russia today, he i'm
plies that it is necessarily function
ing underground. He looks for an
era of great imperialistic expansion
from the Soviets after the present
war. In place of Pan-Germanlsm
we will have Pan-Slavism, and in
place of the historic ambition to
control the Dardanelles We will have
a drive for the Mediterranean. Rus
sia has all the Fascistic mechanisms
of conquest, he points out and dis
organized Earope lies before her.
The book is unqueStionably an at
tempt to make a truthful world pic
ture without benefit of ideologles. 1t
establishes it's author as one OF the
thinkers of our times to be listened