CURRENT LITERATURE

Hokitika Guardian, 8 January 1927, Page 4

CURRENT LITERATURE

AMERICA IX BRITISH EVES

Professor W. Al.cDougall brings exceptional qualifications to the writing id ” The American Xation.” A serious study of a community ultimately resolves itself into an analysis of tho psychology of that community, and Professor McDougall is a distinguished psychologist. He has held chairs in the l niversities of London and Oxford, and since 1920 lie has occupied a similar position in Harvard. lie'approaches his task with a favourable bias, but on occasion lie permits himself the candour of a. friend. " I have a great sympathy with America, as it was in' the bygone years.” he says. “ and I am conscious of a desire that the America ol the future shall retain some semblance of the America of the past.” On the whole, lie is satisfied with the prospects, though he does not fail to note certain tendencies which, unless controlled, may interfere with America’s healthy development.

The American nation is not the fortuitous by-product of various geographic, biologic and economic forces. Xor can it hope u> prosper through the blind working of such forces. It is tin- purposeful creation of men who v. ho have willed that it should exisr. who have hen filled with the vision of a nation greatness, and who have striven not without some measure of success to make that dream a. reality. “ The foundations of the American nation have been well and truly laid.

ami uiion them a magnificent framelvork has liccn built.” It remains for the national spirit, not to complete the work for there can he no completion—but to carry it on.

Strategically America is unassailable. Any dangers which may threaten her are from within, and not from without. and Professor .McDougall limbs four potentially disruptive iullueuces. The first of these is promiscuous immigration. The theory of the melting pot is no longer tenable. America has recognised that it was beyond her power to assimilate a cosmopolitan borde of peoples diflermg in race, outlook ami traditions. .Many of them have remained alien in thought, in habits, even m speech. She has awakened at length to the peril of vitiating her national stock with an infusion of foreign strains, and has imposed restrictions upon immigration. Yet much mischief has already been done, and the problem has not yet been solved. The second danger lies in the possibility of religious discord. One America was predoniinantingly Protestant. Tls original inhabitants, indeed, were voluntary exiles, who sought to escape from intolerance. Hut the Roman Catholic Church has become increasingly strong, and, according to the construction that has been put upon certain public declarations by Roman Catholic prelates in America, is aiming at an ascendancy among creeds. The assertion has been made that ” the Roman Church look-, to the conversion of .America to a predominance ol

• '•ilholieistn as a sure means to the restoration of its temporal power throughout the world.” To resist the alleged encroadhmeuts of the Roman Church the Kit Klux Klan was revived a few years ago, and now claims a membership of live millions. The third danger arises from the negro problem, in respect to which America lias to choose between three main policies. One of these is laissezfaire, which is no real policy at all. The second is race amalgamation, which for obvious reasons, is unacceptable. The third is segregation, and this. 1o the author’s mind, provides the only genuine solution. Hut it will have to be cn a heroic scale. Territory capable of supporting a population of In or 20 millions will have to be set apart, and the negroes transferred to it on bloc Professor .McDougall suggests that it might be purchased in Africa or New (iuinea. What better way. lie asks, could be found of expending the sums due to America as war debts ?

'l’lii 1 fourth danger springs from America's iusuhirity. Self-knowledge and self-criticism mr indispensable il a nation is to progress, and nothing promotes them mure powerfully than intercourse with foreign nations. Tn (ousepuenoe of t'hc policy of isolation nliicli America has persistently pursued. “ the American nation has rcmaineil naive and childish in all its foreign relations. II has consistently displayed a naive self-righleoilMiOsx. a child-like belief in the puritv of all its aims and notions in relation to other

States, and a primitive uncritical conviction of its moral superiortiy to other States. At the same time it has naturally displayed a correlative childish impatience at all criticism coming from outside, a touchiness and petulance unbecoming to a great nation, and aw incapacity to exert impartial more! judgment in international affairs.’' These faults are not peculiar to Amer 7 icn ; but she possesses them to a marked degree oil account of her lack of international contacts and responsibilities. The same consideration explains her attitude to the war and the war debts. She was late in entering the arena. She “ congratulates , her,sell that her act of noble condescension was u "su I lied by participation in the spoils ; ,| war, ltaivelv overlooking the laef that while other nations fought to prevent ibe domination of the world by Prussian militarism and bureaucracy, she gathered the wealth of till the world into her lap.” If it were possible for America to maintain this jealous isolation site would become in the international sphere a sanctimonious bully, bated and feared by others. Fortunately it is not. Numerous forces which cannot he resisted combine to bring her into the full stream of world a (fairs.