Books in Brief

Europe’s Needs and Resources, by J. Frederic Dewhurst, John O. Coppock, P. Lamartine Yates and associates (The Twentieth Century Fund, $12). Five years in the making, this massive (1,198 pages) study of the economies of eighteen Western European nations is at once an analysis and a part of the most hopeful phenomenon of the postwar era: the recovery of prosperity and unifying purpose on the Continent. Dr. Dewhurst, who has twice brilliantly explored the American economy, here pursues a “European approach,” drawing on the talents of economists and scholars from many countries and served as a blueprint for I.S.I.)

Socialism is only an idea, not an historical necessity, and ideas are acquired by the human mind. We are not born with ideas, we learn them. If socialism has come to America because it was implanted in the minds of past generations, there is no reason for assuming that the contrary idea cannot be taught, to a new generation. What the socialists have done can be undone, if there is a will for it. But, the undoing will not be accomplished by trying to destroy established socialistic institutions. It can be accomplished only by attacking minds, and not the minds of those already hardened by socialistic fixations. Individualism can be revived by implanting the idea in the minds of the coming generations. So then, if those who put a value on the dignity of the individual are up to the task, they have a most challenging opportunity in education before them. It is not an easy job. It requires the kind of industry, intelligence and patience that comes with devotion to an idea.

Featured Tags

Europe’s Needs and Resources, by J. Frederic Dewhurst, John O. Coppock, P. Lamartine Yates and associates (The Twentieth Century Fund, $12). Five years in the making, this massive (1,198 pages) study of the economies of eighteen Western European nations is at once an analysis and a part of the most hopeful phenomenon of the postwar era: the recovery of prosperity and unifying purpose on the Continent. Dr. Dewhurst, who has twice brilliantly explored the American economy, here pursues a “European approach,” drawing on the talents of economists and scholars from many countries and served as a blueprint for I.S.I.)

Socialism is only an idea, not an historical necessity, and ideas are acquired by the human mind. We are not born with ideas, we learn them. If socialism has come to America because it was implanted in the minds of past generations, there is no reason for assuming that the contrary idea cannot be taught, to a new generation. What the socialists have done can be undone, if there is a will for it. But, the undoing will not be accomplished by trying to destroy established socialistic institutions. It can be accomplished only by attacking minds, and not the minds of those already hardened by socialistic fixations. Individualism can be revived by implanting the idea in the minds of the coming generations. So then, if those who put a value on the dignity of the individual are up to the task, they have a most challenging opportunity in education before them. It is not an easy job. It requires the kind of industry, intelligence and patience that comes with devotion to an idea.