Book Reviews and Notices : Paths to the Present. BY ARTHUR M. SCHLESINGER. (New York: The Macmillan Company. 1949. Pp. vii, 317. $3.00.)
| DOI | 10.1177/106591294900200343 |
| Published date | 01 September 1949 |
| Date | 01 September 1949 |
| Author | Stephen S. Goodspeed |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
462
Paths
to
the
Present.
BY ARTHUR
M.
SCHLESINGER.
(New
York:
The
Macmillan
Company.
1949.
Pp.
vii,
317.
$3.00.)
In
a
series
of
thirteen
stimulating
essays,
many
of
which
have
ap-
peared
earlier
in
professional
journals,
Professor
Schlesinger
presents
a
number
of
sidelights
on
American
history.
The
scope
of
this
volume
is
best
illustrated
by
the
subjects
covered.
After
introducing
the
reader
to
an
analysis
of
the
American
character,
its
origins
and
basis,
one
is
treated
to
essays
on
governmental
problems,
American
participation
in
world
af-
fairs,
urban
development,
the
significance
of
food
and
diet,
and
the
role
of
prophets
in
our
national
life.
Professor
Schlesinger
does
his
best
to
answer
the
admittedly
difficult
question
posed
by
the
eminent
Crevecoeur
in
the
late
years
of
the
Revolu-
tion :
&dquo;What
then
is
the
American,
this
new
man?&dquo;
He
observes
that
the
early
inhabitants,
coming
largely
from
the
poorer
classes,
in
an
effort
to
adapt
themselves
immediately
to
the
problems
of
a
new
life,
of
necessity
learned
rapidly
to
adjust
through
experience
and
hard
work.
This
early
adaptation
to
hardship
was
a
great
stimulus
to
inventive
genius,
individual-
ism,
versatility,
and
later
specialization.
The
growth
of
&dquo;benevolent
societies&dquo;
is
the
basis
for
one
of
the
most
interesting
essays,
the
&dquo;Biography
of
a
Nation
of
Joiners.&dquo;
This
spirit
of
comradeship
through
organized
membership
has
provided
for
the
development
of
the
idea
of
cooperation
and
self-government.
The
ex,
periences
gained
&dquo;have
also
armed
the
people
to
take
swift
and
effective
steps
in
moments
of
emergency&dquo;
(p.
49).
In
addition
to
an
excellent
discussion
of
the
problems
of
the
Presiden-
tial
office
in
the
two-part
essay
entitled
&dquo;Persisting
Problems
of
the
Presi-
dency,&dquo;
the
author
enlarges
upon
results
of
the
study
measuring
the
greatness
of
our
Presidents
which
appeared
in
the
November
1,
1948
issue
of
Lif e.
He
also
delves
into
the
phenomena
of
political
cycles
of
conservatism
and
radicalism,
a
problem
of
extreme
complexity.
The
essays
devoted
to
the
role
of
the
United
States
in
international
affairs
highlight
the
fact
that
between
1869
and
1945
this
country
has
been
involved
not
in
two,
but
in
nine
world
wars.
No
conflict
of
concern
to
North
Atlantic
nations
has
found
the
United
States
on
the
sidelines
for
long,
a
fact
of
which
many
of
our
citizens
seem
to
be
unaware.
The
general
interest
and
usefulness
of
this
instructive
collection
of
thoughts
on
American
life
is
further
enhanced
by
a
section
devoted
to
an
excellent
series
of
books
for
further
reading.
STEPHEN
S.
GOODSPEED.
University
of
California,
Santa
Barbara
College.
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