DONAHUE, WILMA, and CLARK TIBBITTS (Eds.). Planning the Older Years. Pp. viii, 248. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1950. $2.50

• Author: Thomas R. Fisher
• DOI: 10.1177/000271625127400185
• Published date: 01 March 1951
• Date: 01 March 1951
• Subject Matter: Articles

252

to

open

up

new

vistas

for

research.

This’

should

not

be

too

irritating

to

established

scholars;

and

it

should

be

an

incentive

to

those

on

the

outer

edges

of

achievement.

JAMES

H.

S.

BOSSARD

University

of

Pennsylvania

DONAHUE,

WILMA,

and

CLARK

TIBBITTS

(Eds.).

Planning

the

Older

Years.

Pp.

viii,

248.

Ann

Arbor:

University

of

Michigan

Press,

1950.

$2.50.

This

is

a

book

of

twelve

chapters

by

as

many

authors.

Some

of

the

chapters

are

much

better

than

others,

but

all

are

a

con-

tribution

to

the

much-needed

literature

on

this

field

of

study.

The

volume

is

certainly

not

a

monument

but

does

make

its

con-

tribution

to

studies in

this

field

both

cur-

rent

and

needed.

There

are

parts

of

the

book

that

are

dis-

appointing

because

they

reflect

what

many

will

believe

are

outmoded

procedures.

Gen-

erally

the

book

calls

for

no

bold

and

ad-

venturous

educational

experiment.

It

in-

sists

upon

educating

the

older

people,

in-

stead

of

the

younger

generation,

children,

and

teachers.

There

are

people

in

this

field

who

believe

that

education

for

a

longer

life

must

start

in

the

kindergarten

and

end

only

with

death.

Chapter

I,

&dquo;Broadening

Horizons

in

°

Gerontology,&dquo;

is

rather

a

poor

chapter

to

start

the

book

off.

For

the

most

part

it

is

broad

and

general

and

reads

as

though

it

had

been

given

as

a

speech

at

a

foundation

dinner.

Besides

being

general,

this

chapter

contains

much

material

that

would

seem

to

be

of

doubtful

value,

as

well

as

some

that

is

a

little

ludicrous.

When

the

author

states

that

&dquo;it

is

also

recognized

that

no

healthy

economy

can

be

maintained

when

large

numbers

of

persons

[the

aged]

are

ex-

cluded

from

productive

activities&dquo;

he

treads

on

doubtful

ground

for

at

least

two

rea-

sons ;

there

may

be

a

question

(1)

whether

old

people

should

work

in

a

machine

economy

and

displace

the

workers

of

the

next

generation,

and

(2)

whether

they

’should

work.

Is

that

all

that

we

can

think

of

to

occupy

the

declining

years

of

the

aged?

Further

on

in

this

chapter,

it

is

pointed

out

that

the

&dquo;primary

goal

of

the

programs

for

the

aged

is

the

securing

and

guaranteeing

of certain

inalienable

rights;

life,

liberty,

and

the

pursuit

of

happiness.&dquo;

This

reviewer

has

no

objection

to

the

pur-

suit,

but

if

old

age

ever

catches

liberty

and

happiness,

he

is

very

apt

to

be

disappointed

in

his

conquest.

Chapter

II,

&dquo;Living

Arrangements

to

Meet

the

Needs

of

Older

People,&dquo;

is

a

very

good

and

constructive

chapter.

It

demonstrates

knowledge,

experience,

and

imagination.

The

chapter

heading

actu-

ally

covers

the

chapter,

which

is

unusual,

and

it

should

be

read

by

anyone

interested

or

working

in

this

field.

Chapters

III

to

VI,

inclusive,

have

to

do

with

housing;

many

of

the

ideas

proposed

are

based

upon

uncertain

conclusions

which

have

been

arrived

at

without

adequate

data

or

research.

This

is

not

necessarily

a

damaging

criticism,

but

it

might

require

a

change

in

policy

after

the

material

and

facts

are

collected.

Chapter

VII,

&dquo;Public

Attitudes

Toward

Various

Activities

of

Older

People,&dquo;

is

in-

teresting

in

spite

of

the

novel

way

in

which

the

author

arrives

at

his

conclusion.

The

author,

a

professor,

with

his

students,

asked

a

thousand

people,

from

20

to

80

years

of

age,

what

they

thought

of

each

of

91

activities

in

which

older

people

might

engage.

These

are

classified

from

strongly

disapproved

to

strongly

approved.

This

may

have

its

value,

but

it

seems

to

this

re-

viewer

that

no

man

at

70

should

need

worry

as

to

whether

his

conduct

was

strongly

approved

or

strongly

disapproved

so .

long

as

he

was

not

a

&dquo;menace&dquo;

to

so-

ciety.

If

Mr.

Jones,

age

70,

wants

to

go

to

the

tavern

and

drink

beer

all

day,

no

one

should

object;

in

fact,

he

probably

should

be

transported

to

the

tavern

in

a

govern-

ment

jeep

and

returned

to

his

home.

It’s

time

America

grew

up

regarding

her

aged.

Probably

the

most

interesting

ideas

and

content

are

contained

in

Chapter

IX,

&dquo;An

Experiment

in

the

Restoration

and

Preser-

vation

of

Personality

of

the

Aged.&dquo;

This

chapter

does

not

deal

with

the

subject

mat-

ter

adequately,

but

it

is

a

start

and

points

out

what

is

being

done

on

this

broad

sub-

ject.

THOMAS

R.

FISHER

Department

of

State

Washington,

D.

C.