•322 polities haviourseemsridiculous,oftensucceedsinhittingonanidea whichwillbringhimfameandwealth.Thisconceptionis "integralwiththedemocraticsysteminAmerica,underwhose psychologicalaegis,the"fool" orpoormanmaybecome "wise,"therichman. . ."Thus,Herbert,whooftenplays thezaniewhosucceeds,personifiestheAmericansuperstition thatout of "foolingaround"willcometheefectiveand uniquespurtofgenius. SimultaneouswithHerbert'ssuggestionthathischaracter isonedaygoingtosurprisetheworldwithabrilliantstroke ofgenius,hesuggestsinthemeantimethathis"idiosyncracy . . . rendersitspossessorhelplessandtherefore'morally' exempt."WeseethereforehowHerbert'scharacterizations fulfillstwovicariousneedsfor theaveragemoviegoer:the suggestionthathemaysomeday"hit thejackpot"andthe suggestionthat intheinterimheshouldnotbejudgedtoo harshly.Herbert'scharactersprovide". . . theexhaustvalve fortheaveragepersoncreatedbytheexpectationthatone's dreamingwill logicaly,faithfully,magicalytranslateitself intoone'sdoing." "BernardShaw'sPolitics,"byEricBentley.Kenyon Review.Summer1946. Mr.Bentleyisinthepositionofknowingagooddealabout literatureandnexttonothingaboutpolitics—amostunfortunatedilemmaforacriticdiscussingapoliticalwriter.And forunstatedreasonsheisouttogiveShawapoliticalwhitewashfromchildhoodtosenility,withresultsthatarepretty sad. Bentley'sanalysisisanattempttodisproveorsmearover theusualleftistobjectionstoShaws' politics.Heconfutes thosewhofindtheearlyShawamereFabianreformerinsuf- ficientlyrevolutionary,bymakingofShaws' famousdispute withtheMarxistHyndman,acaricatureofthereality;he deniesthattheFabiansweretheEnglishequivalentof the SocialDemocratic"revisionists"whosetheoreticianwas EdouardBernstein.TwistingtheFabianphrase"inevitability ofgradualness"fromitsrealcontext:itsrejectionofrevolu- tionanditssimilaritytoBernstein'sconceptionthatthemovementisall,thegoalnothing;Bentleymakesof it theplati- tudinousideathatsocialismwilltakealongtimetoconstruct. InBentley'sversionthereadergetsapictureofFabianswho, forall their timidity inperiodsofsocialquiescence,were essentialyrevolutionists.ThismuchtoprovethatShawwas notamerereformer. ThenBentleyproceedstodressupShaw'smiddleperiod inwhichhero-worshipplayedsuchanimportantrole.This slickfeatisaccomplishedbypracticalyignoringShaw'sheavy leaningonNietzsche,hisconstantemphasisonthe leader, an emphasiswhichhascometofruitioninthetragedyofmodern politics.Forced,however,tocommentonShaw'srepeated apool gei sforHitler,MussoliniandStalin,Bentleyofersthe lameexcusethatShaw'sapologiesweremerelyintendedtostir complacentliberalsoutof theirantedatedbeliefsinlaissez- fairecapitalism!(Thereisnosuggestioninhisarticlethat Mr.Bentleymightbespoofing.. .) Andfinally,toexplainShaw'ssystematicpartialitytowards totalitarianism,Bentleyperformsthemostastonishingfeatof all.HeexplainsShaw'sapprovalofStalin'sRussia"forhaving madeleadershipavocation"(Bentley'swords)byviewingit approvingly asadevelopmentofShaw'sconceptionof the "eficientleader"(that is,theunobtrusivebutpowerfulcivil servicecareerman.) Shawrealyrequiresnopoliticalwhitewashes.Hewrote etectiejigigniBitarredoedpeopletothink;buthiswit shouldnotleadustocondonehisthought.For inaddition toShawthenon-conformisttherewasalsoShawtheconformist:hehadapersistenttendencytoconciliatepowerful, ifnotquiterespectable,intelectualmovements(Fabianism, Nietzschism,Stalinism,moderntotalitarianism.)HisSocialism wasaristocraticratherthanplebian,stemmingfromRuskin andCarlyleratherthanMarx.ItwasaSocialismForGentle- menwithatouchofSupermanthrownin;thus,hewrote inoneofhismostimportantpoliticalworks, TheRevolu- tionist'sHandbook: "TheonlyfundamentalandpossibleSocialismisthesocial- izationoftheselectivebreedingofMan:inotherterms,of humanevolution.WemusteliminatetheYahoo,orhisvote wilwreckthecommonwealth." Thiswasa"socialism"whichMenckencould,anddid,hail; itseemstodaypeculiarlyjejuneandpasse.Onlytheextraordinarynimblenessofhismindpreventedpeoplefromseeing theshalownessandsecond-handqualityofmostofShaw's ideas.AndnotallofMr.Bentley'smisdirectedingenuitycan obscurethatfact. "ScienceinSovietRussia,"byWaldemarKaempfert. N.Y.TiznesMagazine,September15,1946. Asurvey,especialyinteresting in relation toGeorg Manns' articleinthisissue.Kaempffertismorerespectfulof theachievementsofSovietsciencethanMannis,citingvari- ousAmericanandBritishscientistswhohavetestifiedtoRusiianachievementsinelectronics,nuclearfission,metalurgy, biology,soilscienceandagrochemistry,andnoting:"In1915, CzaristRussiahadonly 150 researchcenters.Todaythereare over 2,250 scientificinstitutionsinSovietRussia,andthe numberofresearchscientistsandengineersiswelover 40,- 000." OnthepoliticalizationofscienceinRussia,however, heisinaccordwithMann.HenotesthatnotonlydidVavilov disappearin1939"hediedin1943or1945undercircumstancesthattheSovietGovernmenthasnotseenfit tore- veal"—butalsothatafter1939"hisnamedidnotappearin thefootnotesofpaperspublishedinbotanicalperiodicals." (Thistouchwillbefamiliartothosewhorecal therevisions ofhistorytextstheregimehasputthrougheveryfewyears.) Kaempfertcitessometypical titles inRussianscientific periodicals:"TheDialecticsofGradedSteel,""TheDialectics oftheInternalCombustionEngine,""MarxismandSurgery." Healsoreports:"TowardtheendoftheTrotskypurge,the AstronomicalDivisionof theAcademyofSciencespassed someimpassionedresolutions,whichweresignedbythepresi- dentandeighteenmembersandwhichdeclaredthat`modern bourgeoiscosmogonyisinastateofdeepideologicalconfu- sionresultingfromitsrefusaltoaccepttheonlytruedialecticmaterialisticconcept,namely,theinfinityoftheuniversewith respecttospaceaswellastime,'andabeliefinrelativitywas brandedascounter-revolutionary." "Labor'sFirstYear,"byJackWinocourandMichael Young.TheNewRepublic.October7,1946. Thereis, Ibelieve,arequirementoftheFederalTradeCom- missionthatalladvertisingmustbeplainlylabeled,assuch. TheCommissionshouldtakenoticeof thisarticle,whichis notsomarked.Eithertheeditorsof TheNewRepublic were paidbytheBritishExchequerforprintingthisinstitutional ad,orelsetheyareevenpoorereditorsthanthelasttenyears oftheirmagazinewouldleadonetosuppose.LettheF.T.C. investigateanddecide. Likealsuchinstitutional"copy,"whichisdesignedtocre- ategood"goodwill"andinvariablysucceedsincreatingonly
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