20–12285
A series of papers on Americanism. The new frontier is the present social and industrial situation and the author’s plea is that it be faced with the spirit that conquered the old geographical frontier of the expanding west. This spirit is for him typified by Theodore Roosevelt. The introduction says, “In this book two main points are emphasized; first, that the spirit of that portion of our people which has actually shaped the destinies of America has been liberal, rather than radical or conservative.... Second, it is claimed that our national spirit has taken its essential liberal flavor from the frontier, from the generations of tireless, self-reliant effort which won this continent for the men and women of our own day and which stamped them with its indelible character.” Contents: The frontier of American character; The leadership that made America; What is a liberal? The politics of the middle of the road; Public opinion and the industrial problem; The need for fifty million capitalists; An American federation of brains; Human resources; The weapons of truth; The American spirit in world affairs; The new frontier. There is a bibliographical appendix, also an index.
“Written by a layman for laymen, with a limited and somewhat uneven bibliography appended for the use of readers not especially familiar with the development of the United States, the book is interesting and valuable as an illustration of one type of thought which has to be taken into consideration by the student of forces making American history today.” L. B. Shippee
+ Am Hist R 26:370 Ja ’21 400w + Am Pol Sci R 11:738 N ’20 40w Booklist 17:11 O ’20
“Excellent book. He sees clearly and writes as clearly, giving no handy panaceas as such, on a topic where the temptation is great.” R. D. W.
+ Boston Transcript p7 Jl 17 ’20 450w
“Mr Emerson knows his American history thoroughly. He is also a student of American psychology, as is shown by his success in directing the publicity of the Liberty loan drives. These two characteristics probably account for much of his ability to strike out a new path in the already overcrowded field of ‘Americanization.’ For that there is novelty and freshness in his attack on an old problem, no one can deny. Nor should it be held against him that he has achieved this novelty through a distinctly original and forceful use of another man’s idea. He has developed Professor Turner’s profound conception of the influence of the frontier in a new field; for the purpose of his argument he has made it his own.” Lincoln MacVeagh
+ Dial 69:303 S ’20 1800w
“The best chapter, we think, is the one on ‘The industrial problem,’ but the whole book is vital and invigorating.” C. F. L.