MATERIALISM IN AMERICA

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27369, 7 June 1954, Page 9

MATERIALISM IN AMERICA

“Danger Of Becoming Robots” (Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK, June 5. i Mr Adlai Stevenson, the 1952 Demo- , cratic Presidential candidate said today that the mounting forces of ■ materialism, ignorance, and fear had i put Americans in greater danger of r becoming robots than slaves. These forces—typified by Mc~ • Carthyism—had created a new fashion of being cynical, sarcastic, 1 and secep- ’ tical about America, he said. “Oft the basis of the record we have 1 outperformed any rival proposals of ■ Communism or of Fascism, and : America has nobly accepted her re- ■ sponsibility and proudly met her time [ for greatness in a troubled age,” said 1 Mr Stevenson, who spoke in a nationally-televised address at the concluding session of the conference cele- • brating the two hundredth anniversary ! of Columbia University. “The story of Ameria is a grand I and glorious story. Why then all this - abuse and criticism?” he said. : “Why then have we of late grown ■ afraid of ourselves? Why have we [ dfc late acted as though the whole ’ nation' is a security risk? “Why have we given in to the bleat- ‘ ings of those who insist that it is dan- ’ gerous for a man to have an idea in ■ his head. Why do we talk of saving : ourselves by committing suicide? ; “The reason is that the nation has ' fallen prey to ignorance and fear. Ignorance leads many to confuse the , ends with the means, to act as though ; material progress were an end in itself ■ rather than a means to great and noble ; ends.

“This, I suggest, is the peril in our hard-headed, ptagmatic attitude that has helped us achieve our social and economic transformation. For if we ever succumb to materialism, the meaning will have gone out of America.”