CHANGED AMERICANS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 79, 30 September 1924, Page 6

CHANGED AMERICANS

"PURSUIT OF PLEASURE AND THE DOLLAR" DR. MACMILLAN BROWN'S ■ COMMENTS. " Some interesting comments .on Ame--nca and the .American people were" made: .to a "Post" representative yeqterdav by Dr. J. MacmMau Brown, ; Chance!lor of .the New Zealand 'University, who re-: .turned by the Tahiti after a few jnotths' visit to .the west qoast of America" Af-i ter stating th.c results of ,-liis .. observa--tions in connection with ethnological •research relating .to the . peoples .of tho • Ocean, Dr. Macniillan Brown said: "One other thing I went to see' ,was how the character of the. American .was changing; I had not' been vi: America, for fourteen years, but I went■througli America about -forty years ago, ,and after tho present visit I have come to the conclusion "that in'.the\West the Americans have .become in the one sex absolute of" pleasure, and, in the other, pursuers of. the' dollar^ '." The .women have printed -in their faces that f soft, luxurious .look which comes from . constant pleasure, and . which is so attractive. The .men have. a set expression on their -face: it is the .pursuit of the .dollar; a .firm lower jaw; ends of the mouth turned dawn, whilst, thpse of the women .areturned up. Altogether, my impression is that .the American nation has moved down the slope towards the abyss—the same abyss-as tho Roman empire reached. "\yhat has made them' show '.this phenomenon more than any other is that it is the richest country in the world, and the most prosperous still. The nation really needs a set-back; and. it would be no bad' thing if the war which is threatening' .between Japan and America should come _abo.ut. jj. y. ou i,i leave America .financially bied, and that would <b.e -like the old blood -letting jcure for disease. It .nwke-Ahem-healthy and strong again. Japan and America were the ,two nations" that won the .war financially, all the other Allies lost it financially. The result ,is that the.pleas-ure-seekers that I .met in Alaska'- arid down the Yukon ,to Da,wson all .asserted : : ' \Ve won the war.' My reply was: generally, 'Yes. just os it ,was the last straw that broke' the camel's back.' It is that tendency to swelled head' amongst the well-to-do, jsemi-etlucated middle-classes that will flare "out if anyuntoward incident -in the relations with Japan should occur."