LETTERS
123
has been, and this is a question that should be answered with a fair degree
of accuracy. Perhaps Charles and Mary Beard's book, "America In Mid–
passage" would be of assistance here; it does contain one kind of answer
to the question, yet even here the statement concerning literary contribu–
tions to the last ten years is clouded by inaccuracies of time sequence and
of emphasis on certain kinds of writing. This question should be answered
by Mr. Gallup and his corps of investigators. b.) I believe that a "political
tendency" in writing moves far more slowly than some people think it
does. The contradictions within it tend to cancel each other, and I believe
it is still too soon to define the actual meaning of the "political tendency"
of the past ten years. That kind of phenomenon is always less important
than phenomena of cultural relevance. A "political" relevance is always
contained within the more general (and at times, more specific) cultural
relevance. A writer should keep his eye on human beings or human
behavior or on himself as a human being rather than on any one political
tendency or movement. It is only in so far as a "political tendency" affects
hJmself or those around him that a writer should evaluate its meaning.
c,) A writer's home and environments are always important: these are his
"roots"; but he should also have enough sensibility and curiosity to realize
that he is also a citizen of the world. Much of the strength of our own
culture has been gained from a particular adaptation and interpretation
of European attitudes. In one sense, to be an "American" is also to be
concerned with European cultures; in that sense, Ezra Pound and T. S.
Elicit are never more "American" than when they are most "European."
For the writer, his true "nationa]ity" is the language in which he writes:
and even this rule has had its notable exceptions.
7. a.) I cannot know until the next war arrives. Has the last world war
actually ceased? I doubt it. b.) The writer's responsibility is to go on
writing.
LEnERS
FOR AN ANTI-WAR JOURNAL
Sirs:
I'm writing you merely to express the
hope-and in the expectation there are
others with the same hope-that PARTISAN
REVIEW will serve continuously as an anti–
war journal. I have read again "War and
the Intellectuals: Act Two" in the Spring
1939 number. It still seems to me ex–
cellent-more so now: it indicates the
'usable past,' the reference- The
Masses,
The Seven Arts,
and perhaps best of all
Randolph Bourne.. • . Some legends ex–
plode of themselves-for example, the
official Soviet-Communist Party legend
(of 48 hours) that the Berlin-Moscow
anti-aggression pact would halt Nazi in–
vasion and protect Poland. But there are
other legends, such as that Chamberlain
and Hitler represent anything but two
sides of the same coin, such as that ever–
recurring one that
this
war is at last the
Holy War to liberate the world: they will
not diminish but increase. There must be
active work against the lies, and its best
action will be a preparation for pacifism.
So, at least, I believe, and I hope PARTI·
SAN REVIEW believes also.
Sincerely,
WINFIELD T. ScoTT,
Providence,
R.
I.
-As Marxists we don't believe in
"paci–
fism" as it is usually defined. But we do
intend to expose and oppose the war in
PARTISAN REVIEW,
and welcome Mr.
Scott's letter.-THE
EDITORS.
