328
PARTISAN REVIEW
course I am glad that the museum has
inspired architectural competitums, shown
historically important movies, maintained
a library, and the rest. Even such ven–
tures as the competition of drawings for
P.M. (and the quaint coincidence that
three of the museum's trustees are among
the financial backers of that periodical)
would be easily condoned if the museum
in the course of events lived up to what
its name implies.
It is Mr. Goodwin's brief third para–
graph which I find the most interesting,
particularly as it doubtless coincides with
the opinions of many of his fellow–
trustees. If the type of contemporary
work that they support is indicative of
their esthetic horizon it is easy to under–
stand why they consider painting to be
diminishing in importance as an art. De–
spite Mr. Goodwin, however, the museum
continues to show paintings more than
anything else, and a vast number of
American works, too. I am told that the
abstract movement can be conveniently
studied in other New York collections.
Although the Whitney Museum and the
Metropolitan offer opportunities ad nau–
seam for inspecting American "social
realism," the Modern Museum has never
been deterred /rom continuing a similar
crusade.
The trustees, the Museum staff, and
Mr. Goodwin would probably answer that
they do not show American abstract
works because they do not consider them
good. But this excuse is hardly valid even
from their own point of view; when par–
ticularly noxious work has been exhib–
it·ed, those connected with the museum
have frequently exclaimed that they did
not like it, but that it was the museum's
duty to show the public what is being
done in the world regardless of personal
preferences. I hope that the museum will
not only continue to show some of the
better abstract work, as Mr. Goodwin
promises, but that they will present a
wider variety, with perhaps a glimpse of
what is being done in America.-G.L.K.M.
NEWARK OBJECTS
Sirs:
I am quite sure that within the next
few days you will be deluged with irate
letters from the citizens of Newark, New
Jersey who had the misfortune to allow
their eyes to fall upon a descriptive arti–
cle composed by a Mr. David Chanler.
Your author is one of those literary
infants who is still attracted by the lurid
glow of the mire worm. It is easy enough
to collect sordid details and run a lasci–
vious pen about them, but only an intel–
ligent man and a true artist can see the
whole personality of a great city and not
only that portion of its soul which is un–
fortunately, but quite naturally, darker
than the poor pages upon which Mr.
Chanler writes.
Sincerely,
Oberlin,O.
MORE ON MARITAIN
Sirs:
IAN McGREAL
Sidney Hook's essay on Jacques Mari–
tain and his "integral humanism" is ex–
traordinarily penetrating. As you may
know, Maritain is now preaching his doc·
trine all over the United States. I at·
tended one of his lectures at a Catholic
University (Georgetown) here. Most con–
spicuous in the audience were a number
of college girls who apparently wanted
to catch up on their French. But the
presence of the French Ambassador, sit–
ting in the first row, gave to the occasion
an official "cachet."
Before this audience Maritain appeared
in his dual role of patriot and Thomist.
Completely ignoring confusions and con·
tradictions, he exposed at great length
his solution to the present crisis. He
knew exactly how Europe should be or–
ganized at the end of the War: the basis
of new Europe must be Federalism. But:
"Federal Europe can only exist if Chris–
tian spirit makes her exist." There has to
be a necessary transformation of liberal·
ism, brought about by the "Captains of
industry." Parallelly, integral humanism
requires a transformation of religious
consciousness. "Man must be educated
toward liberty." There followed a senti–
mental passage on angelic goodness, fam–
ily love, fraternal friendship, a "love born
in the vermin of the trenches," etc., which
will he characteristic of the new Euro–
pean citizen. The existence of the "pro-
