LAST DITCH OF DEMOCRACY - Majority Rights

Demeter. You may remember that Doc. Rouse calls Greek a necessity of
civilized life. IT IS. So is Latin. Take time to go into these matters. I was
layin’ for to point out the difference. The European and specifically
Italian SENSE of these things. It shows in my bein’ here at this radio.
That is due to [the] Italian sense of civilization, sense that special work
like mine, and like that of other writers, Carlini, for example ought to go
on. That communication OUGHT to be kept up war or no war. Like they
go on having picture shows. Go on holdin’ up and improvin’ criterion in
the arts. NOT universal in any country. But a field where competition is
healthy. And I have before now said that from England and America I do
not HEAR any indication of a similar sense of civilization. The best
writers in England and America do NOT get to the microphone, which is
the only way of communication left open. The American microphone
descends to the level of Hollywood.
I could trace that back a good way to the decay of integrity in the
BETTER American magazines. Decay of sense of responsibility, to and
FOR the thought of the American nation. Sedgewick and other blights
that I started objectin’ to 36 years ago. I got no time tonight to be
political. I meant to be political, but nobody here ASKS me to be
political. I wanted to make a little list of lies and swindles that are
breakin’ down, not catchin’ coneys (that means catchin’ suckers) so
plentiful. The swindles England put over on others; that she don’t like
you puttin’ over on her. Mr. Welles bein’ pious, and trying to resell us the
free trade hoax. And up jumps the Bolshevik threatenin’ to DUMP like
all hell, according to the most rabid pluto Bolshevik methods.
All that is instructive but on a more popular (mebbe I ought to say in a
certain sense less popular) plane.
#110 (July 25, 1943) U . K. (C74)
LOST OR STOLEN (PERDUTO O RUBATO)