College and Research Libraries


it is charged w i t h a genuine enthusiasm 

for the demolition of regimentation in 

college education. T h e book presents w i t h 

more partiality than judicial detachment 

the case for a flexible curriculum, for the 

destruction of artificial barriers between 

fields of learning, and for the abandon-

ment of such old educational habits as 

grades and examinations. O n e special 

satisfaction in reading this book comes 

from the frequency w i t h w h i c h biblio-

graphical w o r k is stressed as part of each 

student's program. E v i d e n t l y this is not 

mere lip service to the place of the library 

in the new design, but a sincere confession 

of faith in the importance of teaching stu-

dents to move easily and independently 

among sources of knowledge. 

In the best sense, this is a provocative 

book.  I t leaves w i t h one reader, at least, 

a desire to argue the case. O n e wishes 

to ask if mathematics, w i t h its orderly 

and logical progression from part to part, 

can really be relegated successfully to 

the category of a tool chest, from w h i c h 

one small screw may be extracted for use 

in putting together ideas in another course. 

W i l l anything but grinding at a language 

give one understanding of it, so that it 

may be truly u s e f u l ? If one is led on 

gently from enthusiasm to enthusiasm in 

college, w i t h o u t submitting to the routine 

of class w o r k , w h e r e w i l l one learn the 

habit of drudgery, upon which success 

in intellectual w o r k so often depends a f t e r 

college days are o v e r ? H o w can versa-

tility and a light teaching load enable 

even an unusual professor to give expert 

guidance in a field related to his own, but 

of which he is not master? M a y not 

superficiality and smartness result under 

such circumstances and are these less dan-

gerous faults than the rigidity ascribed to 

w o r k in the more traditional colleges? 

H a s not "the orderly acquisition of sub-

ject m a t t e r " as an educational objective of 

the first importance found vindication for-

ever in the brilliant achievements and con-

structive w o r k of men and w o m e n formed 

by the scholarly disciplines of hundreds 

of traditional colleges? 

T h e fair-minded reader of this g r a c e f u l 

and stimulating book, in which a progres-

sive college is the protagonist, w i l l not 

find an answer to his questions in one 

easy Aye or Nay. T h e house of A m e r i c a n 

education is one of many mansions. So 

l o n g as its rooms are thronged by 

i>350,000 students annually, and so long 

as the path beyond it "leads up hill all 

the w a y , " there must continue to be "beds 

for all w h o come." E v i d e n t l y the hos-

pitality offered by Sarah L a w r e n c e has 

found w i d e and deserved a p p r e c i a t i o n . — 

Blanche Prichard McCrum, Wellesley 

College Library, Wellesley, Mass. 

Liberal Education in a Democracy; a 

Charter for the American College. 

S t e w a r t  G . C o l e . H a r p e r , 1940. 

3 ° 9 P - $ 3 -

T H E C O N F U S I O N  O F P U R P O S E t h a t 

characterizes the programs of many liberal 

arts colleges gives rise to this book whose 

purpose is to discuss questions dealing w i t h 

the direction the A m e r i c a n college is tak-

ing in its development, the standards by 

w h i c h it may be guided, and the program 

by w h i c h such standards may be imple-

mented. 

Six criteria of excellence in liberal edu-

cation are presented here by D r . C ol e , 

former college president. Based upon 

study of the history of the A m e r i c a n col-

lege and the psychology of personality, 

through w h i c h students' needs are dis-

covered, these criteria embody an approach 

somewhat metaphysical in character. 

158 ' COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



T h e first four criteria express the pro-

gressive ideas now being carried out at 

some of our best colleges. T h e distinc-

tive elements in D r . C o l e ' s program are 

contained in his last t w o criteria:  " A 

religious philosophy of l i f e " and a thor-

ough understanding of the "language 

medium of the educated person." T h e 

former, by providing the student w i t h an 

aim in life gives meaning, direction to his 

work, develops f r u i t f u l civic consciousness. 

T h e latter is a tool to aid the student in 

all his w o r k , to help him appreciate the 

fundamental value of communication in 

modern life. 

T h e semantic approach is valuable, es-

pecially today, w h e n language is such a 

potent force. T h e r e is doubt, however, 

about the acceptance of Cole's highly ideal-

istic religious approach, admirable though 

it be. T h a t religion is waning, is a re-

cessive force in our culture, the author 

w o u l d probably admit. Religion is the 

embodiment of a fundamental philosophy 

of l i f e ; something  w e lack in our day. 

T h i s lack cannot be supplied w i t h good 

intentions a l o n e . — M o r r i s A. G elfand, 

Queens College Library, Flushing, N.Y. 

JVhat Reading Does to People. A Sum-

mary of Evidence on the Social Effects 

of Reading and a Statement of Prob-

lems for Research. D o u g l a s W a p l e s , 

Bernard Berelson, F r a n k l y n  R . Brad-

shaw. University of Chicago Press, 

1940. xi, 222p. $2. 

D R . WAPLES believes that our theories 
of reading influence have been oversimpli-

fied and that  w e need more objective in-

formation about the nature of the reading 

process and about the social effects of 

reading because in times of crisis the vio-

lence w i t h which changes w i l l occur "de-

pends in large part upon how the several 

agencies of mass communication are used 

to c l a r i f y and to interrelate the interests 

of contending factors." 

T h i s book attempts to present a "syn-

thetic review of the literature," and to 

outline the field of research in the social 

psychology of reading. 

T h e authors first cover the nature and 

importance of print as a means of com-

•munication in relation to other means 

of communication, and the state of our 

present knowledge about the social effects 

of reading. T h e y then attempt to isolate 

the factors which explain the existence of 

some publications and the nonexistence of 

others: i.e., the influence of the character 

of society, of the interests of the persons 

w h o w r i t e and w h o publish, of govern-

ment, the church, the school, and of 

special-interest groups. N e x t they at-

tempt to show that the channels of dis-

tribution canalize both readers and publi-

cations and that the reader is seldom a 

free agent w i t h unrestricted choice: this 

section goes on to discuss the roles of 

libraries and of other agencies in the dis-

tribution of publications of various types 

to readers of various types. F u r t h e r , an 

attempt is made to set up criteria for the 

analysis of the content of publications in 

terms of the hypothesized social effects of 

various types on readers of various types. 

T h i s is followed by a discussion of the 

role played by the readers' predispositions 

in determining w h a t they read, how they 

read it, and how they interpret it, as w e l l 

as motives in reading and other individual 

factors that may be involved in the rela-

tion between individuals and books. 

T h e remainder of the book traces the 

changing patterns of reading through time, 

reviews the evidence on effects of reading 

that is available from case studies, gives 

a topical outline of reading as a field of 

MARC hi, 1941 159