Page 16

THE WISCONSIN ALUMNI MAGAZINE
spirit, and everyone present had a most
enjoyable time.-9-30-24.
    [SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
       MABEL BRADLEY BREWER, '04
  The U. W. Alumnae Association of
Southern California met. on October 11 at
the home of Genevieve Church-Smith,
ex '98, 1900 N. Hill Ave., Altadena. A
letter from Jessie Shepherd, '95, was read
regarding the election of officers for the
General Alumni Association, action upon-
which was deferred. After a social hour
refreshments were served. The next meet-
ing will be held on December 13 at the.home
of Elinor Merrill Byrne, ex '03.
   Those present were: Helen Steensland
Neilson, '89, Bertha Fisher Bihchanan, '08,
Jessie Goddard McKinlay, '89, Faye Rog-
ers Carey, '05, Elinor Merrill Byrne, ex '03,
Sarah McKay, '06,9 Genevieve Church-
Smith, ex '98, Mildred Forsythe, '86, Caro-_
line Burgess, '94, Dorothy Ely, '13, Ida
Isabelle Jones, '05, Susan Litch Dow, ex
'74, Clara Dietrich Bradley, ex '80, Abbie
Braytodi Ruediger, ex '01, Illa Dow, ex '05,
Mrs. G. Matthews, -and Marion James
Byam, '11.
BOOK NOTES
   Things ind Ideals (Henry Holt & Co.),
 by M. C. OTTO, '06. The author has
 brought together in this volume twelve
 essays dealing with topics discussed in his
 course in  philosophy  called Man   and
 Nature. They are topics of such vital
 interest aS the nature of the self,, the soul,
 the concept right, the so-called religious
 instinct, etc. His general theory is that
 quýetions of this sort are not to be de-
 cided by   an analysis of the ultimate
 structure of reality, but by reference to
 concrete human 'experience. For while
 they do have their roots in what may be
 termed nature, they are quite as much
 formed by the conditions of life. The
 reader will therefore discover that the soul
Iis not regarded- as an entity or thinig, but
as a certain kind of attitude or loyalty to
music, art, social progress, and the like,
while the self in the' same, way is not looked
upon as ,a separable psychic core, resident
somewhere within us, but as a group of
memories, interests, and capacities centered
in a particular body. In both cases the
environmental conditions have much to do
with creating the loyalties which are re-
ferred to by these names.
   Aside from the consideration of such
 ideas, the book deals with contemporary
 spiritual conflicts. One of these is the con-
 flict between the theory that might makes
 right and the theory that right should be
 the name for the action wýhich is cal-
 culated to achieve the greatest well-being
 of the human beings concerned; another
 is the much agitated conflict between
 science and religion. To the latter subject
 three chapters are devoted. And in each
 case the treatment remains close to the
 positions actually taken by the partici-
 pants in the controversy, so that the'
 language is less professional or technical
 than is usual.
 The book is frankly devoted to the cause
 of social idealism, and although undogmatic
 in-spirit is outspoken and direct. People
 who are satisfied that they have discovered
 the one trail out of the spiritual confusion
 of these times ill hardly find Things and
 Ideals to their liking. It is too obviously
 detached from anything resembling con-
 ventional loyalties. On the other hand,
those.who are in search 6f an introduction
to some of the more prominent con-
temporary suggestions on the subject of
social id~alismn will find in- it a straighfor-
ward defense of an outlook on life at once
idealistic and realistic.
  The book is. supplied with an appendix
  of notes and comments intended for those
  who wish to pursue the study further.
  The Government of Cincinnati'and Ham-.
iltonConutly (City Survey Committee, Cin--
cinnati) is a comprehensive survey directed
and edited by L. D. UPsoN, '08. Three
fifths of this volume of over five hundred
pages deals with about three dozen major
matters concerned with the city govern-
ment, a-few pages cover budgets for the
public school, business procedure of the
board of education, and school building
construction, while about a hundred pages
deal with the county.
  -Dr. Upson is director of the Detroit
bureau of governmental research. Among
his eighteen assistants on this Ohio survey
is another member of the Wisconsin alumni
organization, C. E. RIGHTOR, '09, chief
accountant of the Detroit bureau, who pre-
pared the' reports on City Budget Pro-
cedure, and the county budget.
  While this survey is of course of special
value in gaining an understanding of con-
dit ions in an Ohio city with a population
close to half a million, it also offers a sys-
tematic plan of organization for municipal
and county surveys, presents facts of value
to all students 'of American municipal
government, and shows the difficulty of
making public demands of a modern
American city fit under tax restrictions
imposed by a state legislature.
  Without criticizing the principles of party
government, the report emphasizes the
shortcomings of city government, due to
"the mistaken. but prevailing, theory of
party responsibility."
  The belief of Dr. Upson, "that great
improvement in the government of Cin-
cinnati will come from the introduction of
a strong critical minority in council, the in-
dependence of the council from national
affiliation, and the destruction of the theory
under which the political organization in
           Continued on page 34
16