The Project Gutenberg EBook of The American Credo, by
George Jean Nathan and H. L. Mencken

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Title: The American Credo
A Contribution Toward the Interpretation of the National Mind

Author: George Jean Nathan
H. L. Mencken

Release Date: December 14, 2007 [EBook #23858]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE AMERICAN CREDO

A Contribution Toward the Interpretation
of the National Mind

BY

GEORGE JEAN NATHAN and H. L. MENCKEN

NEW YORK
ALFRED A. KNOPF
1920

* * * * *

_BY H. L. MENCKEN AND GEORGE JEAN NATHAN_

HELIOGABALUS: A BUFFOONERY

_BY H. L. MENCKEN_ _BY GEORGE JEAN NATHAN_

THE PHILOSOPHY OF FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE ANOTHER BOOK ON THE THEATRE

A BOOK OF BURLESQUES MR. GEORGE JEAN NATHAN PRESENTS

IN DEFENSE OF WOMEN A BOOK WITHOUT A TITLE

A BOOK OF PREFACES THE POPULAR THEATRE

PREJUDICES: FIRST SERIES COMEDIANS ALL

* * * * *

PREFACE

I

The superficial, no doubt, will mistake this little book for a somewhat
laborious attempt at jocosity. Because, incidentally to its main
purpose, it unveils occasional ideas of so inordinate an erroneousness
that they verge upon the ludicrous, it will be set down a piece of
spoofing, and perhaps denounced as in bad taste. But all the while that
main purpose will remain clear enough to the judicious. It is, in brief,
the purpose of clarifying the current exchange of rhetorical gas bombs
upon the subject of American ideals and the American character, so
copious, so cocksure and withal so ill-informed and inconclusive, by
putting into plain propositions some of the notions that lie at the
heart of those ideals and enter into the very substance of that
character. "For as he thinketh in his heart," said Solomon