JAMES MONTGOMERY FLAGG - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 10/03/1929 - HFSID 286404

JAMES MONTGOMERY FLAGG
TLS responding to the assertion that "Man is a mere machine"
Typed Letter signed: "James Montgomery Flagg", 1 page, 8½x11. 108 West 57th St. (New York), 1929 October 3. To Editors of the Forum, in full: "In reply to yours of the 30th Sept. That Man is a mere machine, entirely animated by external stimuli is to me utterly grotesque - a gargoyle of an idea. Even Dr. Watson who is quoted as stating that opinion must in fairness to his publisher exempt himself from these machines - for what intelligent publisher could be induced to issue books by a robot - except as a hoax? If this machine idea were propounded figuratively as a social criticism of life in America then I would agree but put forth as an esoteric or philosophical concept of generic Man it is absurd. The evidence of the opposite is too abundant."When the U.S. entered WWI, American illustrator James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960) created the "I Want You" U.S. Army recruiting poster, which featured an Uncle Sam based on his own likeness. The poster was revived in 1940, and as official New York state militia artist, Flagg created a number of stirring posters, including a sleeping Miss Liberty captioned with the admonition: "Wake Up, America". His work also includes posters for the American Red Cross and illustrations of buxom girls in popular periodicals (from 1892). The Watson referenced here is certainly John B. Watson, founder of the Behavioral School of Psychology, who did indeed argue that Man is a biological mechanism responding to external stimuli in a predictable way. Toned and creased. 2 vertical 1 horizontal fold creases. Pencil marks (unknown hand) through letter. Paper clip imprints at top left corner. Bottom left corner creased. Otherwise fine condition.