Review of the Book
Henry George
by Albert Jay Nock
W.D. Lamb
[Reprinted from Land and Freedom,
November-December 1939]
As a Single Taxer since 1904, and an admirer of Henry George from
every standpoint, I would like to say a word about Albert Jay Nock's
Henry George. The reviews of that book all fail to reach the
vital point, which is, that Nock does not understand "Americanism."
He is as ignorant of the meaning of that term as taught by our
fathers, Jefferson, Washington, etc., as a school kid. Yes, ignorant
is the word only that and nothing more, and there are multi-millions
like him in that respect sorry to say. You will remember that a few
years back, Nock had an article in Scribners under the title, "Henry
George, Unorthodox American." Now the title of that article shows
Nock to be ignorant.
An orthodox American is one who believes in Americanism as per the
Declaration of Independence, the Declaration of Human Rights, these "We
hold these truths to be self-evident, etc." Now any person who
reads Henry George cannot but see that this Declaration of Human
Rights, runs through his books like the warp in a web of cloth! So he
must be an orthodox American not unorthodox at all as Nock stated in
the heading of the article in Scribners. That is, Nock has yet to
learn the meaning of true Americanism as per the Declaration. And
being ignorant on that very point, he could not truly represent Henry
George in any important particular. All the other reviewers of Nock's
book have ignored this all important point.
George's books, with human rights ignored, is like the play of "Hamlet,"
with Hamlet left out.
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