THE AMERICAN CENTURY

This is a reprint of the essay which appeared in Life, together with the commentary by Dorothy Thompson, John Chamberlain, Robert Sherwood, and others which it provoked -- in print and on the air. The essay is an idealistic challenge to America to assume the leadership of the world. Luce believes that the twentieth century is the American century -- that America should not only be the fountainhead of culture and freedom, but that she should play a Good Samaritan role to the entire world. The comments by the various liberals are diversified -- from Chamberlain's criticism that this is a ""high order abstraction"" to Dorothy Thompson's enthusiastic approval.