▁After ▁serving ▁in ▁the ▁army ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 8 , ▁he ▁tra ve led ▁in ▁Europe ▁for ▁a ▁year ▁with ▁friend ▁Mark ▁Van ▁D oren . ▁After ▁the ▁war , ▁he ▁taught ▁English ▁composition ▁at ▁Brook lyn ▁Poly techn ic . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 4 , ▁Kr utch ▁became ▁the ater ▁critic ▁for ▁The ▁Nation , ▁a ▁position ▁he ▁held ▁until ▁ 1 9 5 2 . ▁As ▁an ▁author , ▁Kr utch ▁first ▁achieved ▁prom in ence ▁when ▁he ▁published ▁The ▁Modern ▁Tem per ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 9 . ▁There ▁he ▁challeng ed ▁then - f ashion able ▁not ions ▁of ▁scientific ▁progress ▁and ▁optim ism , ▁arg uing ▁that ▁science ▁leads ▁log ically ▁to ▁a ▁ble ak ▁view ▁of ▁the ▁human ▁condition . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 4 0 s ▁he ▁wrote ▁widely ▁read ▁bi ograph ies ▁of ▁Samuel ▁Johnson ▁and ▁Henry ▁David ▁Th ore au ▁and — larg ely ▁inspired ▁by ▁Th ore au — pub lished ▁his ▁first ▁nature ▁book , ▁The ▁Tw elve ▁Se asons ▁( 1 9 4 9 ). ▁ ▁From ▁ 1 9 3 7 ▁to ▁ 1 9 5 2 ▁he ▁served ▁as ▁a ▁professor ▁of ▁English ▁at ▁Columbia ▁University , ▁where ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁popular ▁lect urer . ▁In ▁ 1 9 5 5 , ▁Kr utch ▁won ▁the ▁National ▁Book ▁Award ▁for ▁The ▁Me asure ▁of ▁Man ▁( 1 9 5 4 ). ▁In ▁that ▁work , ▁he ▁partially ▁retre ated ▁from ▁the ▁glo