The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-01-15
NOT COOP LOGIC.

Ia the trial OF Prendergast, the assassin
OF Mayor Harrison, the counsel for the
prosecution. in our Judgment. was illogical
and unjust In trying 70 hold Henry
Georges writings responsible for the prcya-
isnee Of such homicidaI cranks as Prender-
CAST Henry Georges principal work.
Progress and Poverty" is very interest
Ing 10 any man OF brains, because 10 IL
written by . man of brains and . master
OF fine, clear English style. The theories
or premises OF hr. George seem 10 Us IN
sound and impracticable. but there is
nothing in bis writings that cultivates an
insane or homicidal purpose any more
than there il in Beliamy's brilliant re-
hash of obsolete socialistie theories of
government
A million American boys may read
dime novels" and but small fraction of
them viii become train robbers and high
wsymen. This small fraction were in
choats tramps and thieves before they
ever saw dime novel, Just as a bull who
never saw red rag will go into fury the
moment he sees one. Books containing
false theories do not make or break men
and women that are good for anything
before they read them any more than mar
riage makes or breaks true man or .
true woman. because while marriage Is q
high and helpful and natural condition
OF life nevertheless the men and women
that are worth anything to the world
know that We are placed here for some
other end than simply TO love and be
loved; we are placed here to do our
duty wherever we find IL whether we have
loved and lost: or loved and won or loved
not at all; that Is, duty, not love, Is the
great be all and end all of all true lives. If
. true marriage finds its way iegitimately
into such q life 1t Is we'll, but if IL does
not true man or woman can still do their
duty: as Darwin said, every man was
bound to do his duty whether he felt sure
of conscious Immortality afte. death or
not.
We do not believe In the theories of
Henry George: nevertheless he is not an
anarchist, nor the evangelist of assassina-
ton. He Is an upright and well-behayed
citizen, and is no more responsible for the
criminal vagaries of the Gran Ks that read
his books than the Bible is responsible for
the dirty iainds of those who search out
the coarse passages in the Old Testament
To illustrate: A California paper once
said that Bob Ingersoll was in sympathy
with Henry George because a French
Revolution walking hand in hand with ir-
religion would please him. 1t is not true
that Bob Ingersoll Is an apostle of Henry
George. but IL IL were true the logic we
have quoted would be about as weak
as 1t would be TO say that Frank
lin and Jefferson were deis,s because
they were revolutionists, or revolutionists
because they were deists, or for a Tory
orangeman to say that Charles Carroll OF
Carroliton rebelled against England and
signed the great declaration because he
was Roman Catholic, or became Roman
Catholic In consequence of having become
revolutionist. Robespierre. in the French
revolution, was the most conspicuous, re-
morseiess and merciless terrorist, and yet
he eloquently repudiated atheism and de-
Tended the idea of God and immortality to
the last against Chaumette, tho leader of
the a;heistic terrorisss. Seepticism was
no more peculiar 10 the terrorists than IL
Was to the cynical aristocrats they slew.