The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-09-17
written for THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER.
SOCIALISM AND ANARCHY.
Some Good in Both.

sire the accomplishment Of social retor-
nation along just Lies, have n
continue to be panied if not disheart
ened by the heartless ranCOr between
extreme reformers, between the two
extremes of reform propositions Z. e.,
the proposition of pure socialism to
govern society absolutely and so far
as possible, only by man-made laws"
and the proposition of Anarchy to
leave the individual entirely free from
social law, governed only by natural
DAVIS and personal choice"
Either of these two extremes deny
the right of existence to the other, and
in this particular both are wrong, for
the a that with intelligent limita-
ton both propositions are right, both
necessary and beneficent.
intellectual dishonesty finds no more
fruitful soil In which to plant the seeds
of evil than in the domain of intellect
ual laziness." The individual who is
too mentally lazy to think for himself
and to utter his own thoughts, is obvl-
ously impotent to discriminate II his
acceptance of the thoughts and conclu
sions of other minds.
The individual who prefers to toler-
ate evil conditions rather than move
out of them into better conditions,
manacles the progress of civilization
and becomes the chief factor of social
disaster. He is the evil genius of hui
manity, and his class constitute the
only really dangerous element in
society.
The sometimes ridiculous antics Of
extremists, sOcialistic Or anaTchlstlc,
are entirely harmless, when compared
with the stupidity, the Indifferent in
activity of needless men and women
In his zeal to promote a good purpose,
the extremist may and often does run
~9evgoTd his mark, on into the field OF
folly and even of injustice, but he
moves he stirs the depths Of thought,
and out of it's agitation rises the truth
that shall make men free.
How very much more the extreme
socialist or the extreme anarchist de-
serves respect, than does the llstless
social barnacle, who thinks not, but
lazily echoes and re echoes that cry
always raised by the intellectually dis
honest despoilers of the weak and the
ignorant-''don't disturb the existing
conditions"
Those social evils which have at last
relegated good will and friendly co op-
Grafton to the rear, and have establish
ed a condition of universal Individual
antagonism as "the social order" are
all, without a single exception, the con
sequences of needless man-made laws.
AS with the individual, 80 is it with
society, q frst-class crime begets G.
brood of crimes. FalsehOod detected
resorts to other falsehoCd5 for defense
or for excuse.
In feudal times, ambitious tyranny,
defying the unerring justice of natural
law, assaiiing inaliena5le rights of hu
manity, seized the one source Of life,
the land, the God-given opportunity to
live, and IN reward for crime and cru
city have doled it out IN p~erpetuity Of
title to fav0rites. The despoilers pro-
ceeded to make laws. To this outrage
of the birthright of man, they gave the
sanction of law" They employed the
police powers of government and en-
forced obedience to the law" They
directed parliaments, pulpits and the
press, to teach the people that the only
possible security for the social organ
ism was in ''unqIestioning obedience
to the law" They have successfully
created and fostered a nearly universal
sentiment, that resistance 10 law is the
highest moral crime. They have tick
led the vanity of ignorance with titles,
tinsel, feathers and the strut and tog
gerry of millinery militarism. They
have created and promoted a narrow,
self n devotion to petty areas of the
eartn's surface, my country" and
have called it patriotism.
They have then taught that, selt-sac
rifcing obedience to law, to their law,
was the highest patriotism.
AL down though the centuries to this
present day, these lessons have been
taught, these methods continued, ex
tended, and, saddest thought Of ell,
have been tolerated with only a few
rebellious Interruptions, by succeeding
generations of outraged but ~listless PEG
pie. A deluded and innocent people
have confirmed these unjust laws, by
h~~~ tolerance, by precedent and social
I'm.
is outlawry which robs men of
right to use the earth. il tho ropI