The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-09-30
is THIS SARCASM.
Remarkable Article on the Social Crisis.-It
Reminds One Of MarchiayelN ''Prince" in
Which He Instructs Typants How to Govern.

A hemaPkaDle Artlcle on the SOCIAL CPlS1S.-It
Reminds One Of Marchiayelli "Prince'' in
Which He Instructs Tyrants How to Govern.
| No other former form of society of
| which we have any record can be compared
| with that Of our modern Christian civli-
| cation, but it must be remembered that it
| is subject to decay and death under ad-
| verse conditions as well as the species in
the animal and vegetable kingdoms
The great law of evolution-the survival
of the fittest-does not mean that that
| which is absolutely the best will survive;
| but 1t means that that will survive which
| is in greatest harmony with surrounding
| conditions.
The form of present society is the best
| ever known, for Il refined and intelligent
| people, and offers the greatest opportunity
| for advance, but if those who receive the
| chief benefits do not appreciate their bless
| ings, and do not recognize the duty under
| which they are placed to preserve the2e
| advantages, and to add to them, for the
| sake of their children, /. will all be kost
| and the race will revert to an inferior type,
and society to form more suitable to the
| intelligence of its members
| The time has come to chose whether
| there shall be an advance or degenera-
| ton. Never before not even at the be-
! ginning Of the French revolution, has
| there been such a crisis: and which road
the human race is to pursue depends upon
| the courage and good judgment of the up
| per class. The danger IS not from the
| mobs. the sand letters. the shirtless and
| the dinnerless, for they have always exist
! ed and always will exist with the same will
to overthrow society if not kept in subjec-
| ton.
| The danger is in the want of unity of
| purpose and in action Of those in whose
hands the mastery lies, whenever they
! choose to 1ntelligently assert their power.
| The mob is a cur when treated like one,
| and is always ready to recognize its mas
| ter when the whip is in strong hand, but
when feared and cringed to It is a terrible
thing. and, like a panic, no less terrible
because the real danger lies in the state
of mind Of the victims.
History shows that the power of the up
| per class is unlimited when it is used with
| a firm hand and the class united. for ii is
| only from within that danger comes.
| All attempts to conciliate the mob by
cringing to it. and by granting it power
| that it should not have is a mistake and
unnecessary; but what is necessary Is for
|
dren and the welfare Of society; all whom
success has stamped leaders of men.
should unite and organize to preserve
their rights and privileges. and those insu-
| tutions on which society rests.
To any one who observes it is evident
that the life given feature of all progress
| sive societies In ancient and modern times
has been the principle of inequality. or
| he nnyior
| class has ruled. This is practical denial
| of all foolish assertions of the equality of
men, and results in division of society in
to two parts, those who get less than they
produce, and those who benefit by the
first and get more. That the best should
rule is self evident and those are the best
who are stamped with the mark of success
in the struggle of life.
| There are five different means by which
the upper class has maintained it's position,
| four of which always co-exist, although In
| different societies different features pre-
dominated. These are first control of the
civil organization backed by the organized
physical force, represented in the military
| power; second. religious feeling. manipu-
| lated by the pricsthood third, landlordism
| in some form other. and fourth, control
| Of capital. The fifth, which has been
| found to be economically q blunder, and
! has consequently been abolished among
| civilized people, is slavery. Although
! slavery is entirely unsuited to present in
! dustrial conditions. it had much to rec
| ommend it. for it tended to maintain soci-
! ETY. in more restful and fixed form. and
did away with many vexing questions.
| The recognition. tacit or otherwise, of
social inequality, is very important. 1t
! is the incentive to all effort, and the pro-
moter Of most Of the pleasures and salts
factions of life. There are few who would
| not prefer to acknowledge inferiority to
| their superors than to admit the equality
| of the lower stratum.
| BY this inequality the upper class alb
/ tains leisure to cultivate and enjoy the lux
/ uries and rcfnements of life, and are re-
| lieved from the brutaliZing effect Of the
struggle for subsistence. 1t is this that
! has given birth to art, literature and the
| sciences. and by it they maintained;
| for without the refined tastes and habits
| Of mind that product of polite sOcie-
/ ty all the progress Of the past ages would
| be lost in one generation. Even character
| depends on it for there is no one thing
| more necessary for the perfect development
! of character than the exercise Of authority
| over others. with the sense of responsible
/ ity that authority gives. This In times
past was given by the priesthood. military
organization and by landlordism, with the
! accompanying magisterial power. These
I are no longer sufficient for the advancing
| industrial system but 1t is now furnished
| to greater extent than ever before by
the control of property. especially when
administered in the corporate form.
| Let any one who is tempted to sympa-
! thiZe with the present socialistic move
| ment stop TO consider what economic equal
! ity means, the hardships and deprivations
! 1t would bring, and how little he would
! have for his own pleasure and comfort.
| The average income of the workers Of
| this country Is estimated at 5000 4 year.