New-York tribune., 1901-06-08
GOOD CITIZENSHIP.
A vrroRorrs DISCUSSION OF ITS FrNDA-
MENTALS.

TALKS OK CIVICS. BY Henry Holt octave pp
XVI ss3. The Macmillan Company
This Is a book intended for the instruction OF
pupils but one that may well engage the atteh-
,ion Of others who are interested in We'll
ordered presentation or the subject Mr.. Holt
laws much stress on the method OF question ana
answer which ne has adopted, and hardly
should have dared TO attempt his book II IL
could not have been used. We think he mas
underestimate his power Of terse and trenchaht
statement Of apt and picturesque illustrAlioh'
which in the conventional literary form Would
have counted for more IN making the book reao-
able With this drawback the volume is Naiu-
able one suggestive, clear ana interestlhs' M
Holrs views are uncOmpromising ana "ssi
sive He is not always open 10 see the Ia0's
when they run counter to his accepted iheoiles'
ana he sometimes dogmatizes after the fashion
OF the doctrinaires Of the 'laissez fare schooi'
hut there is much that is excellent and wei put
and much that cannot ran 10 ilahe '"i 7''u '
Shaping young ideas
Mr. Holt treats Of the functions OF govern
,,ort under three heads-protecting rights pro-
mating convenience and imposing taxation
Rights include those to life. liberty and the pur-
suit of bappiness the various property rights
and those under contracts. Under the promo
tion Of convenience are included the issue Of
money public works recreation and other helps
10 The unfortunate capable" education AND the
sphere OF government generally. The subject Of
taxes includes the obvious, direct and indirect,
ana the "InquisitOrial' OF the two lNnds. Mr.
Holt ought in the first place 10 be thanked for
his continual insistence throughout his book
,non the Wholesome truth that the first requisite
Of good government is honesty, and that il is
,be constant duty Of the people 70 see that the
Hs,,ew mi hone 60
men into Office 1t is an ultimats fact to which
he is constantly appealing and which in way
he has made the cornerstone Of his civic fabric.
Another ultimate fact from which he seldom
gets far away is the necessity for the free play
~ ability in the economic system. Ability
with a big Ais Mr. Holts touchstone in
economic matters Civilization has been the work
not OF the race hut OF individual men guiding
the rest:
Civilization has arisen only under conditions
which permitted all men TO get what they could
and keep what they got That gave the alle
man his chance.
Ability is therefore the only thing that counts.
the able man the only one who gains wealth
though his fortune is only small part Of what
ne creates and saves for other people: the poor
are poor because they produce little, not because
the minority is rich. The real confict is be
tween Labor and Ability; the capitalist in these
days is about on a par with the wage Garner;
capital is everywhere, and there's market
rate for It. Just as FOR wages The general
deduction is that all interference by the State
in business matters is TO be deprecated The
State has more TO do than il does decently or
honestly already Nature manages labor bet
ter-'for government TO manage il would he TO
take away the test Of capacity 10 manage and
substitute the test Of capacity TO get ofice." "
As TO recent proposals for municipal public own
ership Mr. Holt thinks that I'VE tell better
after we've successfully gone in for decent gov
eminent" lie flnds that even in Great britain
and Germany, where. early in ls:9. most stu
dents would have said that the necessary degree
OF ctviuzati0n had been attained. opposition has
been aroused account of evils hat have
arisen, even 10 the extent Of eating cut tn,
old purity Of English municipal government.
. He admits, however. that There do seem 10 be
some faint indications Ohough far from enough
TO prove anything that the more government
has 10 do for the people the more likely the
people TO take care that il shall be done right
There has been. indeed. "a great increase in the
number of things done by government and g
widening Of the field allowed 10 government by
the restrictionist philosophers"
II is not unnatural that one Of Mr. Hollis
school OF thought should 50 disregard The facts
OF history 10 attempt 10 disproVe the bene-
fits OF protection, though he is willing TO admit
that 'in new countries and sometimes in the
new industries Of old countries IT is often of tie
very greatest use" The franchise tax is found