The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-08-14
IS THIS SOCIALISM,


Not many years ago-s mere fraction
of time compared with the entire dura.
ton of lie on the earth-the old indi'
viduals among human beings were dis
posed of simply-they were eaten up.
When the old father or mother,
grandfather or grandmother, became
absolutely useless, when be or she could
no longer carry water. haul wood or
even keep the fire going, blow of q
club ended the useless life, and the
corpse was eaten.
When provisions got scarce among
our utilitarian forefathers, even those
not SO very old were slaughtered and
eaten, thus saving the trouble of feed
ing a few mouths and at the same time
adding to the store of provisions.
We have changed that feature Of hu.
man life. We no longer eat our aged
parents or anybody else's aged parents.
But in millions of cases all over the
world we do what may be called the
next best thing. We don't kill the old
and we'd ont eat them. We say
to them, with tears of kindness in our
eyes:
Go on and live as long as you can.
If they are very old and toothless and
helpless and ask us how are they going
to live, then the tears of kindness leave
our eyes hard look takes the place of
the tears and we say:
That's your affair not ours. Be grate-
full that we don't kill and eat you.
Don't bother US with the details as to
how you shalllive.
1t is pleasant to announce to senti.
mental world, which thinks that starv.
ing to death is almost as bad as
being hit on the head with club, that
humanity is gradually getting to think
that its responsibilities extend even be-
yond the negative kindness of refraining
from murder.
In Australia, in Germany, in many
other places, there are systems in oper-
alton for taking care of the old when
age and poverty make them helpless.
This provision for the poor among
the Germans and the Australians is pos
itively human and humane, especially
when compared with the American and
British idea.
In our land Of liberty, the old woman,
with dimmed eyes, shaking hands, q
small bill at the grocery store which she
cannot pay, is bundled into wagon,
carted over the hill and dumped into
the poorhouse, whence her foolish old
pride and broken heart soon carry her
to the grave.
In Germany and Australia provision
is made for pensions, under certain con.
ditions, for helpless old men and
women. The German who has made q
profit out of mans labor during thirty
or forty years of his vigorous career is
compelled to provide for decent end.
ing to his life. The same idea prevails
In Australia and in or two other places.
Now the Reverend Edward Everett
Hale proposes old.age pensions for this
glorious country of the United States.
DR.. Hale suggests many restrictions
and limitations, as that pensioners must
always have lived in the same state
that they must always have paid taxes
since their majority, etc. Evidently
DR.. Hale wishes to pacate those who
cry anarchy" whenever it is suggested
that one human being out of his abun-
dance should be compelled to do some
thing for the others whose labor has
made the abundance possible.
Let us all be thankful for the enter
ing wedge which comes from so respect
able and able wedge driver as the Rev.
erend Edward Everett Hale, author of
"What to Do and How to Do it,
If we were asked what to do and how
to do it. we should answer:
What to do?
Make the whole of humanity respon.
sible for the old. feeble and poor.
Allow no human being who has worked
hard in youth to die like worn out
horse in old age by the roadside.
How to doit?
Tax heavily and on graduated scale
the incomes of those who get most from
humanity with the least effort.
Force the man who has had everything
to be keeper of his old and helpless
brothers and sisters, whether he wants
to be or not.
If that's socialism, we believe in social
ism.-Chicago American.