The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-12-22
The Philosophy of Freedom
An Open Forum for Single Takers

many cases 10 Tedu the SIOry OI sell
sacrifice. Or sadder commentary still
is the daily paper. There too often
is recorded the gift without hope OF
reward on the part of those too, hope
lessly poor to expect even sympathy on
!. this earth. And If we leave cases of
self-sacrifice where the actors in the
drama might be said by the hypor-crit-
ical to have been melted by the wit
Messing multitude, or urged by the
passion of religious frenzy, what shall
we say of these who suffer tense priva-
ton that they may assist their fell
lows the unfortunate "sharers in a
common human fate?"
'But although selfishness safe in the
seats of the mighty and ruled the ma
ton, and greed, begotten of fear, be-
came an almost universal Individual
attribute" still would we be justified in
holding with George that "shortsighted
is the philosophy which counts on sell
fishness as the master motive of hui
man action" The abnormal can never
entirely prevail The ideal, the vision
held before the yearning eyes of
stumbling man by the wise ones of the
ages; that gray picture of the black
cross on the sad little hill clear cut
against the angry sky, this was unset
fishness. BY Parsee, Buddhist, Confus-
clan, Hebrew and Christian, unselfish-
ness has been praised as the master
virtue, unselfshness has been the Vi
sion, and we'll has it been said, with
out a vision the people perish.
High minded men, the Hindoo is
taught, delight in doing good without
thought Of their own interests; when
they confer benefit on others, they
reckon not on favors in return" The
Buddhist believes I'VE should seek for
others the happiness we desire for
ourselves which neatly compares with
the Chinese, IF one strives to treat
Others as he would be treated by them,
he will not fail to come to the perfect
life" And the Christian who can read
his New Testament, failing to find
therein the inculcation of self-sacri-
flee is wonderfully filled with the lit
erary inexperience which Matthew Ar
mold deplores The seeker for ideals
in our modern literature will not fail
to find the standard of the Nazarene
upheld by such men as Tolstoi, Ruskin,
Ernest Crosby, Clarence barrow, Boil
ton Hall and others.
On the other hand, Herbert Spencer
in his Data of Ethics" (chap. VI, sec.
68), has told the truth, recognized in
unethical thought, that egoism comes
before altruism. But he bases all upon
what, reading by the later light of
John Fiske, seems a crude material
ism. Man is according to this view
the almost helpless creature of a de-
vouring environment He continues,
"The acts required for continued self
preservation, including the enjoyment
of benefits achieved by such acts, are
the first requisites to universal well
fare" Then follows the announcement
which. with all due respect to Mr.
Spencer, seems to me better fitted Tor
snarling cats than men, unless each
cares for himself, his care for all 9TH
ers is ende in death; and if each thus
dies, there remain no others to be
cared for" Here, there is no SUPPOSE
ton of concerted action; no recogni-
ton of the truth that, to use Brown
ings' woras:
Man is not man as yet"
or Tennyson's:
MAN as yet is being made, and ere
the browning Age of Ages,
Shall not aeOns pass and touch him
into shaEe?"
Shall the human power and knowl-
edge that harnessed the sun, that
tanned the thunderbolt, that searched
the heavens and discovered the mater
ial of which the planets are made
shall this power idly submit to the re-
suits of the gross errors of those of
the past and permit the single discord-
ant note? Shall man be blind to the
dignity of his being, confess the tiger
and glorify the talon and the claw?
Must the divine in him be pushed
aside on the specious plea that his
best energies are and shall be required |
for the bestial act of self-preservation?
No. A thousand times. no!
There is better way. The sun of |
truth has sent earthward ray of hope.
and through the miStS a path has hean