The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-15

assertion Of American women and In sono
aristooratio tendencies imputed 10 Afnsrl-
can Society In tho narrow sense OF the
word. Prof, MOnsterberg points out that
the European visitor who expects to witness
In the New World tho horrors Of upetart
equality Is quickly treasured. He hnds
that evon In New York social classes arc
nicely distinguished: no workstained over
! alls are found where frock coat is in order
1t Is but short distance from the luxury
OF Fifth avenue 10 miserable tenement dis
tricts; an abrupt social contrast Is thus pre-
sented In all tic Old World sharpness and
hardness. II, then, the newcomer in sur
prise turns for information 70 those who
know the United States, hP questions VIII
be GGerently answer red by different per-
sons. The average citizen will try to save
his oountry's reputation for equality. IN
questionably. he will say, equality rules In
Autobiography before the law and equal
ity Of political rights. or course, this sort
of equality exists In most European coun-
tries also. The citizen of a less typical
habit OF mind may reply, with the Wink oil
the thoughtful American, that there Is no
! mora equality in America than In Europe
Our author holds that both replies are false
or. at least, fail 10 touch the root OF the
matter. OF course, one can no longer
speak Of an equality of wealth or means oil
enjoyment in tho United States-an ap-
preach TO which WAS noted by De Tocque-
vile--nor yet in spite Of occasional claims to
the contrary. Of an equal opportunity for
education. It is nevertheless pronounced
mistake TO assume on this account that the
spirit OF equality Il 70 be encountered only
In judicial and political spheres. There Is
another. social equality Of which most
Americans are not conscious because they
do not know, and can hardly imagine, what
life would be without such equality; they do
not mediate on social equality. because,
unlike political or legal equality, 1t is not
capable of abstract formulation. The
American first becomes aware OF It after
living some time in Europe, and the Euro
pean grasps the idea only after serious
study OF American life
Our author is at some pains 10 explain
what TO his German readers must have
| looked like paradox. He perceives IL
| to be doubtful whether n European can
| fully appreciate an Americans social point
| OF view, because the former is too apt to
| distort the idea of equality into an ethical
| one. The American. on the other hand,
| 'presupposes. as matter of course, that
| the citizens Of the United States are socially
equal. whether they live in the White House
or work In a coal mine and this point Of
| view is not dependent on any ethical theory.
| but IL itself the basis Of such n theory
| Tho American constructs a morality OF
! comradeship which Is as far from the moral
! ity OF submission az il Is from that Of lord
ship; which is unlike either the morality
! of the pietists, founded on the religious
assumption Of Immortality. OF the morality
| Of Nletzscbe. based on biological exigencies.
! The morality of comradeshlp Is based
entirely on the American conception Of
society. In the United States +the funda-
mental feeling is that the whole interplay
OF social forces will have TO meaning. aud
| social ambition and success will yield no
pleasure. II II be not clearly understood
| that every other member Of the social
community is equal to oneself, and has the
! absolute right ~ make G,ich claim #
equality The criminal. indeed, and the
man destitut- OF honor have fO,f, tied
that right; they are practically e9 udeo
/ from the American community, end cut on
from the social game. On the other hand,
distinctions Of position, of education. Of
heredity and OF property have nothing to
do with this right Those who stlive for
social success In America must take for
granted at the outset that all men and
women are comrades, participating in the
various labors Of the great gay world,
with mutual approval and mutual esteem;
and they must show that they believe this
by their action. Passing from generalities
20 particulars. Prof. Mlnsterberg SAYS that
"a stranger first notices the perfect conf
dence with which everybody goes about
his business. without feeling oppressed by
those above or exalted by those beneath
him. There il no condensation to those
beneath, nor seryility TO those above. In
every social situation the typical American
feels himself self-assured and equal; he Is
simply master Of himself, polite but frank,
reserved but ALWAYS kind He detests
patronage and condescension as much as
=ervility and obsequ'ousness. For con-
descension emphasizes a difference In the
rank and presumes TO challenge possible
forgetting Of this difference by suggesting
that both the persons do recognize the dis
tinction az intrinsic. A man who asserts
his true equality, and expects in every
other honorable man the same self-asser-
ton. scarcely understands how purely
technical differences of social position can
affect the inner relations OF man to man.
A remarkable power Of observation will
be recognized by Americana in a subsequent
statement by the author. Envy, he says.
was not planted in the American soul.
Envy (properly defned) is not directed at
the possession. but at the possessor; and
therefore acknowledges by implication that
the possessor Ia made better by what he
owns No such acknowledgment is i'm
putable TO an American. Envy is psychic
logically incompatible with his self-assertive-
ness. A person who asserts himself strains
every nerve to improve his own condition,
but never envies those who are more favored.
Envy would te 10 him "a great degrade
ton az pure sarvility. Undoubtedly here is
one OF thetmost effective checks to socialism.
Socialism may not spring directly from
envy, but a people given to envy arc very
ready 10 listen 70 socialism. In America
socialism remains n foreign cult, which ia
preached 10 deaf ears. A man who feels
himself inferior. and who envies his
wealthIco fellows. would be glad to bring
aboot an artificial equality by equalizing
ownership: whereas the man who accounts
himself equal 10 every one else is ready
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