New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-01-21
soHE ASPECTS OF REFORM.

The recent success Of the Attorney General Of
Ohio IN procuring so many indictments against
one concern that the signing Of them afflicted
the foreman Of the grand jury with writer's
cramp entities him to speak with authority
upon reform. He warns the world against ex-
cess Of zeal. He breads a devastating peal OF
laughter With the backward swing Of the pen
dulum mankind, he fears, Will oscillate into a
worse estate than before But the very figure
Of speech he chooses. the pendulum, shows liter
ally time serving spirit; for your true reform
er never conceiYes Of mankind as q pendulum
but as tangent rushing ever outward toward
the ideal state; indeed TO him the pendulum IS
a slavish instrument the victim Of It's pivot.
restricted within the narrow range Of its
oscillation. Let us Danish the degrading meta
phor OF the pendulum from our conception Of
humanity. The wagging tongue Of time which
keeps the tale OF mortality has perhaps an hon
orable place In a timorous world that fears
laughter and reaction, but the Man Who Laughs
has held the field too long with his devastating
exclamation and the age calls loudly for the
Man Who Does Not Laugh
What we Ike TO see is that firm faith and
that serious dignity which listen unabashed TO
such q question as this: 'If it were pos
"sible for you 10 establish ideal condi-
"tlOns on earth. what provision would you
''Inake?" ETC., and which answers it without the
restraint OF continual humility. When O re-
former can tell us offhand what to do TO bring
about the ideal state ne suffers from no weak
fear Of the Man Who Laughs. He faces the
prospect Of Ideally with undated seriousness.
It is one of the simpler problems of life.
Thus we like to hear Mr.. ]. G. Phelps Stokes
when be dlscOurses confidently of the reform
IN society TO be effected by turning supermen
into supermOralists. There speaks no compro-
mise with that decadent grounding the Man
Who Laughs. In the reformed society great
ness shall mend its evil ways and superman
shall put aside selfishness for unselfshness; or,
10 quote Mr.. Stokess words:
In the not far distant future the largest men
will be among the most devoted servants of the
people. To-day the larger men seek first private
advantage and means and take to promoting
private advantage involving usually far reach
ing hardship 10 the majority.
There is to be no dead level about reform, de-
| spite tho reproach OF the unthinking. We shall
still have our supernen. but they win all be
puttinsa shoulder under the "uplift." There is
an increasing need" says Mr.. Stokes, every
day for greater minds TO take up this labor"
The cOntagion of example should help much
Now, Of course it will not do in this yeasty
age TO trust TO supermen alone; we must havo
suDerwOmen. Reforms latest advice 20 the fair
SEX "Be dangerous women" exhibits a fine
disregard OF the tickllshness of the Man Who
Laughs. BE dangerous women" We take it
| this means that our superwOmen are TO intro
duce into domestic life, in a mitigated form, we
! trust. some aspects OF the Russian revolution
airy device Terrorism. 1t Is a new conception
OF wOman's duty; for she Is invited TO give IN
her ancient place as cllnglrg vine TO sturdy oak
anu go about, bomb Ia hand, elevating society.
She must leave OF being parasite and con
tented slave" and break ont OF her harem.
"Your hareIn Of the United States" the lecturer
said. and be was man, may be little larger
than the MahOmetan womsn's," but still il Is
harem. By coincidence, but one which
should aid tie cause Of reform, ut tie same
time the New YORK lecturer was explaining how
woman is circumseribed a Chicago professor