The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-12-20
BROKEN LINKS
BY vandeiia vsrnum WeiIknown
DeFunak Springs,

The Honorable LHiie NJ Shaw is
, becoming alarmed at socialism, slike-
wise several other honorables, like
wise some high dignitaries in some
high churches. have seen people
scare at the mere word, people who
could not tell socialism from sassa-
fras, and who invariably confound it
as does Mr.. Shaw, with sociology or
with anarchy. Says Mr.. Shaw in adj
dressing gathering of alumni of a
certain college:
Il am alarmed at the trend toward
socialism in this country today. II
there Is any power In this country to
stem 1t, it ought to be the trained
minds of. college men, But four out
OF five commencement day orations
iare purely sociahstic. / have met
some of the teachers of sociology in
our schools and universities. With
few exceptions these teachers are so
cialists as you can find by few mo-
n1ents OF conversation with them and
the few exceptions are anarchists"
This alarmed condition over a
trend of thought is always more or
less amusing A trend of action with
out thought may well awaken fear,
but thought betokens only good to the
human family. When people think the
world may rest in peace. We are
safe. No foolish wars will lift their
ugly heads, no tyrant will place, nor
dare 10 place his iron heel upon the
neck of man. The world of thought
means liberty, justice, love. When we
think long enoughA and hard enough
we viii think right; and when right
rules the mind, 1t rules conduct.
Socialism is more or less perfect
ay thought-out remedy for existing evils
and varies in sweet reasonabieness"
according to the intensity of the evil.
When the latter is rampant the pro-
posed remedy will be likely to partake
of the same nature Socialism thus
far finds its most prolific growth un-
der monarchies, the more absolute
and tyrannic. naturally the greater the
protest. The world is for man. AT
bottom that is the creed OF socialism.
Equal rights, equal opportunities. jus
tice. equality. It believes that the
natural resources of the country
should no more be bottled up for spe-
cial classes than should the air. or
water. or sunshine. They are all the
Lords gifts to His created, and the
Lord takes no note of classes, or bank
accounts. I'm a child OF king" is
the song of socialism.
Now sir. Mr.. High Bug, you may
get alarmed over the growth of this
idea as much as becomes your station.
You may fight it by all polite means
accessible to you. You may get your
secretaries to write exhaustive treaties
against it. but it is right here, a sort
of Bermuda grass foundation to all
healthy social conditions. The more
you fight II, the wore it prospers. HUI
manity is greater than one wing of it,
and Thought is the untrammeled
prince OF creation. The tyranny OF
wealth. the spirit of dogma. the OPP
preston of class, are as pebbles be-
meath his feet
Oh, shoe, silly thing, give 1t up.
This fighting the inevitable. Welcome
every effort to reach conditions that
make for the betterment of the whole
race. The writer is not a socialist;
but know of the devoted, consecra-
ted lives of those who stand for it
as leaders, and I say thank the Lord
for such. May their number multi
ply.
r Tax-paying women Of Michigan can
now vote on all tax questions. This
applies to all parts of the state and
kcame as compromise when 175,00e
|women petitioned the constitutional
convention asking for an amendment
kgranting full suffrage to women. New
york. Louisiana and Montana are the
pther states in which women have
some form OF tax-paying suffrage.
One of the so-called strongest argu-
mems against woman suffrage has
been this: That the bad women