Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-04-24

/ abhor the so called practical men
whose practically assumes the shape
OF that peculiar baseness which finds
its expression in disbelief in morality
and decency, in disregard of high
standards of living and conduct. Such
a creature is the worst enemy of the
body polite. But only less desirable
as citizen is his nominal opponent
and real ally, the man of fantastic
vision who makes the impossible bet
ter forever the enemy of the possible
good.
The Slave of Names.
Much Of the discussion about social
Ism and individuaIism is entirely point
less because of failure to agree on
Technology. 1t is not good to be the
| slave Of names. | am strong indi-
Ttdualist by personal habit. Inherit
| ance and conviction. but it is n mere
matter of common sense to recognize
| that the state. the community, the
citizens acting together, can do a num-
Der Of things better than if they were
| left to individual action.
| The individualism which finds its
expression in the abuse of physical
force is checked very early in the
| growth Of civilization, and we Of today
should In our turn strive to shackle or
| destroy that fndividualism which tri-
umphs by greed and cunning, which
exploits the weak by craft instead Of
ruling them by brutality.
| We ought to go with any man in
| the effort to bring about justice and
the equality of opportunity, TO turn the
| tool user more and more into the tool
owner, to shift burdens so that they
can be more equitably borne.
| The deadening effect on any race of
| the adoption Of a logical and extreme
socialistic system could not be over
stated. 1t would spell sheer destruc-
ton. 1t would produce grosser wrong
| and outrage. fouler immortality, than
any existing system. But this does not
mean that we may not with great ad-
vantage adopt certain of the principles
professed by some given set of men
| who happen to call themselves Social
lists
We are bound in honor to refuse to
! listen to those men who would make
US desist from the effort to do away
with the inequality which means in
| justice, the inequality of right, of op-
| portunity, of privilege. We are bound
| In honor to strive to bring ever nearer
the day when as far as is humanity
| possible we shall be able to realize the
ideal that each man shall have an
equal opportunity to show the stuff
that is in him by the way in which he
renders service.
There are plenty of men calling
| themselves Socialists with whom up
| to a certain point it is quite possible
to work. If the next step is one which
| both we and they wish to take, why,
| of course, take it without any regard
| to the fact that our views as to the
tenth step may differ. But, on the 9th
er hand, keep clearly in mind that,
though IT has been worth while to
! take one step this does not in the
least mean that it may not be highly
disadvantageous to take the next.
1t is just as foolish to refuse all
progress because people demanding it
desire at some points to go to absurd
extremes as it would be to go to these
absurd extremes simply because some
Of the measures advocated by the ex-
| tremists were wise
| Persecution is bad because it is per-
secution and without reference to
which side happens at the moment to
be the prosecutor and which the perse-
cuted.
Danger of Class Hatred.
Glass hatred is bad in just the same
way and without any regard to the
| individual who at a given time sub
stitutes loyalty to a class for loyalty
| to the nation or substitutes hatred of
men because they happen to come in
certain social category, for judgment
awarded them according to their con
duct.
In a republic to be successful we
must learn to combine intensity of con-
viction with a broad tolerance of diff
| ference of conviction. Wide differ
ences of opinion In matters of religious,
political and social belief must exist if
conscience and intellect alike are not
to be stunted, If there is to be room
for healthy growth.
| Bitter internecine hatreds, based on
such differences, are signs not of ear
nestness of belief, but Of that fanati-
cism which, whether religious or anti
religious, democratic or anti-democrat-
| ic, is itself but manifestation of the
gloomy bigotry which has been the
chief factor in the downfall of so
many, many nations.
Good Patriot First.
! l believe that man must be good
patriot before he can be, and as the
only possible way of being, good cit
izen of the world Experience teaches
US that the average man who protests
that his International feeling swamPs
his national feeling, that he does not
| care for his country because he cares
so much for mankind, in actual prac-
| tice proves himself the foe of man
kind; that the man who says fhat he
| does not care to be a citizen of any
one country because he is a citizen of
the world is in very fact usually an
exceedingly undesirable citizen of
whatever corner of the world he hap
pens at the moment to be IN
Nearly seven centuries ago Frois-
sart, writing of time of dire disaster,
said that the realm of France was
never so stricken that there were not
left men who would valiantIy fight
for it. You have had a great past
believe that you will have a great
future. Long may you carry your
selves proudly as citizens of a nation
which bears a leading part in the
teaching and uplifting of mankind
A BIT OF CONVERSATION.