The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-07-17
POLITICS. PREJUDICE AND
SOCIOLOGY.

Political aH'mosfias must Bee m.t.
rated before the producing class iu
society win take cohesive action for
its own emancipation. These auimosi
ties have existed since the dawn of
politics and still continue 70 grow. No
psychologist has fathomed the abyss
of the dark prejudices which the aver
age man has against those who would
improve his understanding
The best interest Of the working
man is just the thing he is conscious
Of not knowing, and he would give
anything in a quiet way to find out.
Yet when a candid friend ventures to
instruct him. the old irrational resent
ment flashes out The art Of with
holding, on certain occasions, informa-
ton which even a democratic poll
tician knows would be good for him,
is what a republican politician would
call tact. It would be very unjust for
as to attempt to judge individual
destiny. But modern intellect Of man
denies ancient creeds. It is striving
for the goal Of economic freedom but
as yet is in the gray and chilly dawn.
Beginning with the Assyrians, the
rock-ribbed strata Of world history is
revealed to us through the Egyptians,
Jews, Greeks, medieval Christians,
Romans, reformation and feudalism, to
commercialism and socialism, now in
death struggle for mastery in this
and other countries.
There is a close relationship be-
tween the phenomena treated by po-
Htical economy and by sociology. If
the socialist could confine his socio-
logical investigations to the study of
prejudices Of today's complex cues
tons, he would escape the political
odium that he must now endure. The
most eminent contemporary sociolog-
lists are socialists; likewise, the So
cialists are sociologists, and for this
reason they never waste time in IN
productive worry They know that
through psychology Of the individual
we come to know something of the
individuals through whom are to be
realized the ends that socialism con
templates.
The human mind to a socialist is
like a city. 1t has its streets, its
places of business and amusement, its
citizens Of every degree. For convent
ence Of expression, it might be said
that in each of US there xists two be-
ings. The one is made up of all the
mental states which refer only to our
selves and to incidents Of our per
sonal life. The other is a system or
ideas, of sentiments, of habits, which
acuuaints US, not with our own per-
sonal life. The other is a system of
ideas. of sentiments. of habits, which
acuuaints US, not with our own per-
sonality, but with the group or the
different groups of which we are
part; such are the collective opinions
Of all sorts.
In the latter part of the intellect is
a certain section known to the social
/ list as the Forbidden City. 1t is in
habited, not by orderly citizens under
the rule of Right Reason, but by a
/ lawless crowd known as the Preju-
dices. The majority, perhaps, are
/ harmless folk who are content with
their own little spheres, and the worst
that can be said is that they have a
knack of living without visible means
Of support. But these are others, how
ever, who are militantly imperialistie.
They are ambitious to become world
powers. The ones / wish to especially
make mention of are those which
grow out of differences in politics.
They are bold, FOSTERING blades, who
will not stand a question; dangerous
/ fellows. these, to meet in the dark!
Do you posses any Of this class?
Have you allowed this irrational re
sentiment against your intellectual
benefactors to survive, in spite Of all
discipline. into mature life? I win not
deny but what our prejudiees may
make good study for the moralist, and
possibly the artist might find instrue-
ton by viewing them; but that they
contribute to our material welfare ]
emphatically deny
When an Intellectually slothful
neighbor Of mine points with pride to
portions Of his untitled mental ground,
I do not take a phariasic attitude to-
ward his prejudices. because ] have
myself felt a tenderness when the
ploughshare Of criticism has turned
up a prejudice of my own And it is
very probable that / may yet possess
4 patches Of mental ground that are
more picturesque than useful
But truth is mighty and must pre-
van. Though the beginning Of socialist
agitation has been humble its volume
small. its motive unperceived u has
at last won a hearing To our late ma
tionaf election approximately one mil