The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-15
An Ec""omist Prophet OF AIbios's
Fate and Fortunes.

80 pFopheSy the future YOU must
understand the present; 10 understand
the present You must know the uas,.
80 IN warning England OF serious
troubles soon to come The GATHERING
storm. by ~ RiFiEMAS" G.ana). inject
ing economies into tho story Of ovo-
luton. goes back 20 the very begin
ming Of human tl.nEs. somewhat as
lrVinS did in the prOtas.s OF mis- kuicli-
eroockcr drama-l!Story. though the
Rifton j. not tacct.ously romantic, as
vas the Gotham.te. Tho book Is OF
the now fashion in economic intarpre-
tat!on ~ history. but. .r-econc.lablo as
the two may seem IL produces In the
mind OF one not economic Colat-ous
an effect OF poetry. THIS strange pho
no'nonon Is doubtless due to the sweep
and march OF It's topic. to the synthetic
operation OF All imagination bold but
fed OH hard Won fact and TO q drama IL
Use OF stresses that may hc likened
figurauvely TO the play Of wind waves
over the surface of a deep, moving
tide. Many people who earnestly OPP
pose the economic theory o. history
viii find themselves strangely attracted
by the thoughtfulness aud sincerity OF
these pages But sincerity cannot pal
late pess!mlsin. Many readers would
rather go enthusiastically with the father
land into regions Of great trouble than
to so pessim!st!cally to meet tragir
fate denatIred by a stern preparedness
for the worst.
The economically based system Of his
tory is bus!nessiike. FOR Il bids Eng
Hshmcn to cease deba ting whether war
Is ethcally just or unjust. whether IL
is horrible or glorious. and to ask
simply: In the strife OF forces. economic
forces. is England TO triumph or go
under? They may not relish the mat
ter OF fact query, but their compatriot
warns them earnestly that the hour
Will soon be upon them when answer
they must. The spectre OF Industrial
Efficiency. for the RifieInan crowns his
hobbies with capitals: the terror tina.
rides the nations apacc through the
Formative Period with fatal .Accelora-
ton to the brief Period uf Maturity at
the back OF which turks Inevitable
Decay has brought the Caucasian peo-
pies within sight OF the end Of their
onward course.
A good many students have thought
that economic "acceleration" could
continue II not indefinitely at least re-
motley enough TO deprive It's problems
OF immediate necessity; but the author
proves through many pages that It
Is only IN the later phases OF the FOR
native period" that the Exchange
value" Of human labor power can be
expansive Now the war OF the Cau-
casian peoples. IN the final phase OF their
formative period. with their environ
ment nears It's end with the cessation
of opportunity to develop new markets;
with increasing momentum and at in
creasingly terrific pressure and tension
Of industrial activities We approach the
fateful moment OF max lmum develop
ment and enter upon new epoch:
An epoch which. white short In dura lon.
must Inevitably witness more strenuous
competition between rival groups OF pro
ducers a more furious trade rivalry and
more bitter racial sntaGonism between
rival national groups than ever before In
the worlds history. We are on the
threshold or an epoch Of great vars. fu-
rious Industrial upheavaIs and prol!gous
all round activity alike In industrial and
military effort. the birth throes IN which
will be born the brief but brilliant Period
Of Maturity. the last flicker Of the creative
energy OF our civilization,
let 'er flicker" the trrevcrent may
De tempted 10 cNCIalIn, having recourse
to the challenged vui.atc.
When the development OF new mar
kets becomes impossible the accelerat-
ing momentum Of Industrial efficiency
will go right on operating. It's single
support. market development, removed,
the exchange value of human labor
power will be forced lower and lower.
and the general wage standard will
drop to the level of bare subsistence.
Competition between great groups OF
producers using the utmost possible de-
velopment Of labor saving machinery
and each striving constantly to under
sell the others Will cause a steady fall
In prices and wages. At last will come
the ultimate univocal protest Of
Labor: Intelligent and organized
Labor cannot fail to rebel furfously
against AN economic movement with
which It can have neither understand
ing nor sympathy. and under such con-
ditions there cannot fail TO develop a
general conflict between Capital and
Labor upon a more gigantic scale than
ever heretofore III the history Of Man
kind" Verify, business hath it's Arma-