The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-19
Mr. weIis's Synopsis Of Himself.

sometimes in the dark, eleepless
solitudes OF night" says II. c.. WELLS
POLITICALLY at the end of Social Forces
IN England and America tHarper's).
"one ceases 10 be so-and-so. ceases to
bear proper name. forgets quarrels
and van!ties. forgives and understands
knowing himself indeed to
he a being greater than his personal
accidents. .: Man on his planet
flying swiftly 10 unmeasured destlnies
through tho starry stlllnesses of space"
Perhaps some such hypnogogic hallucl-
nation Is responsible for the annexed
Promethean prophecy that when, hav-
ing subjugated this planet and so passed
the dawn Of his existence" Man. won
derful child OF old earth" shall have
reached out to the other planets. taking
into his service that greater fire the
sun" then "he Will brnz his solvent
intelligence to bear upon the riddles
OF his individual interaction, trans
mute Jealousy and every (hasel pas
sion, control his own increase, select
and breed for his embed ment con-
tinually finer and stronger and wiser
race" The social philosophy that runs
through these collected papers IL less
mystic ard remote than this perora-
keen. earnest. eloquent and Full OF
sentimental sympathy for tho oppressed
stratum Of society.
The Wellsian social landscape has
been often enough exhibited. OF al
living things man alone seeks 10 wrest
from the creative power control OF
destiny. He civilized" himself; but
thus far Il has been a "haphazard"
OF IN . bn
wisdom and labors OF the multitude of
bygone generations. complete denial of
the cumulative value OF expert
ence,. From this derives the so-
cial!st's destructive. analytic crlti-
| c!sm; labor. capitalism. government
with indivduaist aim and emphasis
Mankind. BY virtue OF IT'S challenge to
the rule of natural law. has reached
a pass where It's profitable, prosperous
and happy continuance must depend
upon the conscious planning Of $50
cial" future. the Great State: and
here the constructive. synthetic efforts
OF the socialist come into pay. Re
vised distribution Of duties. RESPONSE
b!lities and privileges In respect Of
labor and reward communal conduct
Of enterprise OF common benefit: educa-
ton for the Ideal citizenship OF tho
new state and State; feminlsm OF one
type or another and euCenics. these
and ike these are the Utopian dreams
of collectivism.
But Mr.. Wells, In revolt against reao-
tionary forces does not engage In revo-
lut!onary excuses. He hates gramo-
phone people, bromidiotic hahhers /:
"gramophones thinly disguised as
Bishops, gramophoncs still more thinly
disguised as eminent statesmen, eramo-
phones X. c.. r.. and gramophones
i, r. s." No concoctor of social
panaceas. ne claims for the social phil
osopher n right To a hearing even when
he offers no remedy: but he denies
the lords OF Sociology" Not an
anarchist, he can recognize such posi-
bilitles az a twentieth century setback
In racial prosperity and even collapse
Of civilization; but Is not moved u
pessmism. Hopeful for reform, Inn
provement In public conditions he does
not anticipate any mraculously easy
millennium His pretcnce Is no greater
than his achievement. and that II tn,
sounding of a note OF mingled warning
exhortation and encoura cement. AnC
particularly In his capacity OF "devil'.
advocate pleading against nationa
(EngliShl overconfidence" his IL a clear
calm voice that declaims no counsel Of
despair And exhortations TO reform
can be urged with more point upor
ones own nation than upon vague
generic mankind"
What Ia the quality OF Mr.. Wells
doubts concerning the British future
81 think the English mind cuts at III
with a duled edge. | think Il under
values gifts and fine achievements an,
overvalues the commonplace virtues O
mediocre men" 1t Is not strange at al
that with such belief he should fore
see new epoch" In which his coun
trymen's part shall not be "blndingl
brilliant. but II Is odd that with sue
Views he should turn to socialism. eve,
ahs own mild theoretical socialism bull