The Detroit times., 1915-05-24
Something for Nothing
~ On. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1915. by Frank Crane)

When you get right down to the bot
tom OF the question, the only out and
out honest business transaction IL the
one In which both parties are profitsd.
II ! sell you a horse for q hundred
dollars, the horse ought to be Of moro
value than the money to you. and the
money ought to be of more use than the
horse to me.
This is the underlying law Of all trade.
from swapping jack-knives to selling .
million dollars worth of bonds.
The complications of the bushes
world are so great that II Is often hard
TO tell whether given deal, or q Rivpn
Inc OF money making, Is ethical or not.
But 1t Is an excellent idea TO keen in
mind the basic rule that the only renu.
inely honorable deal is where the inter.
ests OF both buyer and seller ayo
advanced.
1t Is plain enough thst betting n m
moral, for my gain is your loss. So IN :
lottery what ! win represents the losings
of others, even IL the winning b cor.
centrated in large sum and the loses
be distributed in sums 30 small a. -
bear hard upon no one person.
When we get into other affairs, how.
ever, the issue becomes confused. The
safest method, for one who cares for his
self-respect, Is to ask ones self, Have I
rendered any sort Of service commsn-
surate with the money or goods or fsvors
have receivedT
The class Of sons and daughters who
accept the gifts or the inheritance q
money from their parents, sanctioned b.
the laws OF society, and who spend a
they get in play, In idleness, and IN ssl.
fish ends. rendering no value to society.
is the most dangerous class In the com
munity.
They are doubly dangerous because
vicious tradition causes us to consider
them superior to common people who
have to earn the bread they eat. They
look down upon trades-people." They
regard "the working classes" AZ distinct.
ly inferior. They spend their energies
In going from one amusement to another:
they cultivate polo, golf. yachting. and
such other games as only the wealthy
and the idle can pursue.
They are constantly aware that the
mass of people envy them, are servile TO-
ward them and anxious for their favors.
terers and sycophants.
Hence they become insolent, naughty,
and "a vain as they are useless.
1t is these do-nothings who exasperats
the social conditions. They debauch the
morals Of the populace. They set up al-
Turing and fake standards for the young.
They embitter the working classes. They
corrupt the Institutions of learning.
They debase the church. They vitiate
the state.
Their dangerous influence can al b
traced back TO the fact that THEY GET
SOMETHING FOR WHICH THEY DO
NOT RETURN AN EQUIVALENT.
They might be Of great service instead
of being a nuisance, IL they would only
set about doing some useful work.
Any idle person is septic spot In the
community. And the worst kind OF IN
idle person is a rich idle person.
1t is not the giving Of charity that can
heal the curse Of idle wealth; that only
establishes more firmly the evil, In rem
dering the people servile by doing for
them what they ought to do for them
selves.
The only salvation for idlers Is to iind
some part of the worlds work to do and
TO do it.
The man or woman who gets some
thing for nothing ought to be barred
from the society of decent people.