Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1916-04-27
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF POLITICAL
MOVEMENTS

And the individual leader is of value
to the movement just In proportion
as he embodies in his own soul the
fundamental spirit, ideals and pur-
poses of the movement itself.
Here is the key to many a vexa-
tious problem otherwise inexplicable.
In studying political movements the
student must always remember that
he is dealing with natural laws. 1t
is his first duty and privilege to look
into those laws, and to understand
and interpret his phenomena accord
ingly.
In all political, as we'll as religious
or other popular movements, there
is what may be termed a social in
telligence as well as individual intel
ligences. Causes long operating upon
community or nation produce
certain desires and certain impulses.
These begin at first to act as deep
undercurrents, and to gradually rise
to the surface as great waves which
no man can check. Sometimes they
literally sweep everything before
them, until, as in the case of the
French Revolution, not a vestige OF
the former order is left Back OF
all these psychological waves running
through history there are, without
doubt, certain great laws. They are
the laws that have made history
They are the fundamental laws which
govern the evolution of life and social
order on this planet. The following
are some of them:
/. The law of Justice, or as EN-.
erson calls it, the Law of Compensa.
tion.
2. The law of Evolution.
3. The law Of Equilibrium.
4. The law of Construction.
At their foundations, these are all
phases of one great basic law which
may be called Natures constructive
principle in operation. 1t is the law
by which all forms of individual and
social life are built up. 1t is the law
that supports every constructive ac'
tivity of man. 1t manifests in many
ways; but it is the one supreme law
| by and through which God hal
evolved everything that is good. B!
this law man has risen to his present
status, both individually and collect
f, lively. This is a law, moreover, witt
; which all men must reckon, whether
they wish it or not.
| Now, let us apply it to politica
movements. All abuses and mistake
in political governments tend to cor
rect themselves; because all viola
tions of natural law are inevitabl!
followed by the gradual elimination
of the offender. Violate justice ant
justice itself Will sooner or later lay
its heavy hand upon the violator. Nc
one can escape for a long period
whether individual or a nation. Over
draw one side of the account and the
law of compensation will sooner oil
later present the bill and demand full
payment. Swing too far to one ex'
treme, and the law of equilibrium
will bring you back, sometimes to the
opposite extreme. Outrage the con-
structive law by selfish destructive
conduct or by the enactment of laws
not for the public good, and the Great
Law sweeps away the offenders and
makes way for a new order.
With this law in mind every read
er will have new key to history.
Starting in the dim ages of the past
and tracing history to the present
moment, no individual nor nation has
ever escaped the operation of these
great laws and principles. Egypt
failed at the very height of her
ancient splendor and went down to
utter desolation because she departed
from justice and forgot righteous
ness. Even great Rome perished
through vain pomp and the power
which she failed to use for the good
of mankind.
The aristocratic abuse of power,
wealth and privilege planted the
deadly germs of revolt in France,
and that deep undercurrent of retri-
butive justice produced revolutions
which, rising blindly out Of the deep
sea of human wrongs, a monster with
bloody jaws, devoured its own un-
holy mother. The sweat, the tears
and the singing lash of our southern
slaves cried out to the Law until
justice drew upon our own nation an
avalanche of woe in full payment.
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