The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-03-29

and men and women so raised were
unfit in their turn to raise future Tree
citizens. And SO the free citizen m
stead of utilizing his power as "a man
and woman. equal with that of any
man or woman in society, for the
overthrow Of a system that compeIs
him to sell himself into slavery, is
still fighting slaves rebellion with
a slaves weapon for the little triflcs
that constitute slaves goal. Like
ballly horse he stubbornly rebels for
a softer pad for his yoke, unconscl-
Gus Of the yoke.
There has probably since the in
auguration of slavery never been
man or woman who would not have
been better off if he or she had never
lived The curse of slavery has made
life ON this beautiful earth a continu-
Gus tragedy. Not the slaves alone
have been the sufferers. Everey gen
GRAFTON has produced men and women
from all classes of society who start
ed out buovant with hope and am
bition, radiant with enthusiasm and
fcrvor for their ideal conception Of
human happiness, strong in purpose
and energy. And every last one fail
ed utterly and ANONYMOUSLY. The
great bulk of them gave>up immedi-
ately they realized the immensely of
the problem and settled down into the
littlcncss and sordidness Of everyday
existence.
Others, disappointed in their rccep-
ton by the inert, fostering mass of
ignorance of which humanity is main
" composed, made truce with despot-
ism in spirit Of revenge and be
trayed the people they had set out
; to emancipate. Again others modified
their hopes and ambitions and lower
ed their aims to correspond with their
courage and ability A few stuck
. out and were murdered at the stake,
on the block, the gibbet or the cross.
Sad was their ending, sadder still
must have been the realization that
their endeavors appeared utterly use
less, that they might as well have
tried to accelerate the motion Of the
sun as to hasten social evolution in
it's disheartening slow movements
from the twilight Of Communism
. through the night of Human Slavery
to the dawn of Socialism.
The world had moved, not because
$ of them, or in spite of them, but un-
4 aware of them. They were senti-
j mentalsts and tried to make human
ity move in a direction it could not
: go. They had faulty conception of
n human nature, did not understand
n natural laws, nor the laws governing
d the changes in society. But Economic
n Determinism, the instinct of self
G preservation, selishncss, or whatever
d name we give the main spring of hui
a man action, in spite of artificial
i standards of ethics and morality, OF
S heavenly reward and hell's punish
ment, kept moving people in the on
/ ly direction possible, l. e., in the
e line of least resistance.
0 The memorable law of the survival
e of the fttest kept wedding out the
S unfit. Mechanical ingenuity improved
e the system of industrial production
e and caused tremendous changes in
y economic conditions. And here We
e are in the twentieth century, proud
= of the wonderful achievements we
p have made in delving into natures
d mysteries with the key of science
n proud Of our power in enslaving the
5. tremendous forces of natural ele-
ments and making them do the great
n er part of our work, proud of our
S arts, inventions and literature and the
d thousand and one contrivances we
a have made for our convenience, com
e fort and luxury, all fruits of consci-
/. GUS efforts, of a logical use of ways
e and means toward desired end
0 But the social problem is to the great
- mass Of mankind as much an I'M
20 solved riddle as ever.
e Our statesmen are as ignorant as
S their cave-men ancestors of the laws
s of cause and effect as applied to So
e. ciety. And so we move socially only
- when we must, and then we stagger
e blindly toward an unknown goal,
0 afraid lest the next step will throw
r. US into bottomless abyss. The
t great bulk of our citizenship is still
,. nme-tenths slave, contaminated by
= their slave parents with slave char
e. acteristics fears and traditions. The
70 slave religion with its appendages
J. Of false fears and hopes, false ethics
e and morals, superstititions and pref