New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-20
Individuality Need
Not Be Sacrificed
For Cooperation
Not Blind Obedience. but
Mutual Spirit Of Disci-
pline, Required
By ARCHER WALL DOUGLAS

It is one of the wonders of Amer
lean history and American charac-
ter that, being a people of much
common sense, we are prone at times
to passing enthusiasms, bordering
not infrequently on hysteria, over
matters inherently foreign to our
national temperament.
Just now, under the stress of wars
necessity, we are greatly concerned
over our general lack of cooperation,
and see no remedy in the future for
our dominant individualism, other
than some form of discipline, mill
tary in its nature, which shall curb
that too excessive lego in our CO.'S
mos" and make us more plastic in
our relations to one another. What
we should do and what we are en-
deavoring to do in the exigency Of
war is obvious enough. But what
we should do and what we may do
in the time of peace is another story.
Also any definite pronouncement Of
such latter course in advance is
purely an academic discussion, see
ing that we shall be guided and gov
erned by the conditions prevailing
at that time, and these conditions
no man may possibly foresee.
Dealing with general principles,
however, several things are fairly
safe to predict as regards the appar-
ent conflict of individualism and CO.
operation in our economic life. First
and most important is the fact that
we will never get anywhere by copy
ing the ways and methods Of autoc-
racy, or by endeavoring to coerce in
dividuality by repressive discipline.
It is a matter of history and daily
experience that our Astounding in
dividuality made this country what
it is, especially in the ways Of con-
structive achievement, and no
amount Of machine-made system will
ever supplant or nullify this fact.
1t is this stress laid on individuality
that makes US a peculiar people and
renders possible our breaking those
bonds Of inheritance, tradition and
custom which so cumber the efforts
of the peoples Of the Old World. 1t
is this individuality alone which pre-
vents US from falling into those ruts
Of habit which are the greatest
handicaps to progress.
Rising Generation
Teaches a Lesson
We can easily learn a lesson from
the coming generation. Nothing is
more remarkable than the individ-
uality of the children and young peo-
pie of the day. No one, save reac-
tionaries, expects of them that blind
and unreasoning obedience which
cant and hypocrisy thought so
worthy a characteristic Of the past.
We need not be concerned over the
decay of reverence among the young,
when we think of the idols with feet
of clay which the children of past
generations were forced to fall down
and worship. Reverence still exists
for the things of which it is worthy,
but not for the stuffed prophets of
yore. No wise instructor of the
young any longer seeks to enforce
discipline by those methods which in
a past generation only made slaves
or produced smouldering rebellion.
Yet every college and university
testifies to the cooperative spirit Of
this same unruly coming generation,
and especially in such forms of self
government as they themselves have
instituted. The Student Government
Bodies, composed of students alone,
never have any difficulty in securing
the cooperation of their own COM
panions or enforcing discipline
among them. Nor is the reason far
to seek. The thing sought is one of