New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
he Riddle of Col. House, Political Sphinx, Is Solved!
''Philip Dru: Administrator, In
Which He Remedies Con
stitutions and Societies

people about the time they leave schoo.
and set forth to right the wrongs OF
the world Philip had voice that was
'tense and vibrant" and he talked IN
quick, sharp jerks" that made deep
impression on Gloria. Before their con-
versation ended they had run the gamut
of mental healing, theosophy, material
ism and spiritualism, evolution and
most of the other isms.
Philip takes his commission in the
army, however, and goes to a Texas
fort, where Gloria soon follows to visit
her brother Getting lost in the desert
together, the sun so affects Philips
eyes that he decides to quit the army,
his high sense Of honor forbidding his
taking the governments money when
he could not give full service.
The scene shifts back to New York.
Here Philip and Gloria prowl about in
the East Side, and are taken to the
home of the usual hungry little boot
black" just as his mother is dying of
of a Kindly German woman" They
bury the mother, and Philip says:
"Let US go; she needs US no longer,
but there are those who do. The ex-
perience has been my lesson, and from
now on it is my purpose to consecrate
my life toward the betterment of such
as these. Our thoughts, our habits, our
morals, our civilization itself is wrong,
else it would not be possible for just
this sort Of suffering to exist"
Thus Philip finds his sphere in life
and enters upon it. Gloria becomes
settlement worker until her banker
father and her society worshiping
mother, one of those women who are
Convinced men were placed here for
the sole purpose of shielding and pro-
tecting women" object. Then, on
Philips advice, she decides to do her
missionary work among the social but
terf1ies of her set
1t is interesting to know, in these
days when socialism is so vividly be-
fore the world that Colonel House be-
lieves that the world has now reached
~ stage where socialism is possible.
Philip is discussing the subject with
Gloria's banker father who says:
II know that things are not as they
should be, but how can there be a more
even distribution of wealth without les
sening the efficiency Of the strong, able
and energetic men and without making
mendicants of the indolent and improvi-
dent? If we had pure socialism we
would never get the highest endeavor
out of any one, for it would not seem
worth while to do more than the aver
age. The race would then go backward
instead of lifting itself higher by the
insistent desire to excel and to reap the
rich reward that comes with success
To which Philip replies:
'ln the past your contention would
be unanswerable, but the moral tone
and thought of the world is changing.
You take it for granted that man must
have in sight some material reward IN
order to bring forth the best within him.
| believe that mankind is awakening to
the fact that material compensation Is
far less to be desired than spiritual COM
pensation. The feeling will grow, it is
growing, and when it comes to full
fruition the world will find but little
difficulty in attaining a certain measure
of altruism. | agree with you that this
much to be desired state of society cam
not be altogether reached by laws, how
ever drastic. Socialism as dreamed by
Karl Marx cannot be entirely brought
about by comprehensive system of
state ownership and by the levelling of
wealth. If that we're done without a
spiritual leavening the result would be
largely as you suggest"