New-York tribune., 1918-05-22
The Case of Rose Pastor Stokes

The trial of Mrs. Graham Phelps
Stokes at Kansas City for sedtious utter
ances presents features of unusual in
terest. Alone among all the group which
we might without any disrespect term
the ditettomte Socialists, as opposed to
the working class Socialists, Mrs. Stokes
has elected to take up arms, as it were,
against the government, imperil her lib
erty and her standing in the community,
and that of her husband as we'll.
Mr.. Graham Phelps Stokes, like his
wife, is an ardent Socialist, but, like Mr..
William English Walling, Mr.. John
Spargo, Mr.. Charles Edward Russell and
others prominent in this movement. he
has taken resolute stand for the war
and is first sergeant of the 9th Coast
Artillery, New York Guard. Some time
before Mrs. Stokes took up her recent
crusade, which resulted in her present
predicament, Sergeant Stokes, if we NAV
accentuate his military adhesion to the
war, announced his dissertation from
his wife's views and those of other So
cialists like Mr.. Hillquit
Between the two groups there is at
least this difference of complexion, that
men like Stokes, Walling, Russell, Spargo
and the others are American born, while
Mr.. Hillquit, Mrs. Stokes and the other
antransigea1ats are foreigners. They have
come to America not to accept our insti-
tutions, but to reform them.
But is this radical impulsion all that
drove Mrs. Stokes vehemently to deny
her adhesion to the government and to
proclaim her opposition to "a govern
ment of profiteers"? AS many of our
readers are aware, the last few wears
have seen the development of a new
technique of psychic investigation which
has shed flood of light upon the nature
and origin of these ideas of revolt and
the overturn of existing conditions.
In a fascinating new work upon the
subject of morbid fears and compulsions
DR.. Horace Westlake Frink has analvzed
number of these impulsions in a way
TO make them seem veritable revelations
he cites the case, for example, of very
ardent young feminist who, at the re-
motest suggestion even of woman's mus
cular lnferlority or the like. would burst
into storm of denunciation. 1t was
equally striking that her routine work
for the cause" betrayed marked ineffi-
cheney and disorder. It was not lonp
after that this showed itself in the out
break of decided neurosis-that is. in
irrational acts.
Treatment of the case according to
the new methods of psycho-a ANALYSIS dis
closed the existence of what is termed a
strong masochistic trend-that is. an ar
dent desire to suffer pain. This, it should
be added, is a familiar symptom in such
neuroses, and in milder forms is so wide.
spread, even among very intelligent and
cultivated people, that it carries no such
stigma of perversity as once attached
to it.
Dr. Frink discusses similar cases, and
concludes that practically all the pioneers
and reformers, to say nothing of the
rebels against authority or prevalent
conditions, are of a highly neurotic type
and invariably reveal some neurosis in a
greater or less degree. In word. thew
are the types that are unable to adjust
comfortably to their surroundings. They
are tormented souls, torn with feelings
OF rebellion and disgust against an i'm
perfect and incoaprehensible world. The
curious matter is that these feelings
seem to spring invariably from what
have come to be known as "complexes,
word that may best be defined as a
bundle of rather fixed and compelling
emotions. The most familiar examples.
and literally those that make for the
larger amount Of the disquiet and discom-
fort that vast number of people feel, are