The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-11-12
miami Metropolis)

trusted by the laboring man and
by the capitalist alike, Henry Ford
can say things on his Gown Page" in
the Dearborn Independent knowing
that his words will have especial
weight. 1t is good, then, to see that
he is saying some sensible things rel.
ative to the need for men of all class
es to do their own thinking these
days. He is noticing, as all thinking
people notice, that most of the trou-
BILE in the world today comes from a
lack of brain-Jrather from the non
use of brains upon the part of men
and women who find it easier to get
their poinions ready made"
In a recent issue Of the Indepen-
dent, Mr.. Ford says there should be
a sub-conscious conference always in
session within mans heart and its
subject should be the maintenance of
balance between the individual and
the collective good"
Sometimes" he continues, "indi-
vidual good is collective harm; in
which case it must be modified. For
it cannot be individually good in an
enduring way If it is collectively
harmful, since the individual, too, is
part Of the collective interest and
will suffer in his degree from his own
wrong-doing.
Neither should the collective good
be pushed to the extent Of harming
the individual That is the trouble
with most robust theories of the state
they make the collective interest
everything and the individual little or
nothing.
Freedom and progress depend on
keeping the balance between these
two, making each contribute to the
best interests Of the other.
MANY of the problems which vex
our life today could be boiled down
into the simple statement that indi-
vidual good is trying to increase itself
at the expense of the collective good.
1t cannot bedone. For time it may
seem to be possible, but 1t cannot be
DONE The moment one or the other
interest becomes selfishly dominant
the law of compensation is disturbed
and that moment the source of both
begins to dry up, and both suffer.
Again, there should be constant
conference between the Present and
the Future. We sometimes forget
that there is tomorrow coming. [r
some respects our forefathers forgot
that generations were to follow them
their inability to foresee the future
led to much waste of energy and ma
tcrial."
Then follows discussion of the ten
dency to use up today and all its
stores recklessly, needless Of the com
ing years or Of coming generations
that will suffer from this wasteful
ness, and of the need of curbing de
} structive overreaching, either on the
part of labor or capital or of any in
terest or individual that is working
for selfish ends, without though
) about the welfare of the people as {
, whole.
But let us have the concluding par
! agraphs of his article in their entire
. ty-they should make people thinl
who have never thought before HI
says
ITO revert to the industrial situa
, ton again: where there Is a distinc
difference between the individual an,
the collective good, there ought to b.
balancing of their claims in eacl
mans mind.
1.-The best kind of conference take
place in the mind of the man VIII
calmly balances both interests an
judiciously assigns to each it's share
If one interests absorbs all, then tn
reaction that comes from the othe
interests is fatal. Never did any II
terest go up at the sore cost of al
other legitimate interest but 1t cam
down again in loss and sorrow.
I'VE are swayed too much by til
speeches of others who are paid
speak, by the writings of others WI
paid to write; we are swayed too Il
tie by the judicial thought of our oW
and other sincere minds.
There is a danger of outside co
ferences taking the place of our ov
thought.
Let every man think for himse