The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-06-03
OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Necessity Of Work


The principle that seems to lie at the bot
tom of bolshevism is that you can live withou
working. To make practical the theory, the de
luded followers of the system in some countrie
destroyed the savings of the middle classes, des
poiled factories and undermined financial organi
cations, in the hope of obtaining the funds tina
would enable them to prove their contention l
took the masses of Russia only two years to dis
cover that the promise of plenty without the ex
penditure of effort" was as fragile as a soa1
bubble. After the leaders of the bolshevik pro
gram consumed in few months what others hal
accumulated by years of thrift and self-denal
the consequences of the fallacy became apparen
in period of starvation and an absolute want o
everything necessary to maintain and sustain
life.
If there were the slightest element of trutl
IN the theory, mankind would have discoverec
it long before the twentieth century; for men il
all stages of civilized society have sought in vail
for a panacea that would enable you to eat tn,
cake and still keep it. The ancient world ha,
men, equally as profound in their thinking abil
ity and ingenious in their enterprise as thei
descendants of today, and some of them spu,
theories of "getting something for nothing" will
as much sembance of logic and as strong an an
peal to the masses as any modern bolshevist ha
done. But the world gained no positive good o.
uplft from the fulminations of their minds. II
fact, the best epochs in the history of the worlc
are those in which the creative mind of man link
ed brain with muscle and went forth to new
achievements on the basis of this relationship.
All of US recall how many centuries ago mer
spent money freely to obtain formula whereby
dross and base materials might be changed into
gold. Today we smile at the credulity of those
who gave their gold for the discovery of the
secret. And yet the man who today gives his
hard-earned savings to the oily-tongued stock
promoter promising golden dividends on a stocl
certificate showing an equity in mine or an oil
well in some far off district, might just as vel
hand his money over to an alchemist searching
Tor the golden formula" Equally as foolish is
the disposition of mind that believes reign OF
bolshevism will enable you to feed and clothe
yourself without working for the money that
buy these necessities
How foolish, in the last analysis, to believe
that you will be happy without workingi All the
sages and philosophers of the world all the found
ers OF the great religions, all contented and happy
men, IN all the ages, who sought to improve the
condition of mankind, have proclaimed only one
way that leads to happiness and prosperity-the
road of industry, mental and manual Some mer
are advocates Of idleness as a means to procure
happiness, but they are the exceptions, and US
ually are to be found among tramps and agita
tors. Well-balanced men are workers. They
employ mind and muscle to obtain reward, anc
having attained the goal work on to enjoy il
fully.
Columbus was not satisfied with the discovery
of the western hemisphere. 1t acted as spun
impelling him to sail on and on in the hope OF
finding still greater rewards for his daring. AL
though Premier Clemenceau had passed the
meridian Of life, he asked his physicians whether
he would live long enough to carry the weight OF
Frances burden during the great war He
gloried in the task he carried. Edison, the pre-
mier inventor of the world still spends long hours
in his laboratory, deemng it great pleasure, in.
deed, to be permitted to find enjoyment in his
work
The war has left US problem of readiust.
ment, gigantic in scope, and all-pervasive in its
ramfications. This task will keep all the coun.
tries busy without forcing them to drive home
the lesson that work is the keystone of enduring
"Purging the