Omaha daily bee., 1919-03-22
Untree america
Chicago Tribune.

"A Frenchman might wear a straw nat
in snowstorm. and no other Frenchman
would bother about it. 1t would be as
sumed that he had reasons sufficient to him
for his preference. 1t would be considered his
own affair, bit of the variety of life, and of no
concern to anyone else.
Some would jeer and pelt. Others would call
the police. Others would form society for the
prohibition of straw hat wearing in the winter
months.
In French civilization .here is profound re-
spect for individuality. In America there is
little or none. The French recognize that with
out free play of personality life must lose its
spontanety, its sincerity, its wholesome elastic
ity its grace, and color. and zest. In Amer
lea we incline more and more toward Standard
zation and the rule Of the majority in matters
which should be left open to the individual We
already live under tyranny of public opinion
which manufactures hypocrisy and compels me-
diocrity For originality, for diosyncrasy and
individuality we have at bottom both fear and
hatred. We have sort OF moral lynch law for
anything that does not square with the average
and we punish the unusual with something like
the blind ferocity of savage tribe.
This strange development in the land of the
free and the home of the brave has, as one of
its phases, our inclination to pass laws to en-
force codes Of morals or enforce rules of disci-
pine. Not understanding or respecting real pro-
cesses Of character building, we are not willing
to rely upon the appeal to the conscience and
the education of the will We are concerned
with external conduct and impatient1y seek ex-
ternal methods of controlling it. imposing the
collective will by law rather than seeking to en-
tighten the sources of conduct and bring about
right conduct from within.
In a nation truly free laws affecting conduct
are directed against acts which injuriously affect
others. We are exceedingly slack in this respect
and think this means freedom. We permit a
man to build out beyond his neighbor's building
line or to. cause loss and inconvenience to
settled residence district by erecting factory
in it.. We permit owners to keep ice and snow
on their sidewalks while their more public
spirited neighbors clear theirs. and in most re-
spects we are free to neglect or infringe upon
the interests of others. But we like to pass
laws and ordinances to compel the Individual
to do as we think he ought to do for his own
good. We wish to censor his plays, his sports.
his private habits. We are less concerned about
preventing him from doing wrong to others
than in preventing him from doing what we
consider harm to himself
This, it would seem, is standing policy on its
head. 1t certainly represents tendency which
attacks symptoms rather than causes and
ignores the fundamental realities Of character
making. Socially it produces results that are
formal and apparent rather than essential and
creates species of moralistc despotism which
overrides the private conscience and destroys
liberty where liberty is most precious
American democracy is headed away from
freedom in this respect and the benefits of our
political institutions will not compensate us for
our loss. American democracy on this path will
not produce high civilization, which always
must be founded on the mind and spirit. 1t will
evolve only crude mechanism without beauty
or strength.