The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-05-14
Chapter Xxx.
His experience explained.

L
companions all tfat had be fallen him
since he had left them in search of a
Job. Needless to say that much of what
had happened the boy was an old story
with the the veterans of the Glass
War. 1t was lis particular and unique
views on these events that interested
his companions most of all. Still they
enjoyed many hearty laugh at the
boy S expense.
"Wlat did we tell youi" Collins
laughed, "These employment offices
arc not legitimate institutions; they
are fostering sores on the rotten body
of Capitalism. No doubt they could be
so conducted as to be of service TO the
slave under the present social order,
hut then they would be less profitable
to the operators and you must never
forget that it is profit and not service
that is the driving power of the bust
ness world" Leaning back in his chair
and putting his feet upon the table and
locking his fingers behind his head he
went on, in the same strain "There
is profit in crookedness and glory in
honesty that is the reason honesty is
precious in business by reason of scar
city while crookedness is as common
as dirt, And you knew it, havin learned
lit both Theoretically and practically
when they had us in the can GaiD at
| AnamOose.
"I see that I am living illustra-
tion of my theory that education docs
not change man s nature to any great
extent unless it is carried far enough
to form definite habits in the in.
div;dual. His education must make him
an automaton of the new order. lie
must live and act the social life with
cut an effort of the will, and unless
ne is brought that far no matter how
well he knows the theory of thing
he will act on his instincts, That is
ne will use his philogenetic instead CT
his ontOgenetie mental equipment, y
lack explained.
"ITold on a moment-put on the
breals-fetch us the ghost of Weo-
ster and the encyclopedia. " roarcd
Collins while Rudolph who was still
busy with his household duties grinned
| broadly.
Then after pause he added, II
understand YOU alright but | want you
10 express yourself in such way that
the average stiff can get you. :"
"Which is equivalent to an adms-
sion that you are above the average
'Stiff," and want to hand him down
something from your high estate. "
Jack replied. "You understand me.
Rudolph understands me. None of is
have had any advantages. What
we got we took at the cost Of
midnight oil and tired eyes, while TIE
average was hanging on the bar or
playing polser or solitaire. or stupidity
snored away their time. They mentally
starved while food for the mind was
cheaper and more abundant than bread.
The average-why should talk to the
avcragcp Why should throw pearls
before swine? They will only turn and
rend me limb from limb. Your precious
stupid, vapid cowardly average, which
knows nothingc but to exchange their
strength for sufficient bread to keep
alive and spawn. They are the debris
of the law of fecundity which your
misguided enthusiasm mistakes as The
stones from which to build the wonder
Gus temple of the machine age You
talk without thinking, that is all. You
take it for granted that thing is
human just because it wears pants. "
Evidently excited by the Vehemcnce Of
his own speech he suddenly ceased and
iopened a volume of John Fiske S
Cosmic Philosophy.
Collins was more then pleased with
Ike boys defense of his position al.
though he was not in sympathy with
it. lie was of the opinion that Capital.
ism made environment and environment
,rade men what they were He hoped
that by teaching them tie possibilities
Of machine production he could make
them hopelessly discontented with their
present environment. so much so that
they would rise and consciously in,
oueuratc the new state of society. Hc
had forgotten the old saying that the
creature is not greater then the creator
from which it follows that man being
a product of evolution can not rise
above the source that gave him origin.
| He is in the grasp of the irexorablo
law Of hiologic cause and effect. A
fish by dcsireing it cannot become a
beast yet all beasts have evolved from
fish and thru them from still lower
FORMS At each step whole species and
races dying cut except few favored
variations who became the progenitors
of the new race or species, No species
has ever survived a great geologic
change intact, so no race or nation mas
ever survived a fundamental economic
change intact. We can not will to enter
4 now social order. because our mind
is product of the present and past
social orders. Our biologic tendency is
to hold on to what we have and to dis.
trust the new no matter how allurug.
Man in mass does not advance. lie is
pushed along. You can not teach him
the way and make him travel it. Bio.
logic needs throw him into a new order
where he must either adapt himself or
die. And most Of them die. If it were
not so the world would have been over.
A 4. L.