The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-12-14
PROGRESS IS WELCOME.

PHOGHESS Is WEICOMG.
70. w. Howe. the brilliant Kansas
philosopher, has embelllshed the pages
of recent numrer of the Saturday
Evening Post with collection of his
scintillatlons, We believe that one or
two Of them are worth reproducing and
are especially appropriate during the
Christmas season, He says;
"A certain advanced woman spends a
good deal OF time in jail but she seems
TO have real literary ability, In one of
her outbursts she repeats the oldest
fallacy in literature. The history OF
human growth ana development, she
says is al the same time the history
OF the struggle Of every new idea her.
aiding the approach of brighter
dawn, In It's tenacious hold on tradi-
tion the old has never failed to make
use OF the foulest and crueest means
to stay the advent OF the new, In what
ever period the latter may have as
serted itself Nor need we retrace our
steps into the distant past to realize
the enormity OF opposition, difficulties
and hardships placed In the path OF
every progressive idea. The rack. the
thumbscrew and the knout are still
with us, so are the convict's garb and
tho social wrath. all consplrlng against
the spirit that Is hravely marching on.
The only demand that property recog .
nizes Is Its guttonous appetite; the
mower To subdue, TO crush, to exploit
the power to epslay TO outrage, TO
degrade
This has been written a thousand
times IN the past; no one can read 1t
now without little pleasure but IL
was never true, The better the sent .
ment that has been wRat the more
1t has caused the people to bristle, but
Whereter II has appeared, In good garb
or bad, II has always been vulgar.
ridiculous falsehood."
Then, again picking up the thought.
he continues In the following para =
graph
progress Is welcomed and encour-
aged II Is subsidized by government,
by well-to-do citizens, and accepted by
the people; the progres1ives have been
widely heralded as bcnefactors There
are millions OF worthy men who own
property ana encourage others to own
II who never ensave, outrage, degrade
or crush, but who are helpful and in
dustricus and obey laws they assiste cd
In making for the common good we
are actually n rather decent people, but
somehow we love the statement that
we are opposed to progress and iustlc,
and use the rack the thumbscrew and
the knout on those who favor Il. Nc
doubt many Will thank me for repro.
ducing this fierce | dlctment OF oui
race, and say there is a good deal u
IT, whereas the truth In there is moth.
ing IN II and never hns been The
world has progressed nightly, and re-
| ceived encouragement from every one.
This is wholesome doctrine at
time when the world Is trying to re-
cover from its baptism Of hatred. ha
tired which has not only permeated III,
political relationships OF the world bu
the field Of industry ns well II sounds
refreshing to hear man like How,
get up among foolish fanatics who ar,
industriously trying TO demoish MAJ
OF straw and assure them that there 4
no such animal.
The beam In Our own eye causes II
to search that of our neighbor g.
notes. And we find then about y. va
where they nre not as where thcl ur,
Your neighbor Is pretty decent po.
OF fellow. after all He is douht 30.
more engrosscd with numerous othe
things than thoughts OF enslaving O
expressing, Chances are he would as
sist you II you asked him When yu
see monstrous ogros seeking to wIel
the knout or the rack you have prob
ably been dreaming or perchnnce look
ing into the mirror.
IL this Christmas season shall pre-
mote among us more human fee IN.
for each other, 1t will make for ia
progress OF the world. There ia moth
ing moro needed Just now than friend
llness Why should we strive again
Instead of cooperating with ear
other? Why persist In feeling natrr
instead of good will for those vii
whom we have TOT Why go out Of on
way to find enemies? We create man
II not most of the antagonlsms wit
which we are confronted.