The Raymer enterprise., 1920-05-13

Ihat 10 be g00d requires knowledge
Of right and wrong. They read that
statesmen called poverty THE PROB
LEM. Reformers called It q curse and
became unpopular because Of their
persistent attacks upon IL In the
verdict Of a thoughtless world those
who fought poverty were called long
haired men and short-haired women.
People did not stop to remember that
these long-haired men and short-haired
women gave Of their time and strength
to the poor. These who were maligned
for following In the footsteps Of the
first Lover Of the Poor were those who
cried out against the tenements, de.
manding for human beings the sun.
shine and air cattlemen give theii
stock. These unpopular ones were the
same who brought re-to keep milk
cool In the hot summer for the chill.
dren of the slums: these were the
crusaders against child labor, the
protestants against compelling the
women who bear the children Of the
race to work so many hours each day
that exhaustion marred and marked
the physical and mental strength OF
children.
So It was that these redeemed,
freed children Of Russia learned OF
the cancer and feared II as much as
the thing they had escaped.
None Able to Check Disease.
They beheld old-school politicians
acting as doctors to sick civilization.
These doctors. miscalled statesmen.
were agreed as to the cause Of the dis
ease and that the symptoms threat
ened death. Many prescriptions have
been given the patient. but none seem
to check the disease. These prescrip-
tions had been various formulas Of
government. the constitutional mon
archy. a democracy. republic. The
giving Of these various treatments
failed to effect a cure. Civilization
continued to suffer- At times pain be-
came uncomfortable and the doctors gave
local anesthetics. These were the laws,
included under the general designation
Social Welfare Legislation" They
made the patient temporarily more
easy. They allayed pain that might
otherwise have produced convulsions-
Revolution.
And then these Russian people.
studying the new world into which
they had 90 recently come. discovered
that many Of these political doctors
were quacks. they were unreliable and
dishonest. They were more interested
In their own fortunes than the fate Of
the patient. They imposed upon the
people who hired and trusted them.
Their time and thought was taken up
In holding their Jobs. rather than In do
Ing their work. That the schools Of
political medicine. called political par
ties. responsible for these doctors
were diploma mills. graft rings. That
some of the people suspected these
physicians Of being Interested In keep
ing the patient sick and were not max
Ing an honest effort to cure. 1t had
even been rumored that there are peo-
pie In the world who make profit out
Of poverty; that special privilege is
the powerful proflteer Of our day.
Turned to Old Theory.
Plato had spoken about another
remedy way back in the fourth GEN.
fury before Christ. So had Marx. An
untried remedy-a theory. Its object
was to cure poverty. The Russians,
seeing that the remedies in common
use had failed, turned their thoughts
to this old remedy which had never
been tried. At least II had not failed !;
this was In its favor. 1t was an ex-
pertinent, to be sure, but Nothing ven-
tured. nothing gained" Many argued
that II could not more completely fail
than the prescriptions at present In
use.
And with the fall Of Imperialism
there came into Russia one who had
been exiled. For many years he had
been a teacher and preacher Of the
untried remedy. Russia saw In him
a savior. He came with a message.
He said that communism would keep
them free. make them happy. They
listened, they believed. They were a.
little children. so great was their
faith. To them promise was a truth
fulfilled, the word q covenant; and the
promise was that peasants would have
their own land. that working men
would be their own bosses. It was the
word they had waited for, the reallza-
ton OF the dreams they had dreamed
In the dark treadmlll. The Prophet
had come. The new day awaited
them. They rejoIced and cried, Long
live the new Messiah" No one sacri.
legious,y questioned the prscticabiIity
Of the dream. Every one forgot the
common, controlling instinct Of man
selfishnesG Maybe In the intense gen
ernl selHshness individual sel6shness
could not be seen.
The man was Ienine-the message
Communism.
Copyright isss Western Mswspspsr Unisal
PULL DOWN the high cost OF livinl
bv growing n garden Vegetable