The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-06-18
FOR THE FUTURE -
BY CARL BLOOR.

This week l was offered the posi-
tion of assistant branch manager in
my concern; situation opening the
way for me to become a highly sue
cessful business man.
Yet business man is very pitt
full sight. He is fat and flabby. No
sparkle turks in his pulpy eyes. The
fire of youth is burned out. Even the
dead ash is used, not in reading the
semi-liberal popular novels, or light
adventure stories, but in contempla-
ton of boastful biographies in
business journals of the. American
magazine type. His ideal is to write
q similar record of himself some day.
True, Mr.. Business Man is a ma
terial success,-but how sad his exist
ance. Always prating about his car,
his machine, his chauffeur. Happiness? ?
Achievement The neighbors' flat
terry of his wilful little son makes him
happy. A few more dollars week, a
better car, bigger house-these for
him are achievement.
The days of experimenting youth
seem long ago. He can hazily remem-
Der how, when at college, he had &C.
tually joined radical debating So
ciety.
Since then nothing but deteriora-
ton. All bad form must be crushed
out. He must think success so that
success will come to him. He must
talk prosperity and must not be a
knocker, but always bright, cheerful
and happy.
And now success has come to him
But he sneers at Shaw-thinks more
of his table than of his bookcase.
Once our hero was caught by his
friends buying The New Republic
His explanation that he merely want
ed to prepare to answer the Red
Menace saved his reputation.
Twenty years ago this man of af
fairs was an enthusiastic idealist. II
twenty years will l be flabby mind
ed self centered business man?
| SO John Reed is dead. We cam
write enough about such man. Ant
how he lived! | wonder if there ar,
many Harvard graduates, men O.
literary talent, who would deliberat
ely throw over family, percept, wealth
to cast their lot with the workers?
| When | was a high school studen
my mother worked for the movemen
even as she does now-travellin
lup and down the country preaching
rebellion. Money was often late j
coming. Once when there was no mon
ey we lived for two days on larg
Spanish onion. After class on tn
second day we walked to the offic
Of radical doctor and asked for
loan. But he himself had had nothin
to eat except very ripe bananas ths
day, and had no money. He gave U
several sample boxes of corn flake
to help us until our funds came, viii
: he invited himself out to supper wit
a patient.
Every champion Of the worker
knows that he must often take h
cornflakes without cream-if he
lucky enough to get the cornflakes.
Il But the comradeship! What revol
" ticnist has not gone home in Il
Il g. eying dawn after an all night ia
: with his cohorts about tactics, nc
u liberal books? Or how so and so
IL in Kidding and what fine boy he
N and how this red minister has dro
g ped out Of the fight and is now spea
Il ing for the protective league min
s, ters? Someone remarks, they 0
of economically unsound anyway.
e. Better TO eat raw fish in a Finir
IL Jail than caviar at a Chamber
IS, Commerce banquet. For many Of
d, keenest intellects are now or ht
t. been in Jail. It is worth more tn
s. one night behind bars to hear
IS. Alpine relate how he was flipp,
he coachman at Newport, or hear M
,r, Harmon tell how she threw the tn,
'e- out Of her house that night. She
in, an engrossing story teller.
n It is a treat to have broad -mout
an Bob Minor tell Of his European
nd carceration, or Emma Goldman
,st hearse the time when, invited by n
tie take, she exhorted some Hooveriz
Ter women on anarchism, at their \
m. York banquet.
Who ia the great writer not {