The Washington herald., 1921-09-15
Class Consciousness.

II i WIS back IN the early COS when Mr.. Bryan
sr re TIE class issue upon this complacently
uu:us ec.ing country. lie crossed with
GOLD unctured Go.les OF thought with
thorns. It was a tremendous shock. This people
had never dreamed there could be such a thing
here To arouse class consciousness in this free
republic where every is king, where the
Declaration OF indie Evidence all are equal was
not merely crime; it sacrilege
A lot Of US have not 70 given Mr.. Bryan to
this day. His issue has become perpetual. Our an
cestors left the old country get away from class
distinctions; for years there had been poor and
RICH but no classes; there had been learned and
ignorant but no classes there had been the socially
select AM elect and those of the kitchen, stable
and sidewalk but no classes. Yet along comes this
meTifuous voice and wishes upon us-class con,
sciousness He has never since been in good re-
pute in polite society. 1t is the one heritage ex-
cusvely stamped, which he will leave TO u.s.; it IS
the thing that all alone, ne has wished upon US
For all the years since. we have been trying to
be rid O. It-aud him Success has crowned neither
effort with distinction. We have proved conclu-
sivcly that while we have all classes. have
none We have neither kings titles OF nobility.
so cannot have classes. Our rich were poor We
go from shrtslseves to broadcloth and back to
shirtsleeves. Even the poor play golf on the same
links with distinction at a common price and Sena-
tors kiss babes hovel doors. Yet this class bug
a-boo persists.
Nor was /, enough to have labor class dropped
in our midst" We have agrarian class
and both OF them nsrt have capitalist class
with its lair in Wall Street from which it is said
laws have been dictated to Congress for 10, these
many years OF late even another class has come
over the horizon known purIsts or uplitters,
while middle class is crying out in pain that, be-
ing unor Eanzed and without a conscIousness all
their own they being ground between The class
nillstones II is the very deucc OF condition from
which all the evils Of the old world have sprung.
Hovyever the best way to combat this condi-
ton. mayBe is to ADM, that even in this free
country of free men there are classes and this being
free country, thew have right to exist and speak
for themselves. Maybe it will after ali, be wisest
to recognize that wisdom IS and justice
in economies may not De Ike special endowment
Of few Tat mass intel gcnce and the average
o iu,err s III hezt i=a of our portion of di-
viz g, re. Il - % possible that out of the
~. &c g. or common sense and
r.. do. u d lily ard equal opportunity
" G.. .... .z.z e. II m and liberty have
tr 70. .........
al g.. s---rn -. o devote at least
.r. - ling %ey .interlock, if not
So c.s.ss y laer several class
E TO-. 5 INTO a national body with national
ec- --,or IS is gwen 20 com atng one or the
OF r. g.. *. ing STRIFE between them. This can
be 1otc %. other reason than that it has to
be Doe Ii lis is to remain the home OF the brave
as vel as the land of the free, we must all some
time recogrize and realize personal responsible
tics TO &C otter and merely to ourselves that
we ca slzckers in rcacc as well as in war, and
that tie true mature OF success is what we do and
not what get.