Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-15
A RARE PROPHECY
Herbert spencer's View Of the Future
OF America and England, Spoken
Thirty Years Aso--A Dire Pre-
dictlon for His Native Land
BY GEORGE NOx MCCAIN

L Ger. the famous English philosopher and
author, delivered prophecy on America.
Nowhere does IL appear In any of his
| published writings. A..
His words were uttered in the course of an
interview In London with an American
newspaper correspondent. ..t. 49,,
| On this occasion he also outlined what
he conceived TO be the future Of the mon :
archical government in Great Britain.
| Viewed in the light Of today, and regard =
ing the course of events subsequent TO the
| World War, It is an impressive declaration.
The prophecy applicable to this country
is, as to its correctness. a matter Of indi
| vidual Judgment and point Of view.
| Thoroughly Spenceri8n, IL Is characterized
by the clear expression as well as the pessi-
| mism that marked his written and spoken
| thought toward the close of his life.
Herbert Spencer died in December. 1908.
t0TNHE American imagines that he enjoys
i the advantages of liberty but the fact
Is that there as elsewhere in the civilized
world the State Is steadily and rapidly abb
sorbing the individuals freedom of action, Z"
said Mr.. Spencer.
"The American has the form of self
sovereignty, but he does not have It in
reality.
at is difficult to foresee what will be the
outcome OF American progress, but l do not
think that your republic will escape the
tOuSSVutIttS VI Tue BeHeTNl Struggle.
"The fact is, few men have any true np-
probation of liberty.
'Subservience to majority in personal
concerns is as bad as subservience to
king, and there can be no worse despot than
the majority.
"Just In the same way that men have
now come to resist the dictaton of the State
(be 1t one man or the majority of mem In
the respect of their religious beliefs, SO when
they fully understand liberty will they come
to resist such dictation, even of the million
as OF the one. in matters of private concern.
tOTNEIE great reform needed Is to insist
l. everywhere and always that each man
shall take the consequences Of his own
nature,
That he shall have, without deduction,
all the benefits of his own nature and ac-
tion. and take all the evils of his own
nature and actions, and shall neither saddle
those evils on other people nor be defrauded
by other people of the benefits.
This Is the law that should be insisted
on, not only in the conduct Of individuals to
one another. but also in the conduct Of the
State to individuals.
Teaching does little. The discipline of
life does everything.
There is nothing to do but to insist upon
the carrying on the life in thoroughly
honest, conscientious way, and reprobating
everything that does not conform to a high
standard OF conduct.
ct DO not see much hope of change in
this direction while your material de-
velopment is going on at so great rate.
"In a society like yours ambition in
evitnbly takes the direction of acquiring
wealth, and the struggle for this brings in
evitable evils.
$50 long as you have the American con-
tinent to subdue and people. do not sup
pose you will change much in your ethical
Standards
LIS views concerning the future Of his
IL native England were ultra pessimistic.
His predictions, or rather his ideas, con-
cerning the people of England took on far
darker and more gloomy aspect than did
those concerning the United States.
'Since began to write there has been a
clear reaction against individual liberty"
"We are certainly tending toward State
socialism, which will be worse form of
tyranny than that of any government now
recognized in civilization.
after State socialism will come military
dcspotism.
''At present the State Is absorbing the
individual activity Of men.
at is intermeddling in all manner of
ways in what should be private enterprise.
''Gradually the State will usurp the func-
that the people will one day awake to it
but it will be long before they make an
effective resistance.
ct CANNOT but think that the struggle
l. will be severe-something terrible to
contemplate.
~ do not pretend to set date for the
catastrophe or to anticipate its horrors.
The progress Of the doctrine of evolution
throughout the world ia unqucstionable, but
at the same time cannot say that see any
movement In the direction Of my own view
politically.'
Following his predictions concerning the
future of the American people. Mr.. Spencer
predicted the revolution in American copy
right laws which has since been effected
$50 far Us the present Copyright Law
recognizes the rights of an author. II may be
accepted ms q good step in the right direction.
There will. however. have to be a change
before the literature which deserves protec-
ton can gain any benefit from it," he de-
clared.