Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-12-12
People Must Cut
Out Smallness, Says
Head Of Columbia

| Chicago, Dec. 10-The diseases and
growing pains of democracy must be
dealt with as such and the American
people are called upon TO lead the
way in carrying forward democracy
to a condition of permanent and
sturdy health, Dr. Nicholas. Murray
| Butler, President of Columbia Uni
vcrsity \. Y, told the members of
! the Illinois Bar Association here to-
night
! This cannot be DONE" Dr. Butler
! continued, unless the American peo-
pie are prepared to rise above the
smallness, the selfshness that are
now SO much in evidence. To return
to autocracies or to conscious oil
garchies would. be quite impossible.
Ignorance of economic history
and economic laws is particularly
Widespread. One wonders what the
schools and colleges have been doing
for the last half century that men
and women are left in such ignorence
OF the fact and the laws. Senators
and Representatives in Congress vote
with fierce JOY to impose, in time of
peace. very high taxes on wealth
without appearing to realize by thus
diminishing the amount of produc-
4, tive capital they are depriving the
farmer of his market, the wage
| worker of his employment, the trans
portation system of its freight and
the business man of his trade. Ig-
Eorance, the old enemy of human
well-being, is still powerful and ac-
tive.
There are ominous signs all round
about us. Tho American form of
government is in danger whenever
group of men endeavor to operate it
| in the interest of section or a class
"A labor party or q farmers party
| is as undcmocratic and as un-Ameri-
can as millionaires' party, or a
| ship-owners' party would be. The
American farmer, the American
! wago-worker. the American manu-
facturer, the American business man,
! is paying heavily today. five wears
afterwards, for the un-A American and
unpatriotic act that was forced bv
threat upoa the statute book of the
! United States, known as the Adam
! son Law This law established a
| privileged class among us and there
| by increased the cost Of iiving for
| every man, woman and Child includ-
ing members of the privileged class
| itself
The use of the power of the state
TO enforce some particular rule of
| conduct are matters for the con-
science Of the individual and not for
| regulation by some majority which.
at best, can only be temporary.
We need quickly to strengthen
the foundations of representative
government and thereby rebuild pub
tic confidence in it. This can only
De done by attracting to the political
service of the State men and women
OF the highest type of intelligence
ana character. who have no personal
or group ends to serve.
so completely has established
knowledge vanished that TO-DAY q
PUBIC speaker may not cite even the
bloie or SHAKESPEARE with any assur-
ance That his allusion will be under
stood. TO say nothing of the great
oIations and dramas and poema and
historic events Of Greece fand Rome
30 long as this knowledge was gen.
erad among persons called educated
y served as binding and unifyfng
force. both intellectual and moral
Popular teachers are now layinr
down as principle that there are no
principles, but that each individual.
each group. each generation must
follow its own instincts. Such teach
ing reduces man with all his history
to the level of an animal"