The New York herald., 1922-04-09

more closely and establishes its own
powers the more firmly by the same
act. On the other hand, he who
violates or weakens an individuals
rights, reducing his personal stature,
so TO speak. Injuries the social system
at the same time.
We must conclude then that the
view OF the plain man. who naturally
insists on the privacy of individuality,
Is abstract. lie entertains Il naturally
almost inevitably. He has had to hold
his own all his life: and he knows his
desires. aims and volItion as his own
and his actions as their result. He
traces the springs OF hlS actions no
further. He attributes the same kind
of separate individuality 10 others:
and he has no option except 10 regard
society as result OF their coming out
Of their isolation and entering inte
relations which are more or less stable.
He does not realize that he Is. BY such
theory. constructing a system by
means OF centrifugal forces.
Business May Be Just.
Bur Not AItruisific
Nor does the economic world. seen
on the surface. tend 10 correct HE
error. II appears TO be the scene OF
an unmitigated struggle for exist
ence.' The ruling purposes which are
the active forces are undisgiisedly
self-referent. Business may be just.
and II may even pay TO be Just. but Il
cannot be altruistic. You serve society
best BY prospering in your business as
an individual. especially N you prosper
fairly. Out Of business hours you may
be generous. but as a business man
YOU can have no other aim than that
OF the success of the concern for which
you act. Such is the usual view. as
we have seen.
But II also IL abstract: II is oblIvious
of the deeper forces which. fortu-
nately. always operate. And these arc
all corrective OF self-seelSing cgoism.
They prevent the results of business
from terminating with the business
mans projects. and make him a better
builder than he intends. The economic
word continues 10 exist because. in
spite OF the egostic motives of the
constituents. II IL sphere of mutual
services Whether men want 10 bene-
fit one anotncr on not In their produc-
ing and consuming. their selling and
buying. they must appear "a. and In
the long run they must actually 40 -.
Men seek one another because, apart
from one another. they are incomplete.
And society lives because no member
OF IL cnn live for himself alone. how
ever narrow and selfish his aims. It
will prosper. and the course ~ its NE
will he smooth. In the degree In which
the members which constitute Il adopt
its tendencies as their own aims In
order 10 do 50 they need not deny
themselves anything worth owning
They may and should continue 70 hold
their own. and IN every sense maintain
the sacred invio,abiilty OF their persons
and rights. They will protect and pre-
serve the station they occupy and the
calling by which they live. hut they
viii dedicate Il. and rejoice In Il ns
means OF social service. Nor will they
be the worse business men" for the
inner change.
The true social theory Is thus neither
individualistic nor socialistIc nor
mixture or compound OF these. Neither
the individual nor society comes FIRST.
nor can either have a preponderating
significance AT any stere ~ their evo-
luton. Their interrelation Il too deep
and intimate.