The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-02-23

: completely changed that the expert
ences of the past are worth little or
nothing to humankind.
One Of the outstanding characteris-
tics of the revolutionary is a contempt
for the teachings of human eXpe4i-
ence. The lessons Of history seem to
him to be of far less Importance than
his own original. even if not always
logical. ideas
Such a doctrine in any field of sci
entific research would be laughed out
Of business. The cubist with his gro
tesque scrawlings is representative OF
this school of thought in art. Darius
Green, who fashioned a flying ma
chine without familiarizing himself
with what science had discovered in
aeronautics, had the same contempt
for human experience and encountered
the finish that usually comes to the
adventurer who believes that all
worth while knowledge began with
] himself But in economies, sociology
and politics the contempt for human
experience runs riot. We are told now,
as we have been told before. that the
war made the world over. and what
happened hundred or even a dozen
years ago is of no significance. The
fact overlooked by these philosophers
is that while external circumstances
have been to some extent revolution
lied. one thing has not been made over |
and that is human nature No man |
need look further than himself to |
know that.
The statesman or economist who de-
spises the past is comparable to the
mariner who throws away his com
pass and sails by the weathervane.
The craft he commands is headed for
shipwreck
In the latter years of the eighteenth
century we had two notable depart
ures in government. One was that
launched by the founders of the Amer
lean republic under the constitution OF
1887. The men who fashioned the
American constitution were students
OF every governmental experiment from
the beginning of civilization, and the
HPBtdA VI lit great men WIN utDdltQ
that document was almost invariably
to the lessons of experience. A few
years after that constitution was
framed the monarchy was overturned
in France and the revolutionists set
about to create a form of government.
Their efforts were based almost en-
tirely upon theoretical considerations.
:
upon humanity as it was but as theor-
lists thought it ought to be. The re-
suit of their labors was only an orgy OF i.
murder and theft ending in chaos and
succeeded by despOtism. Russia has
been passing through the same expe- ,
rience, and today the leaders of the
Russian Oligarchy are admitting that
when they concluded that humanity
had undergone new birth by reason
Of political changes and that it was
ready for a complete change in insti- >
tutions they went far astray from the :,
ruth
Il know of no light by which to i,
guide my feet but the lamp of expert r,
snce," said Patrick Henry. The poll II
ician who turns off the light shed by h
history upon the pathway of mankind II
md thinks he can illuminate the world h
With the phosphorus of his own INTEL G,
ect, is not a safe leader for he is sure o
o pitch over a precipice. The aber- II
atiOns and vagaries of most of the NJ
eaders who have misled mankind have q,
een due to a contempt for the admo- Ii
itions of history and the lessons of .,
uman experience.
m