The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1923-03-29

remedy the pressing human ills have
come to the front Of mems minds.
Great formulas came into life that
promised to dissolve all trouble. Great
masses Of people have focked 10 their
banners In hopes born of misery and
suffering. Nor has the great social
ferment been confined TO those nations
that have burned with revolutions.
Now, as the storm of war. of revo-
luton aud Of emotion subsidies there
is left even with us of the United
States much unrest. much discomfort
with the surer forces OF human adj
vancement. To all of us. out of this
crucible OF actual, poignant, individual
experience has come a deal of new
understanding. and II Is for all OF us
TO ponder these new currents IL we are
TO shape our future with Intelligence.
Even those parts Of the world that
suffered less from the war have been
partly infected by these ideas. Beyond
this. however. many have had high
hopes of civilization suddenly purified
and ennobled by the sacrifices and
services of the war; they had thought
the fine unity of purpose gained In war
would be carried into great unity or
action In remedy OF the faults of civil.
cation in peace. But from concentra-
ton of every spiritual and material
energy upon the single purpose OF war
the scene changed 70 the immense com
plexity and the many purposes of
peace. ..
Thus there loom up certain definite
underlying forces in our national life
that need to be stripped of the imagi
nary-the transitory-and a definition
should he given to the actual, perma-
nent and persistent motivation OF our
civilization. In contemplation OF these
questions we must go far deeper than
the superiicials Of u political and
economic structure, for these are but
the products Of our social philosophy
the machinery Of our social system.
Nor is II ever amiss to review the
political. economic. and spiritual princi-
pies through which our country has
| steadily grown In usefulness and great
t ness, not only 10 preserve them from
} being fouled by false notions, but more
importantly that we may guide our.
, selves In the road OF progress.
Five or six great social PHILOSOPHERS
are at struggle I'm the world for AS
, tendency. There is the individuaiisin
Of Anierica. There Is the Individual
ism OF the more democratic states OF
Europe with its careful reservations of
. castles and classes There are Com
, munism. Socialism. Syndicalism, Cap.
i. italism. aud finally there is Autocracy
, whether by birth, by possessions,
, miiitarism. or divine right OF kings.
|, Even the Divine Right still fingers on
although our lifeline has seen fully
, two-thirds Of the earth's population, In
/. Guiding Germany, Austria, Russia, and
: China, arrive AT q state Of angry dis
gust with this type Of social motive
power and throw II on the scrap heap
All these thoughts ere In ferment
;. today In every country In the world
They f%uctuate In ~ascendency witt
/ times and places. They compromise
with each other In daily reaction or
( governments and peoples. Some OF
these ideas are perhaps more adapted
TO one race than another. Some are
false, some are true.
The partIsans Of some of these other
brands Of social schemes challenge us
to comparison and some of their par
tiSans ever among our own people are
3 increasing In their agitation that we
r adopt one or another or parts of theil
devices in place Of our tried individual
ism. They insist that our social foun
8 dations are exhausted, that like fuedal
2 ism and autocracy Americas plan has
served It's purpose that II must be
0 abandoned.
There are those who have been lefI
in sober doubt of our institutions OF
I are ~confoundcd 10y bewildering catch
words Of vivid phrases. For In this
g welter of discussions there Is much al
tempt to glorify or defame social ant
economic forces with phrases. Nor In
deed should we disregard the potenc,
n OF some OF these phrases In their stli
to action-"The dictatorship OF thu
n P~raletariat," 'Capitalistic nations.
Q Germany over ALL" and a score of 9th
ers. We need only 70 review those~tm
have jumped to horseback during th'
a last ten years In order that we ma!
q be properly awed by the great socia
I and political havoc that can be worked
where the bestial Instincts OF hate
L murder. and destruction are clothed b!
the demagogues In the tine terms o
political idealism.
For myself, let me say al the yer!
y outset that my faith In the Essential
truth. strength, and vitality of the de
veloping creed by which We have hith
9 erto lived In this country OF ours ha
been confirmed and deepened by TN
searching experiences Of seven years 0
d service In the backwash and ni'ser.
4, Of war. Seven years OF contendin;
o with economic degeneration, with 80
y cIaI ~disintegration. with incessani 20
& iitical dislocation. with all OF its seefh
e ing and ferment of individual AM
Is lass conflict. could hut Impress M
j! viii, rhe primary motivation OF socia
.rces. and the necessity for broad