The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-11-08
WHERE SHALL WE SToP7
10 tale Country Gradually Drifting
Into Universal cemmunisms

tH28 Universal O9fUfHAN0LEt
s4oughten Coolidge writes thus
freely and fairly In the Chicago
''Pubiic:" Those sturdy Norsemen
who frcwned upon the introduction OF
the Church because IL brought beg
xars would have their patience sorely
tried, had they lived in this day and
age. Not only do we have beggars,
but we have agyiums, poor farms,
and pensions We started with free
schools, but now the children have
free taxi books, free medical serv-
Ice. and free dentistry; and the
adults have free hospitals, free visit
ing nurses. free clinics, and free dis
pensaries, not TO mention free IL
bTartea. free employment agencies,
and free lodging houses. Those Eng
tsh Socialists who are declaring for
Of u.s. Nor should It be a cause for
establishment when two sons with
large property holdings billet their
aged mother Cd the county farm,
nor that q woman with an income
Of twenty-five dollars q week should
draw fifteen dollars a month from
the county agent And those per-
sons who express surprise at the
number Of rich and well-to-do peo-
pie who attend the free clinics and
patronlzs the free dispensaries sim
ply betray their ignorance of human
nature.
II may well be said that no child
should be handicapped in his start
IA life. He should not be deprived Of
the fullest possibilities Of the free
scheels for want Of text books. And
II the child's bad teeth lead to poor
health. they should be mended The
London school board discovered that
some children could not study be-
cause of lack OF food, and so pro-
vided free lunches. The same logic
might find that ragged children suf-
Tered q mental depression that in
terfered with their study, and SO
require free clothing. There seems,
indeed, no place to stop logically
short of universal communism. But II
we do not stop, where shall we end?
What will be the moral effect upon
the people? II unearned wealth tends
TO corrupt the rich, will not unearned
public largesses weaken the moral
stamina Of the pooff The rich have
many alternatives, If they will to
save themseivesi but the poor have
but one, and we have made that one
very difficult.
Why so much ~assfstance?' Men
and women made u decent living In
this country q hundred years ago.
There was then very little call for
public assistance. Families were not
then afraid OF having children. Judg-
ing from the number. they were well
come. They were an asset. instead Of
liability. Between that day and
this science and invention have added
enormously to the power of labor in
the production OF wealth. Yet, with
all this added power at its command,
the laborer Is unable to lay by any
thing for sickness or old age. II he
dies in his prime he does not leave
enough to educate his children. The
comforts Of modern civilization are
beyond his reach, and he must de-
pend upon the charitable rich or the
State for necessities. Some, the
strong. the able, and those surround
cd by fortuitous circumstances, sue
coed: but the large and increasing
number that fail should give us
pause. The poor have enough at
best to contend against in the strug-
gle Of life, without being subjected to
the enervating Influences OF charity.
We have drifted into unnatural con-
xistons, and we should lose no time
1n getting back to sound principles.
Charity never was a substitute for
Justice. and It becomes increasingly
inadequate as the complexities of so
oiety increase. This "a a time foS
plain. honest thinking.