The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-12-05
DR.. FRANK CRANES
DAILY EDITORIAL
The NeLUest Thing III the World.
By DR.. Frank Crane.


0NE Of the best definitions Of civilization ever heard
~ was given me By General Muathe III Peking We
were discussing the relative merits 81 the various
civilizations Of the East and Of the West. Suddenly
asked him:
What IS civilization"
After he replied: Civilization Is respect Tor
what another man is and for what he has"
e to that IS very well put It is the founda-
ton Of law, Of orderly society and democracy
Aaman has right to be what he is. ne has right
to work out his natural Instincts to gray his DESIRES
to his own preferences, loves and distastes
The only limitation to these rights IS the right Of other
people.
in condition of savagery 81 semi-savagery the right
Of man to his own opinion is not recognized II he
thinks differently from those IN authority he IS to be
punished The difference between medievaIism and mod
ernism is the difference between processing belief we
do not have and expressing belief We do have.
Free speech free press and freedom Of belief become
normally the rules Of civilized society for the that
these are the respect Of community Of the right Of
every individual to be what he IS.
Civilization must have law because law il not any in
reference with the right Of the individual to be himself
but is provision against individual interfering with
the rights Of another Law is not the repression Of in
diVduaty It IS the guarantee IF it Without law there
is no liberty.
do he peases, matter Of fact does as
he peases that Is, no except the strongest Law
less liberty automatically becomes tyranny.
IN like manner civilization is respect for what another
man has What he has is his property.
It is often charged that civilization is too mateaisc
that it pays too much attention property But property
is normally the result Of mans labor and thrift 70
that result he is entitled.
Communism by taking away mans right to hls prop
erty, would bring society back to savageTy
Oflcourse, long faulty human beings, there
will be much property Wrongfuly acquired, either by
fraud or BY imperfect laws but the presence Of con-
siderable proportion Of igoten wealth IN the community
nearly menacing to civilization as the inability
to get any wealth at all.
Where there laws protecting property there is
automatic law of the strongest and again we revert
to savagery, which is the rule Of brute force.
Almost every system Of taxation in the world is I'M
civilized for almost all taxation amounts to penaizng
thrift and efficiency instead Of compelling every citizen
to give up just proportion Of this property Tor the
maintenance Of governments The income tax, al tariffs
and most other forms of taxation followers from
barbarsm The principle that underlies them to take
money where you find il The underlying principle
Of any just taxation would be to compel to
pay fairly for the benefits he receives from government
We have long way to go before arrive at civilized
system of taxation.
Civilization be justly tested BY the amount Of
respect which nation nsures to for what he
has, and by the degree to which it limits this privilege
only by the respect what other have and are
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