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

or thought upon their great Is
sues TO humanity. And from II all
emerge an individualist-an unashamed
i~ndividualist. But let me say also
that | am an American individualist
For America has been steadily develop
ing the ideals that constitute progress
sive indiyidualism.
No doubt, indiyidualism run riot
with no tempering principle. would pro
vide a long category Of inequalities, OF
%tyrannies. nominations, and injustices
America, how ever, has tempered the
whole conception of individualism by
the Injection of a definite principle
and from this principle it follows that
attempts at domination. whether In
government or In the processes Of In.
dustry and commerce, are under an
insistent curb. If w would have the
values of individualism, their stimula'
ton to Initiative. to the development
Of hand and intellect, to the high de
velopment OF thought and spirituality
they must be tempered with that firm
and fixed ideal of American individu.
alism--an equality Of opportunity. II
| We WVUiu uufS iitS ottt w $3.50
soften It's hardness and stimulate prog
ress through that sense of service that
lies in our people. =
Therefore, II Is not the ~individualism
OF other countries for which l would
speak, but the ~individuallsm OF Amer
lea. Our individualism differs from
all others because 1t embraces these
-oa.t i1na1c. that uyhtla ua hnilH mir
society upon the attainment of the In.
dividual, we shall safeguard to every
individual an equality of opportunity
TO take that position In the commun-
ity to which his intelligence, character,
ability, and ambition entltle him; that
we keep the social solution free from
frozen strata Of classes that we b
stimulate effort of Zach individual TO
achievement; that through an eniarg'
ing sense Of responsibility and under
standing we shall assist him to this
attainment; while he In turn must
stand up to the emery wheel OF com
petition.
Individualism cannot be maintained
as the foundation OF a society Ii IL
looks to only iegalistic justice based
upon contracts, property, and politi.
cal equality. Such legalistic safe
guards are themselves not enough. In
our lndiyidualism we have long since
abandoned the laissez faire OF the
Eighteenth century-the notion that II
is every man for himself and the
devil take the hindmost." We aban.
duned that when we adopted the ideal
of equality Of opportunity-the fair
chance of Abraham Lincoln. We have
confirmed Its abandonment In terms OF
} Legislation, Of social and economic jus
tice-in part because we have learned
that II Is the hindmost who throws
! the bricks at our social edlfce, In part
because we have learned that the fore
: most are not always the best nor the
hlndmost the worst-and In part be
I cause we have learned that social In,
. Justice is the destruction Of justice
itself. We have learned that the Inn
e pulse to production can only be main
tanned at a high pitch II there Is Q
I fair division of the product. We have
J also learned that fair division can
e only be obtained by certain restric
lions on the strong and the dominant
r We have indeed rome even further In
$ the Twentieth century with the EN-.
: bra cement OF the necessity Of a greater
and broader sense of service and re
e sponsibiiity to others as a part of I'm
dividualism.
Whatever may be the case with re
gard TO Old World individualism (and
we have given more back to Europe
$ than we received from herr the truth
e that Is important for us to grasp to
day is that there Is a world OF differ
I ence between the principles and spirit
r Of Old World individualism and that
which we have developed In our W
S country.
We have, In fact, a special social
y system of our ow We have made II
! ourselves from materials brought In
y revolt from conditions In Europe. We
r have lived It; we constantly improve
e Il; we nave seldom tried to define II.
II abhors autoeracy and does not argne
J with 1t. but fights 1t. It is moi capital.
= ism, or socialism, or syndicalism, nor
e a cross breed Of them. Like most
y Americans, / refuse to be damned by
anybody's word-classlfication Of II, such
O as capitalism "plutocracy." "proIe-
tariat" or 'middle-class." or any other.
y or to any kind OF compartment that Is
based on the assumption of some
group dominating somebody else.
J The social force in which l am inter-
ested is far higher and far more pre-
cious 0 thing than all these. II springs
from something infinitely more en-
during 1t springs from the one source
: OF human progress--that each individ.
ual shall be given the chance and
, stimulation for development Of the
! best with which he has been endowed
: in heart and mind . II Is the sole source
: or progress: II Is American individu.
!, alism.
y fTo BE coNTINUED)
!. Copyright, 1929. by Doubleday. Pare 4
Co Published by arran2ftns1 With
] Western Newspaper unionJ