Evening star., 1924-07-20
Radicals for Revenue Only
Are. Condemned by Marshall

For the moment am eliminating
from the equation the religious and
moral training. which induces q boy
to do the right thing regardless OF
desire. But the results of this train
ing must not be discounted. The
moral precepts which come from in
spiration are, and will probably ever
remain. the steadying force in a world
filled with conflicting desires aud con-
tending purposes. II 1t were not for
them. no one knows what might be
the possible fate of humanity. But
with their theoretical elimination,
any normal-minded man must. as he
passes through the successive expert
ences of life, be led by the light of his
reason to the conclusion that his own
peace and the Quietude of society lie
in conservatism of thought and con-
duct quite as much upon his part as
upon the part of others.
True, some men are natural-born
conservatives, but as a rule conserva-
tism is an evolution of human eIpe-
rience. True. also, some born radicals
continue radical to the end of their
days. These are men, so impressed
with the views that they hold and so
convinced that they must consecrate
themselves to the advocacy of these
views. that, regardless of their own
interests and unmindful of society at
| large. they continue, while life lasts.
the fight to overthrow the established
order Of things and to set up in its
stead a system based on radical the
ories. For such men admiration can
not be withheld. but as 1 look over
the lives Of those who are engaged in
the warfare against things as they
clusion that their state of mind was
not produced exclusively by adher-
ence to principle. contributing
cause very often Is a desire for re-
of a jaundiced mind and a withered
soul. I would not be understood as
suggesting that radicals may not hon
estly feel that certain outrages in
life are traceable to conservatism.
unreasonable and unreasoning. that
talents and labor are not always just
ly rewarded under our present sys-
tenn. and that the way to balance the
books and adjust all accounts is to
crusade for the recovery OF the holy
sepulcher Of human rights from the
Saracens Those who thus make the
fight for radicalism in law and gov
eminent and in life and property are
not to be condemned.
+ \
There is, however, the propaganda
OF radicalism who is deserving OF
nothing. He is a radical for revenue
only. In the name Of equality, he
dwells, fguratively speaking, in mar
BILE halls, clothes himself in purple
and fine linen, and dimes sumptuously
each day. He is making money out
of his advocacy of reform, and cares
not how much bitterness and hatred
he arouses so long as 1t pays. He
is the big little boy who never di-
vested himself Of his primitive in
stincts to take whatever he could
| whenever he could.
Neither ultra-radicalism nor ultra
conservatism will suffice. Neither in
the end is better for the world. We
can lose too much Of boyhood, and
We can retain too much boyhood. 1t
is my view that We should remain
conservative until our Judgment and
consciences convince us that the gen.
eral welfare lies in some radical re-
form. When we turn radical we
should be able to tace any one Ct
/ our fellow men and prove to him that
at the sacrifice Of self-interest we are
striving to promote the common good
Copyright. 1924, by 21st Century Press.)