Evening star., 1925-01-18

would have tarred and feathered him
instead OF using rat poison.
There were several things wrong
with Rome. For one thing, she was
overorganized. An excess of any
thing is a catastrophe, and Rome had
an overdose OF government. Had she
been loosely organized she would have
lasted longer. Rome had an overdose
of the ego. It was I. 1 am a Roman.
1 am the Roman empire. A Roman
citizen was the state, and when he
showed up in any part of the Mediter-
ranean folks just backed off the face
of the map.
That" doomed Victor Murdoch,
bringing his fist down on a cigarette
table SO hard it Jared the matches
Off, 'is one pointer we can take from
Rome. None of this overdose of gov
ernment, this overorganization for us.
Long Black Night.
$50 Rome disrupted and there came
absolute night. 1t was a long night
and the world paid in blackness and
blood for every ampere and kilowat1
| of light which had gone before. Yes
sir, it paid in full.
Then came the awakening, ant
with it some new things. The indi
vidual began to assert himself The
| O.
men like Columbus and Drake and tht
| Cabots and Americus Vespucius begar
| to get out on their own and do things
| They were individualists and 1t was
men like that who made America. We
have been putting the individual rather
| than the state foremost ever since.
| After the dark ages came the frs
| real assertion OF the crowd-the hrs1
| hint OF democracy. Then began the
age Of folks. Crowds are thumby, awk'
ward things to handle, and they had
ldevi1 of time governing themselves a.
first and still do, but gradually ma
| jority rule took form.
Best System of Government.
| "Now when you look the world over
| 1t seems as if we had about the best
system of democratic government right
| here in the United States. We have
some faults. but we come nearest te
| being a government where the people
really run things. That's point number
one, and the real beginning Of this in
terview.
point number two Is this: We
are the most highly energtzed peo.
pie in the world. Other people may
be quicker with their fingers but
we are the wonders of the world
when II comes TO fast-working ma
chinery. The United States has beer
built on the creed of Eli whitney
when his invention gave quantity
production to cotton. To make
thing in great numbers and make II
cheap is the Idea which made this
nations industry.
Riches Belle Us.
And here is my third point: This
highly energized individual lives ir
a wonderful environment. He lives
| in a great stream of commerce
| healthy because 1t Is based upon the
four essential commodities which mar
must have. They are fuels-that is
coal and petroleum-to keep hin
warm and run his factories; foods
Including meats and cereals, to feeC
him; fabrics, which means wool, cot
| ton and hides, to clothe him, ant
building material, chiefly lumber ant
| steel, to house him
| Now, look at the position o.
the United States in these. We have
greater coal reserves than the res
| of the world combined. We produce
two-thirds of the worlds petroleum
We are first in cereals and meats
We are strong in wool and have 6
/ monopoly on cotton We lead in lum-
| Der and are supreme in steel.
| Hated for Gold.
Now. given the most energetic
man in the world. and give him al
the materials the world needs, ant
he becomes master Of the world. Blu
we have something else-one-half OF
the worlds gold. Is 1t any wonder
the world hates us?
| "Now get the headlines sum
| married. Victor Murdock as If die
tating to one of his reporters in tn,
Eagle office:
"The world moves in rhythms.
I'VE have the best democracy IL
| the world.
1--WE have the most energeti,
people.
And the greatest wealth in tn,
world.
And this pendulum of the age
keeps swinging. 1t Is moving VI
toward the peak of our great civil
ization. VIII it move back to an
other age of darkness?"
Murdoch paused as IL awaiting
an answer. I did not volunteer one
! and he continued: ~..--- ------.--
Now, isn't this the point7 Can
we save this pendulum from swing
ing back to total darkness? Can
we avoid the night by turning from
| material to spiritual things2 View
got a genuine streak OF the righ
| stuff inside us. We are by some mir
acle OF God unspoiled. The worlt
| saws we are sordid, selfish, none,
| mad. But I submit the evidence
| We have never been appealed to il
vain. When some distanct part o
the world is suffering we give. w
U don't even expect to be thanked. w
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