The Washington times., 1931-10-29
CAN THE RICH ACCEPT
THE SWEET CHARITY
OF THE POOR?
-By GILBERT SEI.EDES

of this principle (Whlch IS not paradox ana action
based on it, would be Of the surest ways of avod
ing the class-struggle Of which all the disasters Of
Europe are symptom, which we all hope to escape,
and about which are doing almost nothing except
to persuade the poor subsist for while on the charity
of the rich
Ant-RevoIution
am against revolution Revolution has nothing sacred
in ITSELF although sometimes revolution has been de-
sirable; it is only expensive way of getting
thing DONE and it frequently defeats it's ends de-
stroyng in the process much of the thing wishes to
preserve In pure theory every revolution is avodabe
in pure theory King George III could have handed
freedom and the Gar could have abdcaed other
monarchs have. In practice, two things against
violence in America. One, probability, is that intell
gence may still exist sufficient to prevent it; and two,
certainty: the structure of industry is complex
and delicate that might be irrepaceabe for years
if destroyed
The Generous Poor
Since feel this way it only right note that
while the sweet charity of the prosperous has been
sufficiently praised in song and story the benevolence
of the poor has been neglected The is that its
form has not been visible; although they have sent good
food and clean milk and nice clothes to the welto-do
the unmoneyed have had the exquisite tact to keep
their charity anonymous, and secret. Only pedantic
economists gbbng under the surface of Statistics have
discovered that somebody has been getting rakeoff
in the form of bonuses and profits under which
correct but forbddng terms the charity of the poor is
concealed
When 100000 shares have miraculousy been changed
into 100000, and the dividend has been paid on
the five, gift has been made It seemed at the time
not gift at all; only the natural result of good plan
nng stern application to work. far-sghtedness energy
and all the rest But when few years later, it ap-
peared that the worker (who had received 10dollar
aweek raise in salary to get no salary at ALL and
that no had made the slightest arrangements for
taking Of hm-then the charitableness of the en-
tire transaction began to be noticeable.
Who Has Given Most?
Or to put it the other way round: Men who have
worked harder than should be made to work, and
who have lived meager and limited lives and have had
little freedom and happiness, and have always been
worried lest they lose their jobs die without leaving
provision for their chdren-these have been the
charitable They have given what they hadtheir
labor-to those who had not.
. DoIes to the Rich ."
have been both employer and employee. / find
that have tried to be just employer; and sup
pose faithful employe (Drectactionists will spurn
my justice and call a coward for my loyalty; let
that be as it may. My employers were in most cases.
honorable in their dealings with me and willing to pay
for what they got do not think that whenever one
man works for another the exploiter gets extrav-
agant return; shouldn't go mad if he did 1t
seems to too that at least of the great Amer
lean fortunes originally accumulated without in
justice and cruelty It is only in the vast multipca-
tion of all wealth since the that see the kindly
hand of the poor willingly, lovingly, giving dole
to the rich
A Substitute for Charity
Well, what expect now? Gratitude? return
Of the kindness? They aren't quite enough. They will
do for the defeated ones but the angry will want
more Repentance suppose, and restitution Both
rather dramatc they got them both in Russia and went
through 10 of hell to start system which may
be praiseworhy but isn't necessarily the right system
for America We have, after all, habits of mind;
they haven't been any too orderly but are supposed
to be an adaptable people, Obviously what want is
an end of the charity system, the system which makes
charity necessary.
No More Fear
1t is not too hard to imagine system in which the
man who works is paid much that he can live like
human being, which with free time and some
thing left OF his body and mind to enjoy leisure And