The Washington times., 1934-04-07
True To
Type
New England Women
Object to Luxury
and IdIeness
By GILBERT SELDES

By GILBERT SELDES
I have offended the members
Of a women's club in, let us say,
q New England city Of the Sec
ond class. Second class only in
population. I hasten to add, be-
cause I do not wish to offend
them any further.
What I'd really like is to
understand what it was that
infuriated them and sent them
charging down upon me asking
me if 1 were a paid propagand-
ist for the Communists Of Rus
sia or an advance agent of fas-
cism or a personal enemy OF
Herbert Hoover.
They suggested all these
things to me to account Tor my
lunacies, but they did not tell
me, although asked them, why
they objected.
Because all I had said was
that if we were intelligent, and
if we avoided violent revolution,
and if we found an American
way out of our troubles ana
went bcak to American prlr1-
cinles-but not back to the
Hoover and Coolidge boom
times-we could be a very happy
As for details, I said that
we could. in 1910 or perhaps
2O40. arrive at an ideal state
in which everyone enjoyed q
lot of prosperity-about what
you could buy for 10 or 10
thousand a year-without taxes
without money troubles Of any
kind, and do very little work.
So little, in fact, that work
would be limited to a small
number of people. The rest OF
us would have to learn not
to make things, but to buy
them.
Just a Reaction
Quite possibly I am deranged
and have had my head turned
by dislike of system under
which we have everything on
earth necessary for material
comfort, yet go along either
perpetually worrying or occa-
sionally starving.
Maybe my guess is all wrong
We may fall back into gen.
eral misery; or go on to an
other stock market boom: or
90 fascist or communist. Let
us admit that anything can
happen.
But even if I am wrong,
why did the women OF this
Eastern city hate the prospect
of plenty of money-more than
they had ever had-and little
work?
What made them feel that
this was un,American-since
Herbert Hoover, in his most
important utterance, said that
we could abolish poverty in
America (1928, of course).
Why did the prospect of uni
versal comfort and universal
ease make them unhappy?
The Real Thing
I suspect that have actually
run to the ground the real
thing: rugged individualism.
And I made a few discoveries on
the way. These rugged individ-
ualists didn't want other people
to have lots of money and lots
of leisure. CBut that means my
chauffeur will have as much
money as my husband!")
They stood ready to suffer the
kind of depression we have had,
rather than let every man and
woman be relieved from the
pressure Of want, the fear of
poverty, the threat of illness in
old age, the panic terror of dy-
ing and leaving your children
penniless.
It's something to be counted
on, heavily. So far as know.
the argument against this pas
sion for other peoples misery
(Which is combined with a pas
sion for getting other peoples
money! is simple; that the world
has grown too complicated to
allow any man, however bril-
liant, to do what he likes and
ruin his fellowmen.
The best thing we can do for
ourselves is to learn what things
can safely be left to the rugged
individuals and what things we
had better take out of their
hands. as we take loaded pistols
from the hands of children.