,a ,,critique ,,of ,,socialism ,by ,george ,r4 ,sims ,read ,before ,the ,ruskin ,club ,of ,oakland ,california1 ,edward ,f4 ,adams1 ,paul ,elder and ,company ,publishers1 ,san ,francisco #aije ,,with ,,the ,,compliments ,,of ,,the ,,author ,,to ,,the ,,ruskin ,,club ,,of ,,oakland ,,whose ,,members ,,listened ,,so ,,patiently ,,to ,,the ,,reading ,,of ,,this ,,paper ,,and ,,danced ,,on ,,it ,,so ,,blithely ,,thereafter1 ,,as ,,an ,,intimation ,,of ,,his ,,fervent ,,belief ,,that ,,no ,,more ,,charming ,,convocation ,,of ,,socialists1 ,,or ,,one ,,more ,,hopelessly ,,enthralled ,,by ,,their ,,delusions1 ,,exists ,,on ,,earth4 ,,to ,,the ,,ruskin ,,club3-- ,when your ,mr4 ,bamford wrote me that the ,ruskin ,club was out hunting trouble1 and that if ,i would come over here the bad men of the club would do me up1 ,i confess my first impulse was to excuse myself from the proffered hospitality4 ,in the first place1 as ,i have never posed as a social champion ,i had no reputation at stake and ,i was horribly afraid4 ,secondly1 while my reading of ,socialist and ,anti-,socialist literature is the reverse of extensive1 ,i am very sure that nothing can be said for or against ,socialism which has not already been said many times1 and so well said that a fair collection of ,anti-,socialist literature would make a punching-bag solid enough to absorb the force of the most energetic of pugilists4 ,finally1 the inutility of such a sally presented itself forcibly1 since there is1 so far as ,i know1 no record of the reformation of a ,socialist after the habit is once firmly established4 ,but while at first these considerations were all against my putting on my armor1 in the end the instinct of eating and fighting1 which is as forceful in the modern savage1 under the veneer of civilization1 as in our unpolished progenitors1 overcame all considerations of prudence1 and here ,i am to do battle according to my ability4 ,i promise to strike no foul blows and not to dodge the most portentous of whacks1 but to ride straight at you and hit as hard as ,i can4 ,,critique ,,of ,,socialism ,,while it is doubtless true that no one can live in the world without in some degree modifying his environment1 it is also true that the influence of a single person is seldom appreciable or his opinion upon social questions of sufficient importance to excite curiosity1 but ,i confess that when ,i listen to an address intended to be thoughtful1 ,i enjoy it more or at any rate endure it better1 if ,i have some knowledge of the mental attitude of the speaker toward his general subject4 ,thinking that possibly those who hear me this evening may have the same feeling1 ,i begin by saying that ,i earnestly favor a just distribution of comfort4 ,i suppose that if ,i should analyze the mental processes leading to that wish1 ,i should find toward the bottom a conviction that if each had his due ,i should be better off4 ,the objection to the ,socialistic program is that it would prevent a just distribution of comfort4 ,some years ago in a book of which ,i was guilty1 ,i wrote the following3 ,there is implied in all ,socialistic writing the doctrine that organized man can override1 and as applied to himself1 repeal the fundamental law of ,nature1 that no species can endure except by the production of more individuals than can be supported1 of whom the weakest must die1 with the corollary of misery before death4 ,competitive ,society tends to the death of the weakest1 ,socialistic ,society would tend to the preservation of the weak4 ,there can be no question of the grandeur of this conception4 ,to no man is given nobler aspirations than to him who conceives of a just distribution of comfort in an existence not idle1 but without struggle4 ,it would be a ,nirvana glorious only in the absence of sorrow1 but still perhaps a happy ending for our race4 ,it may1 after all1 be our destiny4 ,nor can any right-minded man forbear his tribute to the good which ,socialistic agitation has done4 ,no man can tell how much misery it has prevented1 or how much it will prevent4 ,so1 also1 while we may regret the emotionalism which renders even so keen an intellect as that of ,karl ,marx an unsafe guide1 we must1 when we read his description of conditions for which he sought remedy1 confess that he had been less a man had he been less emotional4 ,the man whom daily contact with remediable misery will not render incompetent to always write logically1 ,i would not wish to know4 ,but it is the mission of such men to arouse action and not to finally determine its scope4 ,the advocate may not be the judge4 ,my animus is that ,i heartily desire most if not all the ends proposed by abstract ,socialism1 which ,i understand to be a perfectly just distribution of comfort4 ,if1 therefore1 ,i am a critic of ,socialism1 ,i am a friendly critic1 my objections to its program resting mainly on a conviction that it would not remove1 but would intensify1 the evils which it is intended to mitigate4 ,that is quite sufficient in regard to the personal equation4 ,there appear to be1 unfortunately1 as many sects of ,socialists as of ,christians1 and if ,capital were a more clearly written book ,i should be of the opinion that it would be as much better for ,socialists if all other books on ,socialism were destroyed as it would be for ,christians and ,jews if all books on ,theology were destroyed1 except the ,bible4 ,by ,socialism ,i mean what some ,socialist writers call ,scientific ,socialism4 ,marxism1 it might be called4 ,humanism1 ,i think ,marx would have preferred to call it1 and ,i believe did call it1 for he dealt with abstract doctrine applicable to men and not to nations1 and his propaganda was the ,international4 ,incidentally1 as we pass on1 we may notice in this connection the dilemma of ,american ,socialists which they do not seem to realize4 ,state ,socialism has no logical place in a ,socialistic program1 for it merely substitutes the more deadly competition of nations for that of the individual1 or even trust competition now existing1 while ,humanism1 or ,marxism1 tends to a uniform condition of humanity which the ,american proletariat would fight tooth and nail because they would rightly believe that for them it would at present be a leveling down instead of leveling up4 ,karl ,marx was1 of course1 not the inventor of ,socialism1 nor was he1 so far as ,i know1 the originator of any of its fundamental doctrines1--the doctrine1 for example1 that all value is derived from labor was part of mediaeval clericism1--but he first reduced it to coherent form and published it as a complete and definite system1 and upon the issues1 substantially as he formulated and left them1 must ,socialism stand or fall4 ,i must assume the members of the ,ruskin ,club to be familiar with the ,marxian fundamental propositions1 which ,i do not state because ,i shall confine my attack to the three derived propositions about which discussion mainly centers4 ,we certainly do not want an exercise in serious dialectics after dinner1 but ,i will say in passing that ,i do not think that any of his fundamental propositions are true1 or that his theory of value has a single sound leg to stand on1 and as for what he calls surplus value1 ,i doubt whether there be such a thing4 ,at any rate he has not proved it1 nor can it be proved1 without taking into consideration the enormous number of industrial failures1 as well as the more limited number of industrial successes--and there are no data for that purpose4 ,i may also mention as what seems to me a fatal flaw in ,socialistic philosophy1 its concentration upon the conditions of industrial society1 without adequate conception of a provision for the requirements of agriculture4 ,industrialism and commercialism are doubtless conveniences essential to our present civilization2 but if every factory and all commerce were blotted from the earth the world would go right along1 and when the necessary millions had perished in the adjustment1 those remaining would be as happy as ever4 ,mankind adjusts itself to new environments very readily4 ,we here in cities talking wisely on these things are wholly unnecessary4 ,the farmer is essential1 because without him we should starve4 ,nobody else is essential4 ,we must not get the big-head4 ,economical farming on ,socialistic methods is impossible1 and any successful system of ,social betterment must be based on the requirements of economical farming4 ,finally1 to conclude this preliminary reconnaissance1 the attitude of ,socialism to religion is wholly unjustifiable4 ,i am profoundly convinced that the groveling heathen1 who in sincerity bows down to a bloomin' idol made of mud1 as ,kipling puts it1 has in him the propagation of a nobler and happier posterity than the most cultured cosmopolitan who is destitute of reverence4 ,the church and the synagogue are the only existing institutions of modern society which are engaged in the work of upbuilding and strengthening that rugged personal character which is the only sure foundation of any worthy civilization4 ,i do not discuss the fundamental ,marxian propositions for two reasons4 ,in the first place1 it would be laborious beyond measure for me1 and dreary beyond measure for you4 ,for example1 the bottom stone in the foundation of the sub-basement of the ,marxian edifice is the proposition that the equation ,x commodity ,ay commodity ,b essentially differs from the equation y ,commodity ,b ,x ,commodity ,a4 ,now1 a discussion whether there is between these two equations a difference which it is socially necessary to take account of1 is a thing to be put into books where it can be skipped1 and not imposed in cold blood even on intellectual enemies4 ,personally ,i do not believe there is1 for ,i do not think that social phenomena can be dealt with by the rigorous methods of mathematics4 ,one can never be sure that the unknown quantities are all accounted for4 ,but whether this or similar propositions are essential to the discussion of the theory of surplus value or not1 ,i do not describe them because they are of no particular importance4 ,socialism is not based upon the ,marxian theory of value1 but the ,marxian theory of value was evolved in an endeavor to fix a scientific basis for a popular movement already fully under way4 ,socialism is not based on reason1 but emotion2 not on reflection1 but desire2 it is not scientific1 but popular4 ,if every ,socialist on earth should concede that the ,marxian theory of surplus value had been knocked into smithereens1 it would have no more effect on the progress of ,socialism than the gentle zephyr of a ,june day on the hide of a rhinoceros4 ,socialism must be attacked in the derived propositions about which popular discussion centers1 and the assault must be1 not to prove that the doctrines are scientifically unsound1 but that they tend to the impoverishment and debasement of the masses4 ,these propositions are three1 and ,i lay down as my thesis--for ,i abhor defensive warfare--that ,rent is rights ,interest is rights ,profits are right1 and that they are all three ethically and economically justified1 and are in fact essential to the happiness and progress of the race1 and more especially to those who labor with their hands4 ,now1 first1 rent3 ,i confess that ,i have no patience with any one who claims1 as an inherent right1 the exclusive ownership of any part of the earth4 ,he might as well claim ownership in a section of air4 ,in this ,i am very certain that ,i have the hearty concurrence of every member of this ,club4 ,i am so sure of this1 in fact1 that ,i am going to make that assumption1 in which we all agree1 the starting point of a little dialogue1 in which1 after the manner of ,plato1 ,i will put ,socrates at one end of the discussion1 and some of his friends1 whom we will suppose to be ,phdo1 and ,crito1 and ,simmias1 and the rest at the other1 and we will let ,socrates and ,phdo carry on the conversation1 which might run as follows3 ,socrates--,we are agreed1 then1 that no man has any right inherent in himself to the ownership of land4 ,phdo--,certainly1 we agree to that4 ,such a thing is absurd1 for the earth is a gift to the human race1 and not to particular men4 ,socrates--,i am glad that you think so1 and am sure we shall continue to agree4 ,and if no one man has any right to exclusive ownership of land1 neither have any two men1 since it is plain that neither could convey to himself and another any right which he did not possess1 nor could two men together by any means get lawful title to what neither was entitled to hold4 ,phdo--,you are doubtless right1 ,socrates4 ,i do not think any man could dispute that4 ,socrates--,and if neither one man nor two men can acquire lawful title to land1 neither for the same reason could any number1 no matter how great1 acquire lawful title4 ,phdo--,that certainly follows from what we have already agreed to4 ,socrates--,and it makes no difference how small or how great a portion of land may be4 ,no man and no number of men can acquire lawful ownership of it4 ,phdo--,that is also so plainly true that it seems hardly worth while to say it4 ,it certainly makes no difference whether the land be a square furlong or a continent4 ,socrates--,as you say1 ,phdo1 that is very evident4 ,the earth belongs to mankind1 and all men are by nature sharers in its benefits4 ,phdo--,i trust that you will understand that ,i agree with you in that1 and so make an end of it4 ,socrates--,it is perhaps best that we be very sure that we agree as we go on1 so that if we should at any time disagree1 we do not need to go far back to find where our difference began4 ,the earth is the property of men in common1 and each has an undivided share in its possession4 ,phdo--,that is another thing too plain to be disputed4 ,socrates--,and when men hold property in common1 each has as much right to all parts of it as another4 ,phdo--,to be sure4 ,i do not see why we need waste time in mentioning things so plain and so trivial4 ,socrates--,and when men own property they may do with it as they please1 and property which men own jointly they may visit and remain upon1 the one as much as the other4 ,phdo--,unquestionably that is so1 and we should do better to go to sleep in the shade1 somewhere1 than to spend time in repeating things so simple4 ,socrates--,be patient1 ,phdo1 and in time we may find somewhat wherein we do not so perfectly agree4 ,but whatever property men have the right to visit and remain upon they are always free to use in common with their fellow owners4 ,phdo--,certainly4 ,will you never1 ,o ,socrates1 have done with this8 ,socrates--,and ,chinamen1 therefore1 have full right to come and live in ,california4 ,phdo 7and the rest7--,we will all see them in hell first4 ,and ,i am very certain that every ,socialist in ,california will agree both with the premises and the conclusion4 ,but we might try another course of reasoning by which we may perhaps more easily reach the predetermined conclusion1 and we will let the same parties carry on the dialogue1 which is a most delightful way of reasoning when1 as in the case of ,plato and myself1 the same person conducts both sides of the discussion4 ,it might run in this way3 ,phdo--,we have come1 ,socrates1 to discuss with you1 if you will permit us1 the question of the ownership of land4 ,crito and ,hippias and myself and others were considering that subject the other day1 and we were not able to agree4 ,hippocrates1 whom you know1 has lately returned from the region of ,mount ,olympus1 and as he was hunting one day on the lower slopes of the mountain1 he came1 haply1 upon a beautiful vale1 fertile and well watered1 wherein was no habitation or sign of man4 ,the soft breezes blew gently over the rich green plain whereon the red deer grazed peacefully and turned not at his approach4 ,and when ,hippocrates returned from his hunt he found upon inquiry that no man of the region knew of that vale or had ever heard thereof4 ,so1 as he had marked the entrance thereto1 he returned thither with the intent to remain there for a space4 ,and remaining there through the warm summer he fenced in the vale and the deer in it1 and built him an house1 and remained there a full year4 ,but certain concerns of his family at that time constrained ,hippocrates to return to ,athens1 and since he can no more live in his vale he offered to sell it to ,hipparchus for a talent of silver for a place to keep summer boarders4 ,and ,hipparchus was content2 but when they repaired to the ,demosion to exchange the price for the deed1 ,hippocrates was unable to produce any parchment showing his title to the vale4 ,and when he was unable to do that1 ,hipparchus would not pay down his silver1 until he could make further inquiry4 ,the next day1 we all1 meeting at the house of ,phidias1 fell to debating whether ,hippocrates owned the land and could sell it to ,hipparchus4 ,and some said one thing and some another1 and in the end we agreed that when some of us were next together1 we would go to the house of ,socrates1 and if he were content1 we would discuss the matter with him4 ,and today happening to so meet we have come to you1 ,socrates1 and would be glad to hear whether you think ,hippocrates owns that vale1 and may sell it or no4 ,socrates--,you are very welcome1 ,phdo1 and your friends1 and as for the matter you name1 ,i shall be glad to talk of it with you and see if we can come to some understanding of it4 ,but before we can proceed in the discussion1 it will be necessary to find some starting point upon which we can all agree1 because until we agree1 at the beginning1 upon some one thing pertaining to the matter1 as certain and not to be doubted1 discussion is useless1 but if we can find such a thing1 which none of us doubt1 we may be able to make something of the matter4 ,i propose1 therefore1 ,o ,phdo1 that you propound some one statement which all you who have been discussing the matter believe4 ,phdo--,of a truth1 ,socrates1 we discussed the matter till the sun went down1 but ,i do not remember any one thing to which we all agreed except that there is such a vale at the foot of ,mount ,olympus1 as ,hippocrates describes1 and that he lived therein for a year4 ,that we believe because ,hippocrates so told us1 and all ,athens knows ,hippocrates for a truthful man4 ,socrates--,that is something1 for all truth is useful2 but it does not seem to me to be such a truth as will well serve for a foundation from which we may penetrate1 as one might say1 the very bowels of the subject4 ,i pray you to propound some other4 ,phdo--,truly1 ,socrates1 ,i cannot1 nor can we any of us1 for upon nothing else pertaining to the matter are we able to agree4 ,socrates--,if it please you1 then1 ,i will propound a saying and see if you agree with me4 ,phdo--,we shall be very glad if you will4 ,socrates--,i suggest1 then1 that we begin by agreeing1 if we are able to do so1 that the gods have given the earth to man for his use4 ,phdo--,surely that seems to be true4 ,socrates--,i am glad that you think favorably of it1 but that is not sufficient if we are to reason upon it1 because that upon which we found our argument must be what we accept as absolute truth4 ,phdo--,i think the earth was made for mankind1 but if in our conversation something should also seem true1 and yet contradictory to that1 ,i know not what ,i should think4 ,socrates--,let us1 then1 think of something else3 ,the earth is at any rate surely for the use of some beings4 ,the mighty ,atlas would never sustain it upon his broad shoulders if it did nobody good4 ,phdo--,that1 at least1 is certain1 ,socrates4 ,socrates--,and it must be for beings who can make use of it and enjoy it4 ,phdo--,that also is true4 ,socrates--,and beings which can use and enjoy the earth must be living beings4 ,phdo--,nobody will deny that4 ,socrates--,and there are no living things except the gods1 mankind1 the lower animals1 and plants4 ,phdo--,i agree to that4 ,socrates--,and it is plain that the gods did not build the earth for themselves1 for they do not live upon it1 except on ,olympus1 and nowhere does the earth produce ambrosia and nectar1 which are the food of the gods4 ,phdo--,that is true1 for the gods live in the heavens and in the nether world1 and not upon the earth4 ,socrates--,and the plants do not use the earth1 or enjoy it1 although they live upon it1 but they are themselves used and enjoyed by man and beasts4 ,phdo--,certainly the earth was not made for the plants4 ,socrates--,and surely as between man and the lower animals1 the earth was intended for man4 ,phdo--,certainly1 that is what we think1 but ,i do not know what the lion and the horse and the ox might say1 for they certainly use the earth and enjoy it4 ,socrates--,but man is superior to the lower animals1 and the superior cannot be subordinate to the inferior4 ,phdo--,i do not know how we can tell which is superior4 ,the primordial cell in differentiating out of homogeneity into heterogeneity developed different qualities in different beings1 and of the organs integrated from the heterogeneous elements each has its use and many are essential to life4 ,in man the brain is more powerful than in the ox1 but in the ox the stomach is more powerful than in man1 and while both stomach and brain are necessary1 yet is one with a weak brain and strong stomach doubtless happier than one with a weak stomach and strong brain4 ,is it not1 then1 true that the stomach is nobler than the brain1 and if so1 then the pig and the lion and the goat1 which have strong stomachs1 nobler than man1 whose stomach could in nowise digest carrion1 or alfalfa1 or tin cans1 and therefore may it not be that the earth was made for the lower animals1 who can use more of its products than man8 ,socrates--,that is a deep thought1 ,o ,phdo1 which shows that you are well up in your ,spencer1 although shy in your surgery1 for it is true that the stomach has been removed from a man who lived happy ever after1 while neither man nor beast ever lived a minute after his brains were knocked out2 but is it not true that it is by the function of the brain that man makes his powers more effective than those of animals stronger than he1 so that he is able to bear rule over all the lower animals and either exterminate them from the earth or make them to serve him8 ,phdo--,yes1 that is true4 ,socrates--,and we cannot say that the earth was made for beasts which themselves are made to serve the purpose of man1 for as plants are consumed by beasts1 so beasts are consumed by man who acquires for his own use and enjoyment whatever power is generated by the organs of all other living things4 ,phdo--,that is true1 and ,i can now see that the earth was not made by the gods for themselves1 or for plants or beasts4 ,socrates--,therefore it appears to me that it must have been made for man4 ,phdo--,that is true1 and ,i now agree that the earth was made for man4 ,socrates--,then1 since we have found a common starting point1 we may go on with our conversation4 ,we have proved that the earth was made for man1 because man1 by powers inherent in himself1 can overcome all other living things on the earth and subject them to his uses4 ,phdo--,yes1 we have proved that4 ,socrates--,and the real source of his kingship is power4 ,phdo--,that must be true4 ,socrates--,and force is power applied to some object1 so that power and force may be spoken of as the same thing4 ,phdo--,certainly4 ,socrates--,and where power lies1 there and there only is sovereignty1 and where power ends sovereignty finds its limit4 ,so that1 for example1 if the lion could subdue man and the other animals1 the earth would be for the use of the lion4 ,phdo--,that is plain4 ,socrates--,and if a company of men should find an island and go and live upon it and be strong enough to subdue the wild animals and keep out other men1 that island would be for their use4 ,phdo--,that follows1 because sovereignty goes with power exercised in force4 ,socrates--,and so if one man should find a vacant space and take possession1 it would be his4 ,phdo--,that is true4 ,socrates--,and what belongs to man1 man may dispose of as he will4 ,phdo--,all men agree to that4 ,socrates--,and1 therefore1 since ,hippocrates has found a vacant space on the earth and taken possession thereof1 and no man disputes his possession1 it is his and he may sell it4 ,phdo--,that is certainly true1 and ,i do not doubt that ,hipparchus will now pay down his talent of silver and take over the vale in the ,olympian forest4 ,socrates--,and if instead of finding an island the company of men had found an entire continent it would be theirs if they were strong enough to keep it4 ,phdo--,surely that is so1 for power is but concentrated ability to enjoy1 and where most power lies1 there lies most ability to enjoy1 and therefore the highest possible aggregate of human happiness1 in the attainment of which the will of the gods shall be done4 ,socrates--,and if a company can take part of a continent1 but not the whole1 whatever they are able to take is theirs4 ,phdo--,undoubtedly4 ,socrates--,and what is theirs is not the property of others4 ,phdo--,by no means4 ,socrates--,and if it does not belong to others1 others may not lawfully use it4 ,phdo--,surely not4 ,socrates--,and they who do own it may prevent others from entering it4 ,phdo--,surely1 for hath not the poet said3 ,that they shall take who have the power1 ,and they may keep who can4 ,socrates--,therefore it is plain that the ,united ,states may keep ,chinamen out of ,america4 ,phdo--,there can be no doubt of it whatever4 ,socrates--,and ,chinese may keep ,americans out of ,china4 ,phdo--,that is another story4 ,one must never let his logic get the better of him4 ,and so we might play with these great subjects forever1 with reasoning as leaky as a sieve1 but good enough to catch the careless or the untrained4 ,one of the most interesting lectures which ,i ever listened to was one before the ,economic ,league of ,san ,francisco on the ,dialectics of ,socialism4 ,the lecturer was a very acute man1 who would not for one moment be deceived by the sophistry of my ,socrates and ,phdo1 but who1 himself1 made willing captives of his hearers by similar methods4 ,i was unable to hear all his address1 but when ,i reluctantly left1 it appeared to me that he was expecting to prove that ,socialism must be sound philosophy because it was contradictory to all human observation1 experience1 judgment and the dictates of sound common sense--and his large audience was plainly enough with him4 ,the dialectics of the schoolmen or their equivalent are useless in ,social discussion4 ,social phenomena do not lend themselves to the rigorous formulas of mathematics and logic1 for the human intellect is unable to discern and grasp all the factors of these problems4 ,my travesty of ,plato was intended to illustrate the difficulty of close reasoning on such topics4 ,neither1 on the other hand1 are we to blindly follow the impulses of emotion which lead us to jump at a conclusion1 support it with what reason we can1 but reach it in any event4 ,emotion is the source of social power1 but power unrestrained and undirected is dangerous4 ,energy created by the sight of distress must be controlled by reason or it will not relieve distress4 ,and by reason ,i do not mean social syllogisms1 of whose premises we are always uncertain1 but conclusions half unconsciously formed in the mind as the result of human experience operating on human feeling--the practical wisdom which we call common sense4 ,human conduct1 individual and aggregate1 must be regulated and determined by the consensus of the judgment of the wisest made effective through its gradual acceptance as the judgment of the majority4 ,private ownership of land1 with its accompanying rent1 is justified1 not by an imaginary inherent right in the individual1 which has no real existence and so cannot be conveyed1 but because the interests of society require the stimulus to effort which private ownership and private ownership only can give4 ,and here ,i shall leave this point without the further illustration and elaboration with which ,i could torment you longer than you could keep awake4 ,and with the other two points ,i will confine myself to the most condensed forms of statement4 ,,interest--,socialists and ,non-,socialists agree that what a man makes is his4 ,socialists and ,i agree that every man is entitled to his just share of the ,social dividend4 ,i believe1 and in this ,i suppose that ,socialists would agree with me1 that when a man gets his annual dividend he may use it1 or keep it for future use4 ,if1 while he does not use his dividend1 or the product of his labor1 he permits others to use it to their profit1 it seems to me that he is entitled to some satisfaction in compensation for his sacrifice4 ,i believe it to the interest of society that he have it4 ,it is by individual thrift that society accumulates1 and it is wise to encourage thrift4 ,if ,i build a mill and1 falling sick1 cannot use it1 it is fair that he who does use it shall pay me for my sacrifice in building it4 ,if ,i forego possible satisfactions of any kind1 those whom ,i permit to enjoy them should recompense me4 ,and that is interest4 ,its foundation as a right rests not only on those natural sentiments of justice with which the normal man everywhere is endowed and behind which we cannot go1 but on the interest of society to encourage the creation of savings funds to be employed for the benefit of society4 ,,profits--,private profit is far less a private right than a public necessity4 ,its absence would involve a waste which society could not endure4 ,with individual operations controlled by fallible men enormous waste is inevitable4 ,it is essential to society that this waste be minimized4 ,no industrial or commercial enterprise can go on without risk4 ,profit is the compensation for risk4 ,one of the things which ,i believe1 but which cannot be proved1 is that from the dawn of history losses to individuals by which society gained have exceeded profits to individuals1 and the excess of these losses is the social accumulation1 increased1 of course1 by residues left after individuals have got what they could4 ,whitney died poor1 but mankind has the cotton-gin4 ,bell died rich1 but there is a profit to mankind in the telephone4 ,socialists propose to assume risks and absorb profits4 ,i do not believe society could afford this4 ,i am profoundly convinced that under the ,socialist program the inevitable waste would be so enormously increased as to result in disaster approaching a social cataclysm4 ,this is an old argument whose validity ,socialists scout4 ,nevertheless ,i believe it sound4 ,the number of these whose intellectual and physical strength is sufficient for the wisest direction of great enterprises is very small4 ,some who are interested in our great industrial trusts carry heavy insurance on the life of ,mr4 ,morgan1 lest he die and leave no successor4 ,if the natural ability is found its possessor will necessarily lack the knowledge which ,mr4 ,morgan has accumulated1 and in the light of which he directs his operations4 ,it is essential that great operations--and the business of the future will be conducted on a great scale--be directed by great wisdom and power4 ,the possessors of high qualities we now discover by the trying-out process4 ,they can be discovered in no other way1 and great effort can be secured only by the hope of great reward4 ,until human nature changes we can expect nothing different4 ,socialism implies popular selection of industrial leadership4 ,wherever tried thus far in the world's history there has usually been abject failure4 ,the mass can choose leaders in emotion but not directors of industry4 ,the selection of experts by the non-expert can be wise only by accident4 ,if the selection is not popular1 then ,socialism is tyranny1 as its enemies charge4 ,if it be popular1 or in so far as it is popular1 direction is likely to fall to the great persuaders and not to the great directors4 ,never did a people's party yet escape the control of the unscrupulous4 ,no political movements result in so much political and social rascality as so-called popular movements originated by earnest and honest men4 ,i see no reason to suppose that the ,socialistic direction of industrial affairs in any city would be directed from any other source than the back rooms of the saloons where political movements are now shaped4 ,if the ,socialistic program were to go into effect tomorrow morning there would be here tonight neither lecturer nor audience4 ,the good dinner would remain untasted in the ovens4 ,every mortal soul of us would be scooting from one social magnate to another to assure that we were on the slate for the soft jobs and that nobody was crowding us off4 ,i have no faith in human nature except as it is constantly strengthened and purified by struggle4 ,that struggle is an irrepressible conflict existing in all nature1 and from which man cannot escape4 ,it is better for mankind that it go on openly and in more or less accord with known rules of warfare than in the secret conspiring chambers of the class which in the end controls popular movement4 ,all serious conflict involves evil1 but it is also strengthening to the race4 ,i wish misery could be banished from the world1 but ,i fear that it cannot be so banished4 ,i have little confidence in human ability to so thoroughly comprehend the structure and functions of the social body as to correctly foretell the steps in its evolution1 or prescribe constitutional remedies which will banish social disease4 ,if ,i were a social reformer--and were ,i with my present knowledge still an ingenuous youth in the fulness of strength with my life before me ,i do not know that ,i would not be a social reformer--,i would profess myself a social agnostic1 and prosecute my mission by the methods of the opportunist4 ,i would endeavor to direct the social ax to the most obvious and obtrusive roots of the social evil1 and having removed them and watched the result1 would then determine what to do next4 ,possibly ,i would endeavor to begin with the abolition of wills and collateral inheritance1 and so limiting direct inheritance that no man able to work should escape its necessity by reason of the labor of his forefathers4 ,i might say that ,i recognized the vested rights of the ,astors to the soil on ,manhattan ,island1 but that ,i recognized no right as vested in beings yet unborn4 ,i might say that it was sufficient stimulation and reward for the most eminent social endeavor to select1 within reason1 the objects of public utility to which resulting accumulations should be applied and to superintend during one's lifetime their application to those purposes4 ,i might think in this way1 and might not1 were ,i an enthusiastic social reformer in the heyday of youth1 but it appears to me now that at any rate we shall make most progress toward ultimate universal happiness if we recognize that out of the increasing strenuousness of our conflict there is coming constantly increasing comfort and better division thereof1 and if we direct that portion of our energies which we devote to the service of mankind toward such changes in the direction of the social impulse as can be made without impairing the force of the evolutionary movement1 rather than to those which involve the reversal of the direction of the force with the resulting danger of explosion and collapse4