The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest: The writings of philosophers, poets, novelists, social reformers, and others who have voiced the struggle against social injustice; selected from twenty-five languages; covering a period of five thousand years
General
The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest: The writings of philosophers, poets, novelists, social reformers, and others who have voiced the struggle against social injustice; selected from twenty-five languages; covering a period of five thousand years
Social justice; Social problems
But not merely have they reported the human ills. They have
proposed the remedy. And their remedy is of no part of all
the jangling sects. It has nothing to do with the complicated
metaphysical processes by which one may win to other worlds
and imagined gains beyond the sky. It is a remedy for this
world, since worlds must be taken one at a time. And yet, that
not even the jangling sects should receive hurt by the making
fairer of this world for this own world's sake, it is well, for
all future worlds of them that need future worlds, that their
splendor be not tarnished by the vileness and ugliness of this
world.
It is so simple a remedy, merely service. Not one ignoble
thought or act is demanded of any one of all men and women in
the world to make fair the world. The call is for nobility of
thinking, nobility of doing. The call is for service, and, such
is the wholesomeness of it, he who serves all, best serves
himself.
Times change, and men's minds with them. Down the past,
civilizations have exposited themselves in terms of power, of
world-power or of other-world power. No civilization has yet
exposited itself in terms of love-of-man. The humanists have no
quarrel with the previous civilizations. They were necessary
in the development of man. But their purpose is fulfilled, and
they may well pass, leaving man to build the new and higher
civilization that will exposit itself in terms of love and
service and brotherhood.
To see gathered here together this great body of human beauty
and fineness and nobleness is to realize what glorious humans
have already existed, do exist, and will continue increasingly
to exist until all the world beautiful be made over in their
image. We know how gods are made. Comes now the time to make a
world.
HONOLULU, March 6, 1915.
Acknowledgments
The editor has used his best efforts to ascertain what material
in the present volume is protected by copyright. In all such
cases he has obtained the permission of author and publisher
for the use of the material. Such permission applies only to
the present volume, and no one should assume the right to make
any other use of it without seeking permission in turn. If
there has been any failure upon the editor's part to obtain a
necessary consent, it is due solely to oversight, and he trusts
that it may be overlooked. The following publishers have to be
thanked for the permissions which they have kindly granted; the
thanks applying also to the authors of the works.
MITCHELL KENNERLEY
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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