In this sense the Declaration of Independence is the most idealistic literary product of the human mind; the so-called idealism of superstition, of chivalry, of kingship and aristocracy, of the divinely appointed few taking care of the many, of “never mind this world; all will be righted in the next,” has the cheap, dull glitter of “fool’s gold” and paste diamonds. These fallacies were, and still are, poisonous, because of their interference with the growth of true idealism--the idealism of self-help and helping others to help themselves. And to show them up and then to show them down and out--especially down and out of our colleges and universities--we need another Cervantes and a revised and enlarged Don Quixote. Never before was the true ideal, humanity, clear and universal. “Light from the East” was the old proverb; the new proverb is “Light from the West!” For ours is the dawn-land of the Golden Age. We are a nation, a race of idealists, of dreamers. Even our plutocrats, with their Americanism submerged and all but suffocated in their wealth, still dream fitfully of justice and equality and universal enlightenment and the brotherhood of man. We are a nation of dreamers who make their dreams come true! CHAPTER XIII NOT GENEROSITY, BUT JUSTICE It is reasonable, and not unkind, to assume that the time will come when we shall no longer have John D. Rockefeller with us. He may not die; as a vindication and a reward he may be honored with the unique distinction of Enoch and Elijah. But, whether by the vulgar route or in fiery chariot with angel escort, go he will, and his son will reign in his stead. The word reign is here used in the metaphoric sense in which it is almost always used now-a-days. For, the son of Rockefeller will not be free literally to reign. He will be hedged about with a thousand and one restraints. His acts will be the result not of his own intellect and will, but of his training, his tradition, his environment. He will be little of the autocrat, a great deal of the agent and servant. But, suppose that he would be really free, really self-owned, really capable of the mastership of his vast inheritance, instead of its slave, doing its bidding, acting always as a son of John D. Rockefeller and a member of the class multi-millionaire. Suppose this possible. What could he do with his nearly a thousand millions, for the most part so massed that they control many of the great vital industries of the country? Imbued with a deep sense of trusteeship to humanity instead of to the quaint Rockefeller god, and endowed with the intelligence to act upon that sense, what could he do to make the world the better for his sojourn in it? What would be his opportunities?