What's What in AmericaBrewster, Eugene V. (Eugene Valentine)
History
What's What in America
Brewster, Eugene V. (Eugene Valentine)
United States -- Civilization; United States -- Social life and customs
In the face of these two groups of premises but one conclusion can be
drawn, and that conclusion may be expressed in a single
word--ORGANIZATION! Men, localities and industries being interdependent,
society must organize for the general welfare. A league or association
must be formed, in which every man, every locality and every industry is
represented. Like all other societies, this association must have a
common head or center. It need not be altruistic (as against egoistic),
because the welfare of one must be the concern of all, if for no other
than purely selfish motives. The whole must see that every part properly
performs its work. A man can no longer be an isolated unit, for he is
now an integral and necessary part of society. He not only owes duties
to himself, he owes duties to society. He must recognize the mutuality
of all true human interests.
GOVERNMENT.
Can such an association or society be organized? Can so immense a
collection of bodies meet and combine with unanimity? Fortunately, we
need not speculate on the correct answer to these questions. We have an
illustrious example at hand. Society has already organized. The
organization is improperly called government. Government is simply
organized society. We elect a President as a public servant, not as a
governor. He does not, or should not, reign over us, but serve us, and
do our bidding. This is not a monarchy, but a democracy.
And so the great machine is already organized. Unfortunately we are not
in the habit of looking at _government as a huge industrial machine_,
and our law makers are too prone to assume arbitrary and tyrannical
power, regardless of the theory of democracy upon which all our
institutions rest. Furthermore, our lawmakers are mostly lawyers, rather
than industrialites.
NATIONAL DIRECTION.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account