Goshen College - Maple Leaf Yearbook (Goshen, IN)

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1910. GOSHEN COLLEGE' RECORD. 157 thing that the crowned heads of Eu- rope so much feared during the last century, or eivzen at the present, as the clamour of the masses for constitu- tional government. The great struzgi- gle now going on in England is one incident to the extension of repre- sentative government, in which a rep- resentative body is trying to secure the preponderance in legislation over a non-representative body. Vwfhile, in the case of some of our American Re- publics, representative government has not proven very satisfactory, its extension, among all nations may gen- erally be taken as indicating the grad- ual liberation of the masses from poli- tical bondage. Butt we are not only interested in observing what forces have been and are at present operative in making our age what it is, but granted that these may be allowed to run their na- tural course, what will- the end be? The belief seems to persist among those who profess to be students of this subject, lthait there is a course for our civilization to run, a destiny to ac- complish. Vlfhile this destiny may not be a conscious one to the great majority of men, we believe it is capa- ble of being discerned by those who conscientiously put forth the effort. Granted that there are no adverse forces introduced, that those now operative be allowed to run their normal course, we believe that the goal toward which we are traveling is that state of society in which each in- dividual, without disadvantage of birth, privilege or position, shall have a fair chance to obtain the fullest possible expression of his personalilty. This I believe to be the utmost that any e civilization can do for a person. That is, simply make the conditions favora- ble for the fullest development of the capacities and powers of the indirvi- dual. Certainly no past civilization has done this except for only a limited numfber -of men. There have been cer- tain restraints operative to prevent this condition of society existing, some of which we have briefly spoken. They may be spoken of summarily as being political, economic, intellectual and moral. From all these restraints man must have a reasonalble degree of freedom. Politically there are cer- tafinly fewer restraints than there has ever been in the history of men. ln fact our political freedom has outran our economic and moral freedom. In some states men enjoy more political freedom than they are capable of us- ing wisely, It is still true, however, that large numbers of men in our own age and country do not enjoy a rea- sonable degree of economiic freedom. This is almost the whole contention of the socialists. Such writers on poli- tical economy as Marx, Mills, and Bentham, trace all the ills of society to the restraints due to econlomic in- equality. VVhile this is deduced from a materialistic interlpreitation of his- tory, which is subject to grave mis- oonception, such inequality certainly does 'exist to a degree. It is still pos- sible for some men to obtain undue advantage over their felllows and fail to give them adequate reward for their labors. It is still true that many persons are denied afair chance to de- velop their full powers and capacities because the struggle for existence con- sumes their time and energies. But the time has come when such con- Continued next mQI1tl1.

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156 , GOSHEN COLLEGE RECORD. JUNE political gravity from the state to 'the individual was inclined to turn the existing systems topsy-turvy. It may be questioned wthether the pendulum did not take an extreme swing. I am inclined to look upon the present ten- dency towards centralization in gov- trnment, that is, a giving up of ser- tain powers to the government hith- erto jealouslylguarded by the people, as a slight reaction against this ultra- radical attempt to enqthrone the in- dividual. Another exceptional and significant feature of our civilization is the emancipation of the masses, especial- ly such as were - in slavery. This was a natural outgrowth of the doctrine of the equality of all men. Slavary as an institution is based upon the assumption that some men who have come into pos- session of other men, either by pur- chase or capture in war, have a right to compel these men to do labor for them in order that they might be free from the economic struggle. In former ages the institution of slavery was no doubt justifiable. It was the freedom from struggle for physical existance thus secured to the intel- lectually superior that made possible the highest attainments in the Arts and Sciences. All former civilizations were based upon slavery. The popu- lation of Athens in the time of Peri- cles was about four-fifths slave. The population of Rome in the time of Marcus Aurelius was about one-half slave. Not only was the morality of slavery unquestioned, but it did not seem to occur to the most advanced political thinkers of the age, that a political society or state could be formed withlout slavery. Plato, in his remarkable attempt to descrifbe an ideal Republic, would halve a large portion of its inhabitants occupy the position of slaves. When we con- ceive ,how thoroughly the old civiliza- tions were based upon this institu- tion, and how generally its existence received the moral assent of man, we are made to believe that its abolition was one of the greatest forward strides ever taken by the race. Yet the fact is evident that slavery, in the sense here used, has passed away never again to receive the authorafta- tive assent of enlightened fmankind. Its abolition was brought about large- ly because under its iniquitous system a large number of persons were ef- fectually denied a fair chance to de- velop their personalities. Anld in an age which has asserted the equality of men and enthroned the individual no- thing could compensate for this. It is certain that no civilization in the fu- ture will be called great, regardless how high its attainments may be in Literature, Arts or Science, when these have been reached at the price of human sl-ayvlery and subordination. Another institution, characteristic ofotir age, which has grown out of the enthroning of the individual and the emancipation of the masses, is the Democratic form of government, that is, the almost complete sharing of the powers of government with the gov- erned. This is shown by the astonish- ing growth of representative forms of governmenlt in Europe and Ameri- ca during the last century. It is un- questionably the goal toward which governments in all enlightened na- tions are traveling. There was F10-

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l58 GOSHEN COLLEGE RECORD JUNE THE NEED OF HARVEY L. STUMP, A. B. fMajor Subject, Philosophy, There is no standstill in human ac- tivities. As individuals we are de- veloping or declining. Nature is growing or decaying. A nation in- creases or decreases in power, wealth a11d morality. Truth and righteousness are subdueing evil and error or else falsehood and wrong are in the as- cendency. lf a civilization does not advance then slowly but surely it re- treats. Noftfhing in the universe of man's experience is stationary and constant, Everything is in motion, moving towards suiblimer ends or loos- ing its present significance. Man too must go forward or re'main behind. Life is restless and changeable and to stay alive in body, heart and mind one must keep growing. And the fundamental law of growth is activity. To posses any kind of strength there must be self effort and self assertion. Power must come from within or no- ORIGINALITY where. And most certainly it is true of moral and intellectual power. No man has ever become wise by vacant- ly staring at the oracle of wisdom and saying to him, Oh everlasting' and infinite seer fill me with all under- standing while I sleep and rest my soul at ease . No man ever dreamt himself into a Hnlancier, artist, poet, hero, statesman or saint. To be ori- ginal men must work. Thomas A. Edison has truthfully said that success or original work requires ninety-eight per cent perspiration and two per cent inspiration. It is easy to imitate but difficult to think independently or to think at all. lt requires no effort to lean but it does to stand erect. There are multitudes who can, follow but few who are able to lead. Taggers, on-hangers and sheer imitators are in abundance but few who blaze their own way, forge their own thoughts and stamp their own. personality and individuality upon everything they touch. The great barrier to originality whether in thought, scholarship, busi- ness or national affairs is the old and ancient. Customs, past ideals and conventionalities control us with magic power. And so we go on in the same old ways, tilling the soil, moulding our architecture, transacting business, writing books, ruling na- tions, educating humianity, believing the same beliefs, loving the old ideals and methods for the same old reasons all because we are held in the iron hiand of the past and customary. Cer- tainlly we need to hold to healthy re-