\'What？\'Dr。Hammerfieldcried。\'Itwasnotthethinkingandthespeculationthatledtothevoyagesofdiscovery？\'
\'Ah,mydearsir,\'Ernestsmiled,\'Ithoughtyouweredisqualified。Youhavenotyetpickedouttheflawinmydefinitionofphilosophy。Youarenowonanunsubstantialbasis。Butitisthewayofthemetaphysicians,andIforgiveyou。No,Irepeat,metaphysicshadnothingtodowithit。Breadandbutter,silksandjewels,dollarsandcents,and,incidentally,theclosingupoftheoverlandtrade—routestoIndia,werethethingsthatcausedthevoyagesofdiscovery。WiththefallofConstantinople,in1453,theTurksblockedthewayofthecaravanstoIndia。ThetradersofEuropehadtofindanotherroute。Herewastheoriginalcauseforthevoyagesofdiscovery。ColumbussailedtofindanewroutetotheIndies。Itissostatedinallthehistorybooks。Incidentally,newfactswerelearnedaboutthenature,size,andformoftheearth,andthePtolemaicsystemwentglimmering。\'
Dr。Hammerfieldsnorted。
\'Youdonotagreewithme？\'Ernestqueried。\'ThenwhereinamI
wrong？\'
\'Icanonlyreaffirmmyposition,\'Dr。Hammerfieldretortedtartly。\'Itistoolongastorytoenterintonow。\'
\'Nostoryistoolongforthescientist,\'Ernestsaidsweetly。\'Thatiswhythescientistgetstoplaces。ThatiswhyhegottoAmerica。\'
Ishallnotdescribethewholeevening,thoughitisajoytometorecalleverymoment,everydetail,ofthosefirsthoursofmycomingtoknowErnestEverhard。
Battleroyalraged,andtheministersgrewred—facedandexcited,especiallyatthemomentswhenErnestcalledthemromanticphilosophers,shadow—projectors,andsimilarthings。Andalwayshecheckedthembacktofacts。\'Thefact,man,theirrefragablefact！\'hewouldproclaimtriumphantly,whenhehadbroughtoneofthemacropper。Hebristledwithfacts。Hetrippedthemupwithfacts,ambuscadedthemwithfacts,bombardedthemwithbroadsidesoffacts。
\'Youseemtoworshipattheshrineoffact,\'Dr。Hammerfieldtauntedhim。
\'ThereisnoGodbutFact,andMr。Everhardisitsprophet,\'Dr。
Ballingfordparaphrased。
Ernestsmilinglyacquiesced。
\'I\'mlikethemanfromTexas,\'hesaid。And,onbeingsolicited,heexplained。\'Yousee,themanfromMissourialwayssays,\'You\'vegottoshowme。\'ButthemanfromTexassays,\'You\'vegottoputitinmyhand。\'Fromwhichitisapparentthatheisnometaphysician。\'
Anothertime,whenErnesthadjustsaidthatthemetaphysicalphilosopherscouldneverstandthetestoftruth,Dr。Hammerfieldsuddenlydemanded:
\'Whatisthetestoftruth,youngman？Willyoukindlyexplainwhathassolongpuzzledwiserheadsthanyours？\'
\'Certainly,\'Ernestanswered。Hiscocksurenessirritatedthem。
\'Thewiseheadshavepuzzledsosorelyovertruthbecausetheywentupintotheairafterit。Hadtheyremainedonthesolidearth,theywouldhavefounditeasilyenough—ay,theywouldhavefoundthattheythemselveswerepreciselytestingtruthwitheverypracticalactandthoughtoftheirlives。\'
\'Thetest,thetest,\'Dr。Hammerfieldrepeatedimpatiently。\'Nevermindthepreamble。Giveusthatwhichwehavesoughtsolong—thetestoftruth。Giveitus,andwewillbeasgods。\'
Therewasanimpoliteandsneeringscepticisminhiswordsandmannerthatsecretlypleasedmostofthematthetable,thoughitseemedtobotherBishopMorehouse。
\'Dr。Jordan*hasstateditveryclearly,\'Ernestsaid。\'Histestoftruthis:\"Willitwork？Willyoutrustyourlifetoit？\"\'
*AnotededucatorofthelatenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturiesoftheChristianEra。HewaspresidentoftheStanfordUniversity,aprivatebenefactionofthetimes。
\'Pish！\'Dr。Hammerfieldsneered。\'YouhavenottakenBishopBerkeley*intoaccount。Hehasneverbeenanswered。\'
*Anidealisticmonistwholongpuzzledthephilosophersofthattimewithhisdenialoftheexistenceofmatter,butwhosecleverargumentwasfinallydemolishedwhenthenewempiricfactsofsciencewerephilosophicallygeneralized。
\'Thenoblestmetaphysicianofthemall,\'Ernestlaughed。\'Butyourexampleisunfortunate。AsBerkeleyhimselfattested,hismetaphysicsdidn\'twork。\'
Dr。Hammerfieldwasangry,righteouslyangry。ItwasasthoughhehadcaughtErnestinatheftoralie。
\'Youngman,\'hetrumpeted,\'thatstatementisonaparwithallyouhaveutteredto—night。Itisabaseandunwarrantedassumption。\'
\'Iamquitecrushed,\'Ernestmurmuredmeekly。\'OnlyIdon\'tknowwhathitme。You\'llhavetoputitinmyhand,Doctor。\'
\'Iwill,Iwill,\'Dr。Hammerfieldspluttered。\'Howdoyouknow？
YoudonotknowthatBishopBerkeleyattestedthathismetaphysicsdidnotwork。Youhavenoproof。Youngman,theyhavealwaysworked。\'
\'ItakeitasproofthatBerkeley\'smetaphysicsdidnotwork,because—\'Ernestpausedcalmlyforamoment。\'BecauseBerkeleymadeaninvariablepracticeofgoingthroughdoorsinsteadofwalls。Becausehetrustedhislifetosolidbreadandbutterandroastbeef。
Becauseheshavedhimselfwitharazorthatworkedwhenitremovedthehairfromhisface。\'
\'Butthoseareactualthings！\'Dr。Hammerfieldcried。\'Metaphysicsisofthemind。\'
\'Andtheywork—inthemind？\'Ernestqueriedsoftly。
Theothernodded。
\'Andevenamultitudeofangelscandanceonthepointofaneedle—inthemind,\'Ernestwentonreflectively。\'Andablubber—eating,fur—cladgodcanexistandwork—inthemind;andtherearenoproofstothecontrary—inthemind。Isuppose,Doctor,youliveinthemind？\'
\'Mymindtomeakingdomis,\'wastheanswer。
\'That\'sanotherwayofsayingthatyouliveupintheair。Butyoucomebacktoearthatmeal—time,Iamsure,orwhenanearthquakehappensalong。Or,tellme,Doctor,doyouhavenoapprehensioninanearthquakethatthatincorporealbodyofyourswillbehitbyanimmaterialbrick？\'
Instantly,andquiteunconsciously,Dr。Hammerfield\'shandshotuptohishead,whereascardisappearedunderthehair。IthappenedthatErnesthadblunderedonanappositeillustration。Dr。HammerfieldhadbeennearlykilledintheGreatEarthquake*byafallingchimney。Everybodybrokeoutintoroarsoflaughter。
*TheGreatEarthquakeof1906A。D。thatdestroyedSanFrancisco。
\'Well？\'Ernestasked,whenthemerrimenthadsubsided。\'Proofstothecontrary？\'
Andinthesilenceheaskedagain,\'Well？\'Thenheadded,\'Stillwell,butnotsowell,thatargumentofyours。\'
ButDr。Hammerfieldwastemporarilycrushed,andthebattleragedoninnewdirections。Onpointafterpoint,Ernestchallengedtheministers。Whentheyaffirmedthattheyknewtheworkingclass,hetoldthemfundamentaltruthsabouttheworkingclassthattheydidnotknow,andchallengedthemfordisproofs。Hegavethemfacts,alwaysfacts,checkedtheirexcursionsintotheair,andbroughtthembacktothesolidearthanditsfacts。
Howthescenecomesbacktome！Icanhearhimnow,withthatwar—noteinhisvoice,flayingthemwithhisfacts,eachfactalashthatstungandstungagain。Andhewasmerciless。Hetooknoquarter,*
andgavenone。Icanneverforgettheflayinghegavethemattheend:
*Thisfigurearisesfromthecustomsofthetimes。When,amongmenfightingtothedeathintheirwild—animalway,abeatenmanthrewdownhisweapons,itwasattheoptionofthevictortoslayhimorsparehim。
\'Youhaverepeatedlyconfessedto—night,bydirectavowalorignorantstatement,thatyoudonotknowtheworkingclass。Butyouarenottobeblamedforthis。Howcanyouknowanythingabouttheworkingclass？Youdonotliveinthesamelocalitywiththeworkingclass。Youherdwiththecapitalistclassinanotherlocality。Andwhynot？Itisthecapitalistclassthatpaysyou,thatfeedsyou,thatputstheveryclothesonyourbacksthatyouarewearingto—night。Andinreturnyoupreachtoyouremployersthebrandsofmetaphysicsthatareespeciallyacceptabletothem;andtheespeciallyacceptablebrandsareacceptablebecausetheydonotmenacetheestablishedorderofsociety。\'
Heretherewasastirofdissentaroundthetable。
\'Oh,Iamnotchallengingyoursincerity,\'Ernestcontinued。\'Youaresincere。Youpreachwhatyoubelieve。Thereliesyourstrengthandyourvalue—tothecapitalistclass。Butshouldyouchangeyourbelieftosomethingthatmenacestheestablishedorder,yourpreachingwouldbeunacceptabletoyouremployers,andyouwouldbedischarged。Everylittlewhilesomeoneoranotherofyouissodischarged。*AmInotright？\'
*Duringthisperiodthereweremanyministerscastoutofthechurchforpreachingunacceptabledoctrine。Especiallyweretheycastoutwhentheirpreachingbecametaintedwithsocialism。
Thistimetherewasnodissent。Theysatdumblyacquiescent,withtheexceptionofDr。Hammerfield,whosaid:
\'Itiswhentheirthinkingiswrongthattheyareaskedtoresign。\'
\'Whichisanotherwayofsayingwhentheirthinkingisunacceptable,\'Ernestanswered,andthenwenton。\'SoIsaytoyou,goaheadandpreachandearnyourpay,butforgoodness\'sakeleavetheworkingclassalone。Youbelongintheenemy\'scamp。Youhavenothingincommonwiththeworkingclass。Yourhandsaresoftwiththeworkothershaveperformedforyou。Yourstomachsareroundwiththeplenitudeofeating。\'（HereDr。Ballingfordwinced,andeveryeyeglancedathisprodigiousgirth。Itwassaidhehadnotseenhisownfeetinyears。）\'Andyourmindsarefilledwithdoctrinesthatarebuttressesoftheestablishedorder。Youareasmuchmercenaries（sinceremercenaries,Igrant）aswerethemenoftheSwissGuard。*Betruetoyoursaltandyourhire;guard,withyourpreaching,theinterestsofyouremployers;butdonotcomedowntotheworkingclassandserveasfalseleaders。Youcannothonestlybeinthetwocampsatonce。Theworkingclasshasdonewithoutyou。Believeme,theworkingclasswillcontinuetodowithoutyou。And,furthermore,theworkingclasscandobetterwithoutyouthanwithyou。\'
*ThehiredforeignpalaceguardsofLouisXVI,akingofFrancethatwasbeheadedbyhispeople。
CHAPTERTWO。
Challenges。
AFTERTHEGUESTSHADGONE,fatherthrewhimselfintoachairandgaveventtoroarsofGargantuanlaughter。NotsincethedeathofmymotherhadIknownhimtolaughsoheartily。
I\'llwagerDr。Hammerfieldwasneverupagainstanythinglikeitinhislife,\'helaughed。\'\"Thecourtesiesofecclesiasticalcontroversy！\"Didyounoticehowhebeganlikealamb—Everhard,I
mean,andhowquicklyhebecamearoaringlion？Hehasasplendidlydisciplinedmind。Hewouldhavemadeagoodscientistifhisenergieshadbeendirectedthatway。\'
IneedscarcelysaythatIwasdeeplyinterestedinErnestEverhard。
Itwasnotalonewhathehadsaidandhowhehadsaidit,butitwasthemanhimself。Ihadnevermetamanlikehim。Isupposethatwaswhy,inspiteofmytwenty—fouryears,Ihadnotmarried。Ilikedhim;
Ihadtoconfessittomyself。Andmylikeforhimwasfoundedonthingsbeyondintellectandargument。Regardlessofhisbulgingmusclesandprize—fighter\'sthroat,heimpressedmeasaningenuousboy。Ifeltthatundertheguiseofanintellectualswashbucklerwasadelicateandsensitivespirit。Isensedthis,inwaysIknewnot,savethattheyweremywoman\'sintuitions。
Therewassomethinginthatclarion—callofhisthatwenttomyheart。Itstillranginmyears,andIfeltthatIshouldliketohearitagain—andtoseeagainthatglintoflaughterinhiseyesthatbeliedtheimpassionedseriousnessofhisface。Andtherewerefurtherreachesofvagueandindeterminatefeelingsthatstirredinme。I
almostlovedhimthen,thoughIamconfident,hadIneverseenhimagain,thatthevaguefeelingswouldhavepassedawayandthatI
shouldeasilyhaveforgottenhim。
ButIwasnotdestinednevertoseehimagain。Myfather\'snew—borninterestinsociologyandthedinnerpartieshegavewouldnotpermit。Fatherwasnotasociologist。Hismarriagewithmymotherhadbeenveryhappy,andintheresearchesofhisownscience,physics,hehadbeenveryhappy。Butwhenmotherdied,hisownworkcouldnotfilltheemptiness。Atfirst,inamildway,hehaddabbledinphilosophy;then,becominginterested,hehaddriftedonintoeconomicsandsociology。Hehadastrongsenseofjustice,andhesoonbecamefiredwithapassiontoredresswrong。ItwaswithgratitudethatIhailedthesesignsofanewinterestinlife,thoughIlittledreamedwhattheoutcomewouldbe。Withtheenthusiasmofaboyheplungedexcitedlyintothesenewpursuits,regardlessofwhithertheyledhim。
Hehadbeenusedalwaystothelaboratory,andsoitwasthatheturnedthediningroomintoasociologicallaboratory。Herecametodinnerallsortsandconditionsofmen,—scientists,politicians,bankers,merchants,professors,laborleaders,socialists,andanarchists。Hestirredthemtodiscussion,andanalyzedtheirthoughtsoflifeandsociety。
HehadmetErnestshortlypriortothe\'preacher\'snight。\'Andaftertheguestsweregone,Ilearnedhowhehadmethim,passingdownastreetatnightandstoppingtolistentoamanonasoap—boxwhowasaddressingacrowdofworkingmen。ThemanontheboxwasErnest。
Notthathewasameresoap—boxorator。Hestoodhighinthecouncilsofthesocialistparty,wasoneoftheleaders,andwastheacknowledgedleaderinthephilosophyofsocialism。Buthehadacertainclearwayofstatingtheabstruseinsimplelanguage,wasabornexpositorandteacher,andwasnotabovethesoap—boxasameansofinterpretingeconomicstotheworkingmen。
Myfatherstoppedtolisten,becameinterested,effectedameeting,and,afterquiteanacquaintance,invitedhimtotheministers\'dinner。Itwasafterthedinnerthatfathertoldmewhatlittleheknewabouthim。Hehadbeenborninthe。workingclass,thoughhewasadescendantoftheoldlineofEverhardsthatforovertwohundredyearshadlivedinAmerica。*Attenyearsofagehehadgonetoworkinthemills,andlaterheservedhisapprenticeshipandbecameahorseshoer。Hewasself—educated,hadtaughthimselfGermanandFrench,andatthattimewasearningameagrelivingbytranslatingscientificandphilosophicalworksforastrugglingsocialistpublishinghouseinChicago。Also,hisearningswereaddedtobytheroyaltiesfromthesmallsalesofhisowneconomicandphilosophicworks。
*Thedistinctionbetweenbeingnativebornandforeignbornwassharpandinvidiousinthosedays。
ThismuchIlearnedofhimbeforeIwenttobed,andIlaylongawake,listeninginmemorytothesoundofhisvoice。Igrewfrightenedatmythoughts。Hewassounlikethemenofmyownclass,soalienandsostrong。Hismasterfulnessdelightedmeandterrifiedme,formyfancieswantonlyroveduntilIfoundmyselfconsideringhimasalover,asahusband。Ihadalwaysheardthatthestrengthofmenwasanirresistibleattractiontowomen;buthewastoostrong。
\'No！no！\'Icriedout。\'Itisimpossible,absurd！\'AndonthemorrowI
awoketofindinmyselfalongingtoseehimagain。Iwantedtoseehimmasteringmenindiscussion,thewar—noteinhisvoice;toseehim,inallhiscertitudeandstrength,shatteringtheircomplacency,shakingthemoutoftheirrutsofthinking。Whatifhedidswashbuckle？Tousehisownphrase,\'itworked,\'itproducedeffects。And,besides,hisswashbucklingwasafinethingtosee。Itstirredoneliketheonsetofbattle。
SeveraldayspassedduringwhichIreadErnest\'sbooks,borrowedfrommyfather。Hiswrittenwordwasashisspokenword,clearandconvincing。Itwasitsabsolutesimplicitythatconvincedevenwhileonecontinuedtodoubt。Hehadthegiftoflucidity。Hewastheperfectexpositor。Yet,inspiteofhisstyle,therewasmuchthatI
didnotlike。Helaidtoogreatstressonwhathecalledtheclassstruggle,theantagonismbetweenlaborandcapital,theconflictofinterest。
FatherreportedwithgleeDr。Hammerfield\'sjudgmentofErnest,whichwastotheeffectthathewasaninsolentyoungpuppy,madebumptiousbyalittleandveryinadequatelearning。\'Also,Dr。
HammerfielddeclinedtomeetErnestagain。
ButBishopMorehouseturnedouttohavebecomeinterestedinErnest,andwasanxiousforanothermeeting。\'Astrongyoungman,\'hesaid;
\'andverymuchalive,verymuchalive。Butheistoosure,toosure。\'
Ernestcameoneafternoonwithfather。TheBishophadalreadyarrived,andwewerehavingteaontheveranda。Ernest\'scontinuedpresenceinBerkeley,bytheway,wasaccountedforbythefactthathewastakingspecialcoursesinbiologyattheuniversity,andalsothathewashardatworkonanewbookentitled\'PhilosophyandRevolution。\'*
*ThisbookcontinuedtobesecretlyprintedthroughoutthethreecenturiesoftheIronHeel。ThereareseveralcopiesofvariouseditionsintheNationalLibraryofArdis。
TheverandaseemedsuddenlytohavebecomesmallwhenErnestarrived。Notthathewassoverylarge—hestoodonlyfivefeetnineinches;butthatheseemedtoradiateanatmosphereoflargeness。Ashestoppedtomeetme,hebetrayedacertainslightawkwardnessthatwasstrangelyatvariancewithhisbold—lookingeyesandhisfirm,surehandthatclaspedforamomentingreeting。Andinthatmomenthiseyeswerejustassteadyandsure。Thereseemedaquestioninthemthistime,andasbeforehelookedatmeoverlong。
\'Ihavebeenreadingyour\"Working—classPhilosophy,\"\'Isaid,andhiseyeslightedinapleasedway。
\'Ofcourse,\'heanswered,\'youtookintoconsiderationtheaudiencetowhichitwasaddressed。\'
\'Idid,anditisbecauseIdidthatIhaveaquarrelwithyou,\'I
challenged。
\'I,too,haveaquarrelwithyou,Mr。Everhard,\'BishopMorehousesaid。
Ernestshruggedhisshoulderswhimsicallyandacceptedacupoftea。
TheBishopbowedandgavemeprecedence。
\'Youfomentclasshatred,\'Isaid。\'Iconsideritwrongandcriminaltoappealtoallthatisnarrowandbrutalintheworkingclass。Classhatredisanti—social,and,itseemstome,antisocialistic。\'
\'Notguilty,\'heanswered。\'ClasshatredisneitherinthetextnorinthespiritofanythingIhaveeverywritten。\'
\'Oh！\'Icriedreproachfully,andreachedforhisbookandopenedit。
HesippedhisteaandsmiledatmewhileIranoverthepages。
\'Pageonehundredandthirty—two,\'Ireadaloud:\'\"Theclassstruggle,therefore,presentsitselfinthepresentstageofsocialdevelopmentbetweenthewage—payingandthewage—paidclasses。\"\'
Ilookedathimtriumphantly。
\'Nomentionthereofclasshatred,\'hesmiledback。
\'But,\'Ianswered,\'yousay\"classstruggle。\"\'
\'Adifferentthingfromclasshatred,\'hereplied。\'And,believeme,wefomentnohatred。Wesaythattheclassstruggleisalawofsocialdevelopment。Wearenotresponsibleforit。Wedonotmaketheclassstruggle。Wemerelyexplainit,asNewtonexplainedgravitation。Weexplainthenatureoftheconflictofinterestthatproducestheclassstruggle。\'
\'Butthereshouldbenoconflictofinterest！\'Icried。
\'Iagreewithyouheartily,\'heanswered。\'Thatiswhatwesocialistsaretryingtobringabout,—theabolitionoftheconflictofinterest。Pardonme。Letmereadanextract。\'Hetookhisbookandturnedbackseveralpages。\'Pageonehundredandtwenty—six:
\"Thecycleofclassstruggleswhichbeganwiththedissolutionofrude,tribalcommunismandtheriseofprivatepropertywillendwiththepassingofprivatepropertyinthemeansofsocialexistence。\"\'
\'ButIdisagreewithyou,\'theBishopinterposed,hispale,asceticfacebetrayingbyafaintglowtheintensityofhisfeelings。\'Yourpremiseiswrong。Thereisnosuchthingasaconflictofinterestbetweenlaborandcapital—or,rather,thereoughtnottobe。\'
\'Thankyou,\'Ernestsaidgravely。\'Bythatlaststatementyouhavegivenmebackmypremise。\'
\'Butwhyshouldtherebeaconflict？\'theBishopdemandedwarmly。
Ernestshruggedhisshoulders。\'Becausewearesomade,Iguess。\'
\'Butwearenotsomade！\'criedtheother。
\'Areyoudiscussingtheidealman？\'Ernestasked,\'—unselfishandgodlike,andsofewinnumbersastobepracticallynon—existent,orareyoudiscussingthecommonandordinaryaverageman？\'
\'Thecommonandordinaryman,\'wastheanswer。
\'Whoisweakandfallible,pronetoerror？\'
BishopMorehousenodded。
\'Andpettyandselfish？\'
Againhenodded。
\'Watchout！\'Ernestwarned。\'Isaid\"selfish。\"\'
\'Theaveragemanisselfish,\'theBishopaffirmedvaliantly。
\'Wantsallhecanget？\'
\'Wantsallhecanget—truebutdeplorable。\'
\'ThenI\'vegotyou。\'Ernest\'sjawsnappedlikeatrap。\'Letmeshowyou。Hereisamanwhoworksonthestreetrailways。\'
\'Hecouldn\'tworkifitweren\'tforcapital,\'theBishopinterrupted。
\'True,andyouwillgrantthatcapitalwouldperishiftherewerenolabortoearnthedividends。\'
TheBishopwassilent。
\'Won\'tyou？\'Ernestinsisted。
TheBishopnodded。
\'Thenourstatementscanceleachother,\'Ernestsaidinamatter—of—facttone,\'andwearewherewewere。Nowtobeginagain。
Theworkingmenonthestreetrailwayfurnishthelabor。Thestockholdersfurnishthecapital。Bythejointeffortoftheworkingmenandthecapital,moneyisearned。*Theydividebetweenthemthismoneythatisearned。Capital\'sshareiscalled\"dividends。\"
Labor\'sshareiscalled\"wages。\"\'
*Inthosedays,groupsofpredatoryindividualscontrolledallthemeansoftransportation,andfortheuseofsameleviedtolluponthepublic。
\'Verygood,\'theBishopinterposed。\'Andthereisnoreasonthatthedivisionshouldnotbeamicable。\'
\'Youhavealreadyforgottenwhatwehadagreedupon,\'Ernestreplied。\'Weagreedthattheaveragemanisselfish。Heisthemanthatis。Youhavegoneupintheairandarearrangingadivisionbetweenthekindofmenthatoughttobebutarenot。Buttoreturntotheearth,theworkingman,beingselfish,wantsallhecangetinthedivision。Thecapitalist,beingselfish,wantsallhecangetinthedivision。Whenthereisonlysomuchofthesamething,andwhentwomenwantalltheycangetofthesamething,thereisaconflictofinterestbetweenlaborandcapital。Anditisanirreconcilableconflict。Aslongasworkingmenandcapitalistsexist,theywillcontinuetoquarreloverthedivision。IfyouwereinSanFranciscothisafternoon,you\'dhavetowalk。Thereisn\'tastreetcarrunning。\'
\'Anotherstrike？\'*theBishopqueriedwithalarm。
*Thesequarrelswereverycommoninthoseirrationalandanarchictimes。Sometimesthelaborersrefusedtowork。Sometimesthecapitalistsrefusedtoletthelaborerswork。Intheviolenceandturbulenceofsuchdisagreementsmuchpropertywasdestroyedandmanyliveslost。Allthisisinconceivabletous—asinconceivableasanothercustomofthattime,namely,thehabitthemenofthelowerclasseshadofbreakingthefurniturewhentheyquarrelledwiththeirwives。
\'Yes,they\'requarrellingoverthedivisionoftheearningsofthestreetrailways。\'
BishopMorehousebecameexcited。
\'Itiswrong！\'hecried。\'Itissoshort—sightedonthepartoftheworkingmen。Howcantheyhopetokeepoursympathy—\'
\'Whenwearecompelledtowalk,\'Ernestsaidslyly。
ButBishopMorehouseignoredhimandwenton:
\'Theiroutlookistoonarrow。Menshouldbemen,notbrutes。Therewillbeviolenceandmurdernow,andsorrowingwidowsandorphans。
Capitalandlaborshouldbefriends。Theyshouldworkhandinhandandtotheirmutualbenefit。\'
\'Ah,nowyouareupintheairagain,\'Ernestremarkeddryly。
\'Comebacktoearth。Remember,weagreedthattheaveragemanisselfish。\'
\'Butheoughtnottobe！\'theBishopcried。
\'AndthereIagreewithyou,\'wasErnest\'srejoinder。\'Heoughtnottobeselfish,buthewillcontinuetobeselfishaslongashelivesinasocialsystemthatisbasedonpig—ethics。\'
TheBishopwasaghast,andmyfatherchuckled。
\'Yes,pig—ethics,\'Ernestwentonremorselessly。\'Thatisthemeaningofthecapitalistsystem。Andthatiswhatyourchurchisstandingfor,whatyouarepreachingforeverytimeyougetupinthepulpit。Pig—ethics！Thereisnoothernameforit。\'
BishopMorehouseturnedappealinglytomyfather,buthelaughedandnoddedhishead。
\'I\'mafraidMr。Everhardisright,\'hesaid。\'Laissez—faire,thelet—alonepolicyofeachforhimselfanddeviltakethehindmost。AsMr。Everhardsaidtheothernight,thefunctionyouchurchmenperformistomaintaintheestablishedorderofsociety,andsocietyisestablishedonthatfoundation。\'
\'ButthatisnottheteachingofChrist！\'criedtheBishop。
TheChurchisnotteachingChristthesedays,\'Ernestputinquickly。\'ThatiswhytheworkingmenwillhavenothingtodowiththeChurch。TheChurchcondonesthefrightfulbrutalityandsavagerywithwhichthecapitalistclasstreatstheworkingclass。\'
\'TheChurchdoesnotcondoneit,\'theBishopobjected。
\'TheChurchdoesnotprotestagainstit,\'Ernestreplied。\'AndinsofarastheChurchdoesnotprotest,itcondones,forremembertheChurchissupportedbythecapitalistclass。\'
\'Ihadnotlookedatitinthatlight,\'theBishopsaidnaively。
\'Youmustbewrong。Iknowthatthereismuchthatissadandwickedinthisworld。IknowthattheChurchhaslostthe—whatyoucalltheproletariat。\'*
*Proletariat:DerivedoriginallyfromtheLatinproletarii,thenamegiveninthecensusofServiusTulliustothosewhowereofvaluetothestateonlyastherearersofoffspring（proles）;inotherwords,theywereofnoimportanceeitherforwealth,orposition,orexceptionalability。
\'Youneverhadtheproletariat,\'Ernestcried。\'TheproletariathasgrownupoutsidetheChurchandwithouttheChurch。\'
\'Idonotfollowyou,\'theBishopsaidfaintly。