Ofallplaces,theClubgatheredthatnightatthePertonwaithehouse。Extrachairshadbeenbroughtintothegreatdrawing—room,andinalltheremusthavebeentwohundredPhilomathsthatsatdowntohearErnest。Theyweretrulylordsofsociety。Iamusedmyselfwithrunningoverinmymindthesumofthefortunesrepresented,anditranwellintothehundredsofmillions。Andthepossessorswerenotoftheidlerich。Theyweremenofaffairswhotookmostactivepartsinindustrialandpoliticallife。
WewereallseatedwhenMissBrentwoodbroughtErnestin。Theymovedatoncetotheheadoftheroom,fromwherehewastospeak。Hewasineveningdress,and,whatofhisbroadshouldersandkinglyhead,helookedmagnificent。Andthentherewasthatfaintandunmistakabletouchofawkwardnessinhismovements。IalmostthinkIcouldhavelovedhimforthatalone。AndasIlookedathimIwasawareofagreatjoy。Ifeltagainthepulseofhispalmonmine,thetouchofhislips;andsuchpridewasminethatIfeltImustriseupandcryouttotheassembledcompany:\'Heismine！Hehasheldmeinhisarms,andI,mereI,havefilledthatmindofhistotheexclusionofallhismultitudinousandkinglythoughts！\'
Attheheadoftheroom,MissBrentwoodintroducedhimtoColonelVanGilbert,andIknewthatthelatterwastopreside。ColonelVanGilbertwasagreatcorporationlawyer。Inaddition,hewasimmenselywealthy。Thesmallestfeehewoulddeigntonoticewasahundredthousanddollars。Hewasamasteroflaw。Thelawwasapuppetwithwhichheplayed。Hemouldeditlikeclay,twistedanddistorteditlikeaChinesepuzzleintoanydesignhechose。Inappearanceandrhetorichewasold—fashioned,butinimaginationandknowledgeandresourcehewasasyoungasthelateststatute。HisfirstprominencehadcomewhenhebroketheShardwellwill。*Hisfeeforthisoneactwasfivehundredthousanddollars。Fromthenonhehadrisenlikearocket。Hewasoftencalledthegreatestlawyerinthecountry—
corporationlawyer,ofcourse;andnoclassificationofthethreegreatestlawyersintheUnitedStatescouldhaveexcludedhim。
*Thisbreakingofwillswasapeculiarfeatureoftheperiod。
Withtheaccumulationofvastfortunes,theproblemofdisposingofthesefortunesafterdeathwasavexingonetotheaccumulators。
Will—makingandwill—breakingbecamecomplementarytrades,likearmor—makingandgun—making。Theshrewdestwill—makinglawyerswerecalledintomakewillsthatcouldnotbebroken。Butthesewillswerealwaysbroken,andveryoftenbytheverylawyersthathaddrawnthemup。Neverthelessthedelusionpersistedinthewealthyclassthatanabsolutelyunbreakablewillcouldbecast;andso,throughthegenerations,clientsandlawyerspursuedtheillusion。ItwasapursuitlikeuntothatoftheUniversalSolventofthemediaevalalchemists。
Hearoseandbegan,inafewwell—chosenphrasesthatcarriedanundertoneoffaintirony,tointroduceErnest。ColonelVanGilbertwassubtlyfacetiousinhisintroductionofthesocialreformerandmemberoftheworkingclass,andtheaudiencesmiled。Itmademeangry,andI
glancedatErnest。Thesightofhimmademedoublyangry。Hedidnotseemtoresentthedelicateslurs。Worsethanthat,hedidnotseemtobeawareofthem。Therehesat,gentle,andstolid,andsomnolent。
Hereallylookedstupid。Andforamomentthethoughtroseinmymind,Whatifhewereoverawedbythisimposingarrayofpowerandbrains？
ThenIsmiled。Hecouldn\'tfoolme。Buthefooledtheothers,justashehadfooledMissBrentwood。Sheoccupiedachairrightuptothefront,andseveraltimessheturnedherheadtowardoneoranotherofherconfreresandsmiledherappreciationoftheremarks。
ColonelVanGilbertdone,Ernestaroseandbegantospeak。Hebeganinalowvoice,haltinglyandmodestly,andwithanairofevidentembarrassment。Hespokeofhisbirthintheworkingclass,andofthesordidnessandwretchednessofhisenvironment,wherefleshandspiritwerealikestarvedandtormented。Hedescribedhisambitionsandideals,andhisconceptionoftheparadisewhereinlivedthepeopleoftheupperclasses。Ashesaid:
\'Upaboveme,Iknew,wereunselfishnessesofthespirit,cleanandnoblethinking,keenintellectualliving。IknewallthisbecauseIread\"SeasideLibrary\"*novels,inwhich,withtheexceptionofthevillainsandadventuresses,allmenandwomenthoughtbeautifulthoughts,spokeabeautifultongue,andperformedgloriousdeeds。Inshort,asIacceptedtherisingofthesun,Iacceptedthatupabovemewasallthatwasfineandnobleandgracious,allthatgavedecencyanddignitytolife,allthatmadelifeworthlivingandthatremuneratedoneforhistravailandmisery。\'
*Acuriousandamazingliteraturethatservedtomaketheworkingclassutterlymisapprehendthenatureoftheleisureclass。
Hewentonandtracedhislifeinthemills,thelearningofthehorseshoeingtrade,andhismeetingwiththesocialists。Amongthem,hesaid,hehadfoundkeenintellectsandbrilliantwits,ministersoftheGospelwhohadbeenbrokenbecausetheirChristianitywastoowideforanycongregationofmammon—worshippers,andprofessorswhohadbeenbrokenonthewheelofuniversitysubserviencetotherulingclass。Thesocialistswererevolutionists,hesaid,strugglingtooverthrowtheirrationalsocietyofthepresentandoutofthematerialtobuildtherationalsocietyofthefuture。Muchmorehesaidthatwouldtaketoolongtowrite,butIshallneverforgethowhedescribedthelifeamongtherevolutionists。Allhaltingutterancevanished。Hisvoicegrewstrongandconfident,anditglowedasheglowed,andasthethoughtsglowedthatpouredoutfromhim。
Hesaid;
\'AmongsttherevolutionistsIfound,also,warmfaithinthehuman,ardentidealism,sweetnessesofunselfishness,renunciation,andmartyrdom—allthesplendid,stingingthingsofthespirit。Herelifewasclean,noble,andalive。Iwasintouchwithgreatsoulswhoexaltedfleshandspiritoverdollarsandcents,andtowhomthethinwailofthestarvedslumchildmeantmorethanallthepompandcircumstanceofcommercialexpansionandworldempire。Allaboutmewerenoblenessofpurposeandheroismofeffort,andmydaysandnightsweresunshineandstarshine,allfireanddew,withbeforemyeyes,everburningandblazing,theHolyGrail,Christ\'sownGrail,thewarmhuman,long—sufferingandmaltreatedbuttoberescuedandsavedatthelast。\'
AsbeforeIhadseenhimtransfigured,sonowhestoodtransfiguredbeforeme。Hisbrowswerebrightwiththedivinethatwasinhim,andbrighteryetshonehiseyesfromthemidstoftheradiancethatseemedtoenvelophimasamantle。Buttheothersdidnotseethisradiance,andIassumedthatitwasduetothetearsofjoyandlovethatdimmedmyvision。Atanyrate,Mr。Wickson,whosatbehindme,wasunaffected,forIheardhimsneeraloud,\'Utopian。\'*
*Thepeopleofthatagewerephraseslaves。Theabjectnessoftheirservitudeisincomprehensibletous。Therewasamagicinwordsgreaterthantheconjurer\'sart。Sobefuddledandchaoticweretheirmindsthattheutteranceofasinglewordcouldnegativethegeneralizationsofalifetimeofseriousresearchandthought。SuchawordwastheadjectiveUtopian。Themereutteranceofitcoulddamnanyscheme,nomatterhowsanelyconceived,ofeconomicameliorationorregeneration。Vastpopulationsgrewfrenziedoversuchphrasesas\'anhonestdollar\'and\'afulldinnerpail。\'Thecoinageofsuchphraseswasconsideredstrokesofgenius。
Ernestwentontohisriseinsociety,tillatlasthecameintouchwithmembersoftheupperclasses,andrubbedshoulderswiththemenwhosatinthehighplaces。Thencamehisdisillusionment,andthisdisillusionmenthedescribedintermsthatdidnotflatterhisaudience。Hewassurprisedatthecommonnessoftheclay。Lifeprovednottobefineandgracious。Hewasappalledbytheselfishnessheencountered,andwhathadsurprisedhimevenmorethanthatwastheabsenceofintellectuallife。Freshfromhisrevolutionists,hewasshockedbytheintellectualstupidityofthemasterclass。Andthen,inspiteoftheirmagnificentchurchesandwell—paidpreachers,hehadfoundthemasters,menandwomen,grosslymaterial。Itwastruethattheyprattledsweetlittleidealsanddearlittlemoralities,butinspiteoftheirprattlethedominantkeyofthelifetheylivedwasmaterialistic。Andtheywerewithoutrealmorality—forinstance,thatwhichChristhadpreachedbutwhichwasnolongerpreached。
\'Imetmen,\'hesaid,\'whoinvokedthenameofthePrinceofPeaceintheirdiatribesagainstwar,andwhoputriflesinthehandsofPinkertons*withwhichtoshootdownstrikersintheirownfactories。Imetmenincoherentwithindignationatthebrutalityofprize—fighting,andwho,atthesametime,werepartiestotheadulterationoffoodthatkilledeachyearmorebabesthanevenred—handedHerodhadkilled。
*Originally,theywereprivatedetectives;buttheyquicklybecamehiredfightingmenofthecapitalists,andultimatelydevelopedintotheMercenariesoftheOligarchy。
\'Thisdelicate,aristocratic—featuredgentlemanwasadummydirectorandatoolofcorporationsthatsecretlyrobbedwidowsandorphans。
Thisgentleman,whocollectedfineeditionsandwasapatronofliterature,paidblackmailtoaheavy—jowled,black—browedbossofamunicipalmachine。Thiseditor,whopublishedpatentmedicineadvertisements,calledmeascoundrellydemagoguebecauseIdaredhimtoprintinhispaperthetruthaboutpatentmedicines。*Thisman,talkingsoberlyandearnestlyaboutthebeautiesofidealismandthegoodnessofGod,hadjustbetrayedhiscomradesinabusinessdeal。
Thisman,apillarofthechurchandheavycontributortoforeignmissions,workedhisshopgirlstenhoursadayonastarvationwageandtherebydirectlyencouragedprostitution。Thisman,whoendowedchairsinuniversitiesanderectedmagnificentchapels,perjuredhimselfincourtsoflawoverdollarsandcents。Thisrailroadmagnatebrokehiswordasacitizen,asagentleman,andasaChristian,whenhegrantedasecretrebate,andhegrantedmanysecretrebates。
Thissenatorwasthetoolandtheslave,thelittlepuppet,ofabrutaluneducatedmachineboss;*（2）sowasthisgovernorandthissupremecourtjudge;andallthreerodeonrailroadpasses;and,also,thissleekcapitalistownedthemachine,themachineboss,andtherailroadsthatissuedthepasses。
*Patentmedicineswerepatentlies,but,likethecharmsandindulgencesoftheMiddleAges,theydeceivedthepeople。Theonlydifferencelayinthatthepatentmedicinesweremoreharmfulandmorecostly。
*（2）Evenaslateas1912,A。D。,thegreatmassofthepeoplestillpersistedinthebeliefthattheyruledthecountrybyvirtueoftheirballots。Inreality,thecountrywasruledbywhatwerecalledpoliticalmachines。Atfirstthemachinebosseschargedthemastercapitalistsextortionatetollsforlegislation;butinashorttimethemastercapitalistsfounditcheapertoownthepoliticalmachinesthemselvesandtohirethemachinebosses。
\'Andsoitwas,insteadofinparadise,thatIfoundmyselfintheariddesertofcommercialism。Ifoundnothingbutstupidity,exceptforbusiness。Ifoundnoneclean,noble,andalive,thoughIfoundmanywhowerealive—withrottenness。WhatIdidfindwasmonstrousselfishnessandheartlessness,andagross,gluttonous,practised,andpracticalmaterialism。\'
MuchmoreErnesttoldthemofthemselvesandofhisdisillusionment。
Intellectuallytheyhadboredhim;morallyandspirituallytheyhadsickenedhim;sothathewasgladtogobacktohisrevolutionists,whowereclean,noble,andalive,andallthatthecapitalistswerenot。
\'Andnow,\'hesaid,\'letmetellyouaboutthatrevolution。\'
ButfirstImustsaythathisterriblediatribehadnottouchedthem。Ilookedaboutmeattheirfacesandsawthattheyremainedcomplacentlysuperiortowhathehadcharged。AndIrememberedwhathehadtoldme:thatnoindictmentoftheirmoralitycouldshakethem。
However,IcouldseethattheboldnessofhislanguagehadaffectedMissBrentwood。Shewaslookingworriedandapprehensive。
Ernestbeganbydescribingthearmyofrevolution,andashegavethefiguresofitsstrength（thevotescastinthevariouscountries）,theassemblagebegantogrowrestless。Concernshowedintheirfaces,andInoticedatighteningoflips。Atlastthegageofbattlehadbeenthrowndown。HedescribedtheinternationalorganizationofthesocialiststhatunitedthemillionandahalfintheUnitedStateswiththetwenty—threemillionsandahalfintherestoftheworld。
\'Suchanarmyofrevolution,\'hesaid,\'twenty—fivemillionsstrong,isathingtomakerulersandrulingclassespauseandconsider。Thecryofthisarmyis:\"Noquarter！Wewantallthatyoupossess。Wewillbecontentwithnothinglessthanallthatyoupossess。Wewantinourhandsthereinsofpowerandthedestinyofmankind。Hereareourhands。Theyarestronghands。Wearegoingtotakeyourgovernments,yourpalaces,andallyourpurpledeaseawayfromyou,andinthatdayyoushallworkforyourbreadevenasthepeasantinthefieldorthestarvedandruntyclerkinyourmetropolises。Hereareourhands。Theyarestronghands！\"\'
Andashespokeheextendedfromhissplendidshouldershistwogreatarms,andthehorseshoer\'shandswereclutchingtheairlikeeagle\'stalons。Hewasthespiritofregnantlaborashestoodthere,hishandsoutreachingtorendandcrushhisaudience。Iwasawareofafaintlyperceptibleshrinkingonthepartofthelistenersbeforethisfigureofrevolution,concrete,potential,andmenacing。Thatis,thewomenshrank,andfearwasintheirfaces。
Notsowiththemen。Theywereoftheactiverich,andnottheidle,andtheywerefighters。Alow,throatyrumblearose,lingeredontheairamoment,andceased。Itwastheforerunnerofthesnarl,andI
wastohearitmanytimesthatnight—thetokenofthebruteinman,theearnestofhisprimitivepassions。Andtheywereunconsciousthattheyhadmadethissound。Itwasthegrowlofthepack,mouthedbythepack,andmouthedinallunconsciousness。Andinthatmoment,asIsawtheharshnessformintheirfacesandsawthefight—lightflashingintheireyes,Irealizedthatnoteasilywouldtheylettheirlordshipoftheworldbewrestedfromthem。
Ernestproceededwithhisattack。HeaccountedfortheexistenceofthemillionandahalfofrevolutionistsintheUnitedStatesbychargingthecapitalistclasswithhavingmismanagedsociety。Hesketchedtheeconomicconditionofthecave—manandofthesavagepeoplesofto—day,pointingoutthattheypossessedneithertoolsnormachines,andpossessedonlyanaturalefficiencyofoneinproducingpower。Thenhetracedthedevelopmentofmachineryandsocialorganizationsothatto—daytheproducingpowerofcivilizedmanwasathousandtimesgreaterthanthatofthesavage。
\'Fivemen,\'hesaid,\'canproducebreadforathousand。Onemancanproducecottonclothfortwohundredandfiftypeople,woollensforthreehundred,andbootsandshoesforathousand。Onewouldconcludefromthisthatunderacapablemanagementofsocietymoderncivilizedmanwouldbeagreatdealbetteroffthanthecave—man。
Butishe？Letussee。IntheUnitedStatesto—daytherearefifteenmillion*peoplelivinginpoverty;andbypovertyismeantthatconditioninlifeinwhich,throughlackoffoodandadequateshelter,themerestandardofworkingefficiencycannotbemaintained。IntheUnitedStatesto—day,inspiteofallyourso—calledlaborlegislation,therearethreemillionsofchildlaborers。*（2）Intwelveyearstheirnumbershavebeendoubled。AndinpassingIwillaskyoumanagersofsocietywhyyoudidnotmakepublicthecensusfiguresof1910？AndIwillanswerforyou,thatyouwereafraid。Thefiguresofmiserywouldhaveprecipitatedtherevolutionthatevennowisgathering。
*RobertHunter,in1906,inabookentitled\'Poverty,\'pointedoutthatatthattimethereweretenmillionsintheUnitedStateslivinginpoverty。
*（2）IntheUnitedStatesCensusof1900（thelastcensusthefiguresofwhichweremadepublic）,thenumberofchildlaborerswasplacedat1,752,187。
\'Buttoreturntomyindictment。Ifmodernman\'sproducingpowerisathousandtimesgreaterthanthatofthecave—man,whythen,intheUnitedStatesto—day,aretherefifteenmillionpeoplewhoarenotproperlyshelteredandproperlyfed？Whythen,intheUnitedStatesto—day,aretherethreemillionchildlaborers？Itisatrueindictment。Thecapitalistclasshasmismanaged。Infaceofthefactsthatmodernmanlivesmorewretchedlythanthecave—man,andthathisproducingpowerisathousandtimesgreaterthanthatofthecave—man,nootherconclusionispossiblethanthatthecapitalistclasshasmismanaged,thatyouhavemismanaged,mymasters,thatyouhavecriminallyandselfishlymismanaged。Andonthiscountyoucannotanswermehereto—night,facetoface,anymorethancanyourwholeclassanswerthemillionandahalfofrevolutionistsintheUnitedStates。Youcannotanswer。Ichallengeyoutoanswer。Andfurthermore,IdaretosaytoyounowthatwhenIhavefinishedyouwillnotanswer。Onthatpointyouwillbetongue—tied,thoughyouwilltalkwordilyenoughaboutotherthings。
\'Youhavefailedinyourmanagement。Youhavemadeashamblesofcivilization。Youhavebeenblindandgreedy。Youhaverisenup（asyouto—dayriseup）,shamelessly,inourlegislativehalls,anddeclaredthatprofitswereimpossiblewithoutthetoilofchildrenandbabes。Don\'ttakemywordforit。Itisallintherecordsagainstyou。Youhavelulledyourconsciencetosleepwithprattleofsweetidealsanddearmoralities。Youarefatwithpowerandpossession,drunkenwithsuccess;andyouhavenomorehopeagainstusthanhavethedrones,clusteredaboutthehoney—vats,whentheworker—beesspringuponthemtoendtheirrotundexistence。Youhavefailedinyourmanagementofsociety,andyourmanagementistobetakenawayfromyou。Amillionandahalfofthemenoftheworkingclasssaythattheyaregoingtogettherestoftheworkingclasstojoinwiththemandtakethemanagementawayfromyou。Thisistherevolution,mymasters。Stopitifyoucan。\'
ForanappreciablelapseoftimeErnest\'svoicecontinuedtoringthroughthegreatroom。ThenarosethethroatyrumbleIhadheardbefore,andadozenmenwereontheirfeetclamoringforrecognitionfromColonelVanGilbert。InoticedMissBrentwood\'sshouldersmovingconvulsively,andforthemomentIwasangry,forIthoughtthatshewaslaughingatErnest。AndthenIdiscoveredthatitwasnotlaughter,buthysteria。ShewasappalledbywhatshehaddoneinbringingthisfirebrandbeforeherblessedPhilomathClub。
ColonelVanGilbertdidnotnoticethedozenmen,withpassion—wroughtfaces,whostrovetogetpermissionfromhimtospeak。
Hisownfacewaspassion—wrought。Hesprangtohisfeet,wavinghisarms,andforamomentcouldutteronlyincoherentsounds。Thenspeechpouredfromhim。Butitwasnotthespeechofaone—hundred—thousand—dollarlawyer,norwastherhetoricold—fashioned。
\'Fallacyuponfallacy！\'hecried。\'NeverinallmylifehaveIheardsomanyfallaciesutteredinoneshorthour。Andbesides,youngman,I
musttellyouthatyouhavesaidnothingnew。Ilearnedallthatatcollegebeforeyouwereborn。JeanJacquesRousseauenunciatedyoursocialistictheorynearlytwocenturiesago。Areturntothesoil,forsooth！Reversion！Ourbiologyteachestheabsurdityofit。Ithasbeentrulysaidthatalittlelearningisadangerousthing,andyouhaveexemplifieditto—nightwithyourmadcaptheories。Fallacyuponfallacy！Iwasneversonauseatedinmylifewithoverplusoffallacy。
Thatforyourimmaturegeneralizationsandchildishreasonings！\'
Hesnappedhisfingerscontemptuouslyandproceededtositdown。
Therewerelip—exclamationsofapprovalonthepartofthewomen,andhoarsernotesofconfirmationcamefromthemen。Asforthedozenmenwhowereclamoringforthefloor,halfofthembeganspeakingatonce。Theconfusionandbabelwasindescribable。NeverhadMrs。Pertonwaithe\'sspaciouswallsbeheldsuchaspectacle。These,then,werethecoolcaptainsofindustryandlordsofsociety,thesesnarling,growlingsavagesineveningclothes。TrulyErnesthadshakenthemwhenhestretchedouthishandsfortheirmoneybags,hishandsthathadappearedintheireyesasthehandsofthefifteenhundredthousandrevolutionists。
ButErnestneverlosthisheadinasituation。BeforeColonelVanGilberthadsucceededinsittingdown,Ernestwasonhisfeetandhadsprungforward。
\'Oneatatime！\'heroaredatthem。
Thesoundarosefromhisgreatlungsanddominatedthehumantempest。Bysheercompulsionofpersonalityhecommandedsilence。
\'Oneatatime,\'herepeatedsoftly。\'LetmeanswerColonelVanGilbert。Afterthattherestofyoucancomeatme—butoneatatime,remember。Nomass—playshere。Thisisnotafootballfield。
\'Asforyou,\'hewenton,turningtowardColonelVanGilbert,\'youhaverepliedtonothingIhavesaid。Youhavemerelymadeafewexcitedanddogmaticassertionsaboutmymentalcaliber。Thatmayserveyouinyourbusiness,butyoucan\'ttalktomelikethat。Iamnotaworkingman,capinhand,askingyoutoincreasemywagesortoprotectmefromthemachineatwhichIwork。Youcannotbedogmaticwithtruthwhenyoudealwithme。Savethatfordealingwithyourwage—slaves。Theywillnotdarereplytoyoubecauseyouholdtheirbreadandbutter,theirlives,inyourhands。
\'AsforthisreturntonaturethatyousayyoulearnedatcollegebeforeIwasborn,permitmetopointoutthatonthefaceofityoucannothavelearnedanythingsince。SocialismhasnomoretodowiththestateofnaturethanhasdifferentialcalculuswithaBibleclass。
Ihavecalledyourclassstupidwhenoutsidetherealmofbusiness。
You,sir,havebrilliantlyexemplifiedmystatement。\'
Thisterriblecastigationofherhundred—thousand—dollarlawyerwastoomuchforMissBrentwood\'snerves。Herhysteriabecameviolent,andshewashelped,weepingandlaughing,outoftheroom。Itwasjustaswell,fortherewasworsetofollow。
\'Don\'ttakemywordforit,\'Ernestcontinued,whentheinterruptionhadbeenledaway。\'Yourownauthoritieswithoneunanimousvoicewillproveyoustupid。Yourownhiredpurveyorsofknowledgewilltellyouthatyouarewrong。GotoyourmeekestlittleassistantinstructorofsociologyandaskhimwhatisthedifferencebetweenRousseau\'stheoryofthereturntonatureandthetheoryofsocialism;askyourgreatestorthodoxbourgeoispoliticaleconomistsandsociologists;
questionthroughthepagesofeverytext—bookwrittenonthesubjectandstoredontheshelvesofyoursubsidizedlibraries;andfromoneandalltheanswerwillbethatthereisnothingcongruousbetweenthereturntonatureandsocialism。Ontheotherhand,theunanimousaffirmativeanswerwillbethatthereturntonatureandsocialismarediametricallyopposedtoeachother。AsIsay,don\'ttakemywordforit。Therecordofyourstupidityisthereinthebooks,yourownbooksthatyouneverread。Andsofarasyourstupidityisconcerned,youarebuttheexemplarofyourclass。
\'Youknowlawandbusiness,ColonelVanGilbert。Youknowhowtoservecorporationsandincreasedividendsbytwistingthelaw。Verygood。Sticktoit。Youarequiteafigure。Youareaverygoodlawyer,butyouareapoorhistorian,youknownothingofsociology,andyourbiologyiscontemporaneouswithPliny。\'
HereColonelVanGilbertwrithedinhischair。Therewasperfectquietintheroom。Everybodysatfascinated—paralyzed,Imaysay。
SuchfearfultreatmentofthegreatColonelVanGilbertwasunheardof,undreamedof,impossibletobelieve—thegreatColonelVanGilbertbeforewhomjudgestrembledwhenhearoseincourt。ButErnestnevergavequartertoanenemy。
\'Thisis,ofcourse,noreflectiononyou,\'Ernestsaid。\'Everymantohistrade。Onlyyousticktoyourtrade,andI\'llsticktomine。Youhavespecialized。Whenitcomestoaknowledgeofthelaw,ofhowbesttoevadethelawormakenewlawforthebenefitofthievingcorporations,Iamdowninthedirtatyourfeet。Butwhenitcomestosociology—mytrade—youaredowninthedirtatmyfeet。
Rememberthat。Remember,also,thatyourlawisthestuffofaday,andthatyouarenotversatileinthestuffofmorethanaday。
Thereforeyourdogmaticassertionsandrashgeneralizationsonthingshistoricalandsociologicalarenotworththebreathyouwasteonthem。\'
Ernestpausedforamomentandregardedhimthoughtfully,notinghisfacedarkandtwistedwithanger,hispantingchest,hiswrithingbody,andhisslimwhitehandsnervouslyclenchingandunclenching。
\'Butitseemsyouhavebreathtouse,andI\'llgiveyouachancetouseit。Iindictedyourclass。Showmethatmyindictmentiswrong。
Ipointedouttoyouthewretchednessofmodernman—threemillionchildslavesintheUnitedStates,withoutwhoselaborprofitswouldnotbepossible,andfifteenmillionunder—fed,ill—clothed,andworse—housedpeople。Ipointedoutthatmodernman\'sproducingpowerthroughsocialorganizationandtheuseofmachinerywasathousandtimesgreaterthanthatofthecave—man。AndIstatedthatfromthesetwofactsnootherconclusionwaspossiblethanthatthecapitalistclasshadmismanaged。Thiswasmyindictment,andI
specificallyandatlengthchallengedyoutoanswerit。Nay,Ididmore。Iprophesiedthatyouwouldnotanswer。Itremainsforyourbreathtosmashmyprophecy。Youcalledmyspeechfallacy。Showthefallacy,ColonelVanGilbert。AnswertheindictmentthatIandmyfifteenhundredthousandcomradeshavebroughtagainstyourclassandyou。\'
ColonelVanGilbertquiteforgotthathewaspresiding,andthatincourtesyheshouldpermittheotherclamorerstospeak。Hewasonhisfeet,flinginghisarms,hisrhetoric,andhiscontroltothewinds,alternatelyabusingErnestforhisyouthanddemagoguery,andsavagelyattackingtheworkingclass,elaboratingitsinefficiencyandworthlessness。
\'Foralawyer,youarethehardestmantokeeptoapointIeversaw,\'Ernestbeganhisanswertothetirade。\'MyyouthhasnothingtodowithwhatIhaveenunciated。Norhastheworthlessnessoftheworkingclass。Ichargedthecapitalistclasswithhavingmismanagedsociety。Youhavenotanswered。Youhavemadenoattempttoanswer。
Why？Isitbecauseyouhavenoanswer？Youarethechampionofthiswholeaudience。Everyonehere,exceptme,ishangingonyourlipsforthatanswer。Theyarehangingonyourlipsforthatanswerbecausetheyhavenoanswerthemselves。Asforme,asIsaidbefore,Iknowthatyounotonlycannotanswer,butthatyouwillnotattemptananswer。\'
\'Thisisintolerable！\'ColonelVanGilbertcriedout。\'Thisisinsult！\'
\'Thatyoushouldnotanswerisintolerable,\'Ernestrepliedgravely。
\'Nomancanbeintellectuallyinsulted。Insult,initsverynature,isemotional。Recoveryourself。Givemeanintellectualanswertomyintellectualchargethatthecapitalistclasshasmismanagedsociety。\'
ColonelVanGilbertremainedsilent,asullen,superiorexpressiononhisface,suchaswillappearonthefaceofamanwhowillnotbandywordswitharuffian。
\'Donotbedowncast,\'Ernestsaid。\'Takeconsolationinthefactthatnomemberofyourclasshaseveryetansweredthatcharge。\'Heturnedtotheothermenwhowereanxioustospeak。\'Andnowit\'syourchance。Fireaway,anddonotforgetthatIherechallengeyoutogivetheanswerthatColonelVanGilberthasfailedtogive。\'
Itwouldbeimpossibleformetowriteallthatwassaidinthediscussion。Ineverrealizedbeforehowmanywordscouldbespokeninthreeshorthours。Atanyrate,itwasglorious。Themorehisopponentsgrewexcited,themoreErnestdeliberatelyexcitedthem。
Hehadanencyclopaediccommandofthefieldofknowledge,andbyawordoraphrase,bydelicaterapierthrusts,hepuncturedthem,Henamedthepointsoftheirillogic。Thiswasafalsesyllogism,thatconclusionhadnoconnectionwiththepremise,whilethatnextpremisewasanimpostorbecauseithadcunninglyhiddeninittheconclusionthatwasbeingattemptedtobeproved。Thiswasanerror,thatwasanassumption,andthenextwasanassertioncontrarytoascertainedtruthasprintedinallthetext—books。
Andsoitwent。Sometimesheexchangedtherapierfortheclubandwentsmashingamongsttheirthoughtsrightandleft。Andalwayshedemandedfactsandrefusedtodiscusstheories。AndhisfactsmadeforthemaWaterloo。Whentheyattackedtheworkingclass,healwaysretorted,\'Thepotcallingthekettleblack;thatisnoanswertothechargethatyourownfaceisdirty。\'Andtooneandallhesaid:
\'Whyhaveyounotansweredthechargethatyourclasshasmismanaged？Youhavetalkedaboutotherthingsandthingsconcerningotherthings,butyouhavenotanswered。Isitbecauseyouhavenoanswer？\'
ItwasattheendofthediscussionthatMr。Wicksonspoke。Hewastheonlyonethatwascool,andErnesttreatedhimwitharespecthehadnotaccordedtheothers。
\'Noanswerisnecessary,\'Mr。Wicksonsaidwithslowdeliberation。