798 THE INDUSTRIAL GROUP 



movements, we must become acquainted with the general conditions 

 of the time under which they operate. Here also a few remarks are 

 necessary. That which distinguishes the modern time is, above all, 

 an alertness such as I can think of in no other time. A current of life 

 flows through present-day society, of which no other time has known, 

 and thus is made possible a stimulus between individual members of 

 society, which was before inconceivable. This has been brought 

 about by the machinery of commerce which capitalism has provided. 

 The possibility of communicating across a great country within a 

 few hours by means of the telegraph, the telephone, and the news- 

 paper; the possibility of transferring from one place to another great 

 masses of people by the modern facilities of transportation, has 

 brought about an appreciation of the solidarity of the great masses, 

 and a sense of omnipresence that to earlier times was unknown. 

 This is especially true of the great towns of the present. The possi- 

 bility of great mass-movements is thus extraordinarily increased. 

 And in like manner is attained that development within the mass 

 which we are accustomed to call education. Knowledge, and with 

 knowledge pretensions. 



Closely connected with this activity, however, is that phenomenon 

 which we call the nervousness of our time, the lack of composure, the 

 hurrying, the restlessness pervading all the walks of life. Through 

 the peculiarity of business relations in all branches not only of 

 economic, but also of social life, this restless spirit prevails. The era 

 of free competition is manifest in all fields. Every one vies with his 

 neighbor. No one longer finds joy in life. Beautiful contemplative 

 peace is gone. 



And finally, one more suggestion. This might be called revolu- 

 tionism. For there never has been a time which has experienced such 

 a complete subversion of every form of existence. Everything is in a 

 fluid state, business, science, art, morals, religion. All ideas are in 

 such a ferment that we are finally driven to the conclusion that there 

 is nothing certain left. And this is one of the most important criteria 

 for the interpretation of the modern social upheaval. For it explains 

 two different things. In the first place it accounts for that destruct- 

 ive criticism of existing conditions which seeks to throw a bad light 

 upon everything; which casts to the scrap-heap all former ideas 

 in order to bring new ones to market. This critical spirit first took 

 its rise among the bourgeoisie, who applied it to political, moral, 

 religious, and esthetic relations. The proletariat is now adopting the 

 same critical spirit, and applying it to the whole intricate field of 

 economic and social institutions. 



That revolutionary spirit produces, furthermore, fanatical ideas 

 concerning the possibility of a blissful future state. Since miracles 

 have been realized before our own eyes, such as none could have hoped 



