THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF PROGRESS 195 



monly less wise in their actions. Under the guise of 

 organization for the benefit of the individual, his lib- 

 erty is taken away from him, and the member of the 

 labor union to-day is anything but a free man ; he is 

 almost as much of a slave as the serf of feudal days. 

 He must work or be idle, according to the dictates of 

 a few irresponsible leaders of the central organiza- 

 tion. Thus, even in the country that was founded 

 upon the individual, the irresistible force of organi- 

 zation and centralization is rapidly obliterating indi- 

 vidual freedom. 



Centralization Not Opposed to Individual Value 



The history of civilization has been a constant see- 

 saw between the rights and demands of man as man, 

 and the powers of some central authority. We can- 

 not understand civilization without understanding 

 that here are two gigantic, opposing forces. One is 

 the persistent demand of the individual, and the other 

 the irresistible force of concentration. Civilization 

 could not have developed unless the individual had 

 been advanced, nor could it have developed unless 

 centralization had made possible a constantly widen- 

 ing organization. A race of slaves could never have 

 developed civilization, nor could a lot of isolated 

 geniuses. Throughout history these two forces have 

 been in constant conflict, and if either had won a 

 permanent victory, civilization would not have re- 

 sulted. The triumph of individualism would have 

 been barbarism; the triumph of centralization would 

 have been stagnation; the contest of the tivo has pro- 

 duced civilisation. 



But, after all, centralization and individualism are 

 not necessarily opposed. It is true that centraliza- 



