The Socialistic Method. 285 



force in liis argument whatever, to intensify the evil which 

 they represent. He has recently issued a platform of what 

 Nationalism at present demands, including among these 

 things Civil-Service Reform and other matters which have 

 about as much to do with Nationalism as a system as they 

 have to do with Conic Sections. 



The socialistic movement rests largely upon the supposi- 

 tion that the rich and the poor are distinct classes, per- 

 manently fixed under the present order. In certain coun- 

 tries in a rough sense this has been true, but only in a 

 rough sense, and even there it is becoming less and less 

 true. In this country it is simply nonsense. Anyone who 

 has knowledge of the facts is aware of this. It has long 

 been proverbial that 90 or 95 per cent, of all capitalists 

 fail in business, and the number of families Avhich have 

 retained large property through several generations is 

 extremely small. 



In tlie city of Worcester, Massachusetts, of thirty persons 

 who were leading manufacturers in 1840, fourteen failed 

 and fourteen died or retired with property. Only three of 

 the sons now have property or died leaving any. Of 

 seventy -five of the same class in 1850, forty-one failed and 

 thirty died or retired with property. Only six of the sons 

 now have property or died leaving any. Of one hundred 

 and seven of the same class in 1860, forty-three failed and 

 sixty died or retired with property ; of the sons only eight 

 now have property or died leaving any. Twenty-eight out 

 of the thirty manufacturers of 1840 began as journeymen. 

 One hundred and sixty-one out of one hundred and seventy- 

 six manufacturers of 1878 began as journeymen. As an 

 intelligent commentator puts it, "The truth is, that the 

 capitalists of to-day are themselves the workingmen of 

 twenty-five years ago, as the workingmen of to-day will be 

 the capitalists of twenty -five years hence." 



The demand of interest for the use of money is one of 

 the matters against which Socialists and also some good 

 people who are not Socialists most loudly inveigh. Now, 

 simply remarking that a great part of what is called in- 

 terest is merely a premium on insurance against loss of the 

 principal, and the remainder a very small charge for a very 

 great assistance given to the borrower, I want to call atten- 

 tion to the fact that not one person out of one hundred 

 thousand has any adequate knowledge of the relation of 



