University of Utah Student Newspapers | 1911-03-20 | Page 3 | The Philosophy of the Social Organism as Applied to Cows, Freshmen and Others

1 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE SOCIAL ORGANISM ORGANISM ORGAN ORGAN- ISM AS APPLIED TO COWS FRESHMEN FRESHMEN FRESH FRESH- MEN AND OTHERS T t Bentham the philosopher has called soci society ty and organism Since an an m organism is essentially essentially essen essen- t physical in order order- to make the metaphor applicable we must imagine each m member o of society society so so- as constituting a physical part of the o or- or Organism Some individuals must therefore form the feet others the the hair others the arms anus still tilI others the head and so on through all the members If the organism as asa a a 3 whole is to work per per- each part of it must pe perform form thoroughly its appropriate functions and no others The feet freet for instance should not attempt to do the thet WOrl rk of the head ad t the hair should not protrude themselves where the fingers belong and the hands should remain attached to the ends of or the me arms The great trouble with our social organism seems to be that some of its members are unable unable un un- able to discover their proper functions The Freshmen for example who are as yet only the feet attempted not long ago to do a little head work As a result some very valuable cows are in an exceedingly bad condition At about the same time the Sophomores usurped superior pc powers and in their mad freedom started an expensive conflagration The real capabilities of If the Junior class are rather uncertain We Ve are unable therefore at present to criticize its pro pro- But past Juniors have certainly deposed th the sacred authority of conscience which belongs to the Seniors and acting without its holy influence influence influence ence have hopel hopelessly impoverished their helpless followers The breaking of a physical law byver by ver very nature of that law produces pain and the punishment falls usually not upon the culprits but upon their followers For the sake then of the health of our social organism members should return peacefully to the conscientious fulfillment of their own