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Show j& j& ISe Value of an Independent Man. By Herbert N. Carson. OW it may bo In the other nations of the world I do not know, but It certainty is a fact that there Is nothing moro lacking In the United States than Independence. In spite of tho Declaration of Independence, which Is becoming be-coming mythical, the nverago American has become nn entirely en-tirely dependent and sycophantic creature, who not only conforms con-forms In every respect to the opinions of the stupid majority, but deliberately tries to mako himself the chnttel ot his neighbors. There nro seven political parties In Frnnco nnd a dozen In Germany, but In this country thero Is practically no dlflcieucc ot opinion on political questions. There aio two parties, It Is true, but the only difference between them Is that whllo the ono Is In power tho other Is out. There nro many religious sects In tho. United States, but no one ever hears of controversies between them on mntfers ot belief. Tho only struggle In which they tako any Interest Is that for more members, moro money and more property. Thero aro ninny colleges, but not ono has ever dared to hold an exhibition of its finished products. At nil tho large colleges It Is tho Independent professor pro-fessor who Is in danger ot being discharged. It Is tho timid nnd non-oommlttal professor who has n life Job. The Ideal of all our universities Is not tho development de-velopment of n nobler brand of men and women, but tho manufacture ot a greater number ot the present Inferior sort. In fact, In tills Mutual Slavery Association which wo call society, If a man appears who Is truly Independent, who swings on his own pivot nnd enres nothing for the crowd, every ono nt once believes that his courso of nctlon Is a scheme out of which moro money can bo mado than by conformity. It Is becoming my strongest conviction that nil tho plans of social reform, all tho co-operation ot world-menders, would do less to establish Industrial Justice nnd to promote niornl nnd Intellectual Improvement than would a few score of Independent nud fearless men or women who would stand out like giants amid the 80,000,000 human grasshoppers that populato this country. New York Evening Journal. |