Show z s s WISDOM I 1 I FROM ROM A PROPHETS PROPHET'S LIP Few wiser men have haye ever e written For 01 spoken than Professor ProCessor William Villiam Graham Sumner of Yale whose one I hundredth birthday anniversary is being celebrated this Fall Professor sor SI Stunners Stunner's s 's special field was poll poll- science and economics and ho pad had the rare raie faculty of making Usually dry subjects interesting to everybody Observations which Dr Sumner set down on paper paper paper- forty fifty or more years ago seem especially applicable applicable ap- ap able in these days The greatest war var in history is being waged between between be- be tween forces which set the state above the individual al and democracy which ch asserts tho the rights and liberties liberties liber- liber ties of or the citizen to be the sole pro pro- per concern of an any government go Listen to a a. few sentences sentences- When all fine phrases are arc stripped stripped stripped strip strip- ped away it appears that the sta state state- states o oS S s only a group of men with human interests passions and desires or worse yet Jet the state is only an ob- ob cure clerk hidden in some corner of or governmental tal bureau In either Ease case the assumption of superhuman wisdom and virtue Is pro proved prod d false Dr Sumner wrote that in 1879 more than sixty years ago In 1887 1587 ho he wrote in one of his essays The Th state tate it cannot too often be repeated repeat repeat- ed has nothing which it does not take from somebody Its victims must be those who have earned and saved sayed and they ther must be the broad trong middle classes from whom lone any important contributions an an be drawn Speaking on the same theme in he said Wherever there is t l force force in hm human h man society the Sjem em is to use it and to regulate it o get the use and prevent the abuse f it The state is no exception on one e contrary it is the chief ill on And in one of his most pene- pene rating and prophetic essays en- en tied The Absurd Attempt to Make Mako Makere re Ie World Over published in 1894 1594 Sumner wrote In an any socialistic state there will wille e one set of positions which will chances of wealth beyond th the mildest dreams of avarice namely n 11 the governing committees Then The here iere will be rich men whose wealth indeed be a menace to social and instead of industrial there will be such steh war as no noDe none noone one ne De has dreamed of yet the war the political ins and outs outs outs- hat is between those who are on en he committee and those who want wanto p o get on it We Ve have hae seen that come corne true in Russia Russin under Communism In Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many under National Socialism in I Italy under Fascism The men men on I 3 I tho the governing go committees of or those nations have enriched themselves and they have ruthlessly put to death eYer every ambitious opponent who has hasI tried to seize their places |