ideas that the larger masses of men hold, and the processes whereby
they reach them. If I do any serious writing hereafter, it will be in
that field. In the United States I am commonly held suspect as a
foreigner, and during the war I was variously denounced. Abroad,
especially in England, I am sometimes put to the torture for my
intolerable Americanism. The two views are less far apart than they
seem to be. The fact is that I am superficially so American, in ways
of speech and thought, that the foreigner is deceived, whereas the
native, more familiar with the true signs, sees that under the surface
there is incurable antagonism to most of the ideas that Americans
hold to be sound. Thus If all between two stools--but it is more
comfortable there on the floor than sitting up tightly. I am wholly
devoid of public spirit or moral purpose. This is incomprehensible
to many men, and they seek to remedy the defect by crediting me
with purposes of their own. The only thing I respect is intellectual
honesty, of which, of course, intellectual courage is a
necessary part. A Socialist who goes to jail for his opinions seems
to me a much finer man than the judge who sends him there, though
I disagree with all the ideas of the Socialist and agree with some of
those of the judge. But though he is fine, the Socialist is
nevertheless foolish, for he suffers for what is untrue. If I knew
what was true, I'd probably be willing to sweat and strive for it, and
maybe even to die for it to the tune of bugle-blasts. But so far I
have not found it.


H. L. Mencken