economic theory and often in contact with economic results.

There may be economic gains which ought to be and will be surrendered
for social gains, as long as we can do it and live. A very reliable test
of the prosperity of a Society is the extent to which it can without
distress, surrender economic goods in exchange for social goods.

I have attacked Socialism, not Socialists. Multitudes of Socialists are
most charming men and women, and the aspirations of pure Socialism are
the noblest of which the human mind can conceive. How impossible they
are of realization I think they are, I have endeavored to show. But
there are individualists whose ideals are equally noble. Any conception
that Socialists as a class are upon a higher ethical plane than
individualists may be dismissed. Personally, I fear that at present the
average ethical plane of Socialists is below that of opponents for the
allurements of Socialistic theory have attracted to that cult a great
number of the economically impotent, but nevertheless greedy, who know
nothing and care less about Socialistic theory but lust for that which
they have never earned. It is they who promote class hatred as well as
class consciousness. They are an effective offset, morally, to the
greedy and consciousless employers who nevertheless perform a useful
economic function which the greedy among the Socialists do not.

But, my controversy at this time is not with them, but with the
Socialistic idealists moved by the loftiest conception of the welfare of
mankind and the most earnest desire to promote it. And now let us
introduce somewhat of humanitarianism, which, while it has no place in
economic theory, is that which most ennobles and beautifies human
character. And here let me register my last attack upon Socialistic
controversy, which is, that fundamentally it tends to degrade human