The Masses Vol. 5, No. 2 (November 1913) - Brown University Library

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4 THE MASSES.CapitallaborsuccessTHE PIG AND THE HENTHEY BOTH GOT IN ONE PENAND THE HEN SAID SHE WOULDN'T GO OUT;'MISTRESS HEN' SAYS THE PIG'DONT YOU BE QUITE so BIG!AND HE GAVE HER A PUSH WITH HIS SNOUT,.NOW C H I L D R E N - T H I S SIMPLE LESSONTEACHES US THAT THE PIG HAS SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCE, AND THAT THE -HEN OUGHT TO EDUCATE HERSELF SOTHAT SHE MAY BECOME A PIG.THE PIG TRIES TO SEE HOW MUCH HESEE THE PLUM .C A N THE BOY GET IΤ ?HE CAN, IF HE IS HONESTAND UNSELFISHIsTHE SUN UP ? YES.WHY DOES NOT THE MAN LEAPOUT OF BED? IS IT BECAUSE HE IS LAZY ?YES, DOES HIS EMPLOYER LEAP OUTOF BED ?SURE .CANGET OUT OF THE WORLD. - THE HENFOOLISHLY TRIES TO SEE HOW MUCH SHE,CAN PUT INTO IT. feel SORRY FOR THEPOOR HEN .CapitalismFor SalelaborSEE THE HOUSE. THINK HARD,WORK HARD, FOR YOUR EMPLOYERSAVE AT LEAST 2O DOLLARS ATHE Fruit of HIS TOILTHIS CARTOON TEACHES US to 'Think STRAIGHT'THAT EACH OF US MAY GET A LARGE JUICY —ORANGE, A FAT STOMACH , AND A WONDERFULDIRECTING MIND.WEEK AND YOU CAN BUYTHE HOUSE.BENJ. FRANKLIN SAVEDHIS MONEY - SO CANYou.ArthurYoungcartoonsThe Masses EditorsDrawn by Arthur YoungBRISBAINE'S LECTURES ON POLITICAL SCIENCE FOR "IMPRACTICAL IDEALISTS"

THE-MASSESVOL. V. NO. II. N O V E M B E R , 1913 ISSUE NUMBER 30Max Eastman, EditorKNOWLEDGEAND REVOLUTIONABrisbane on YoungGAIN Arthur Brisbane devotes the editorial sectionof the Hearst papers to a picture fromTHE MASSES, and a fatherly disquisitionthereon. The picture you will remember. Itis Art Young's big "Capitalism" eating the fruit whicha little workingman has prepared for him. Attentionis called to "that wonderful directing mind" in the portraitof capitalism, and beneath the workingman is thisstatement of fact:"He hands over the fruit of his toil on a silver platter,and then gets about one-eighth of the juice."It is noticeable that Mr. Brisbane did not deny thisstatement of fact. He did not allude to it. He didnot want to."When you think, Mr. Young, think straight," hesaid, and then leaving that task to Mr. Young, he proceededto circumambiate around the subject matterin a very happy way. I followed him and I located inthe course of the peregrination three definite, distinctalthough disconnected ideas which I shall quote. Iquote them because they each exemplify a commonfault in those who reject Socialism without understandingit.Here is the first quotation :"When you think, Mr. Young, think straight.""This is a world of injustice. Not because there arevillians at the top and good, virtuous, moral people atthe bottom, but because this is still a world of ignorance."The little gentleman at the bottom, representinglabor, is only getting an occasional drop, not becausehe is an unselfish creature, BUT BECAUSE HEHASN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET IT."The fault manifest here is intellectual indolence. Youare surprised to hear that Arthur Brisbane is indolent—well, he is, and so are a great many other people whohave what is called an "energetic style."I am telling you one of the secrets of the trade now—that "energetic style" saves them a lot of work. Youknow how it is—if you say a thing with enough emphasisit is not necessary to adduce reasons. A hypnotistdoesn't have to bother with reasons—he just saysso. Likewise a man with an "energetic style."So let's skin this editorial. Let's lay off the styleand examine the meat.We find in that first section that Mr. Brisbane hasnot taken the time or trouble to penetrate his subjectmatter. He has never studied the economics of Socialismat all, and therefore he has no conception of thescience which "Art Young and his friends" are teaching.Max EastmanNeither Art nor any of his friends ever hadthe slightest notion that there are "villains at thetop and good, virtuous, moral people at the bottom"of society. On the contrary, it is the essence of theirtheory to recognize that one and the same motive actuatesall the people in their economic life, namely, thedesire to get a living, and get as good a living as possible.Our troubles arise not out of the sins of "bad men"or the weakness of "good men," but out of an irreconcilableconflict of interests among men who areneither good nor bad, but simply natural in lookingout for their own economic welfare.That is why Art Young called the fat man "Capitalism."Not a Capitalist, not Morgan or Rockefelleror any other "successful individual." Muck rakersand Sunday School teachers and editorial moralistswould put it that way. But Young thought straightenough to put it the other way. And Brisbane didn'tthink straight enough to follow him.Here is the second quotation :"Mr. Young has a scornful arrow pointing at thebadly developed skull of capitalism, with the lines,'That wonderful directing brain.' Young's idea is thatit really is not a wonderful directing brain, just a veryfat, dull brain."But YOUNG DOESN'T EXPLAIN HOW ITHAPPENS THAT THE DULL BRAIN ALWAYSHAS THE FRUIT."It is not romantic or pleasant, but we must tell Mr.Young and his friends that as a matter of fact the manwith the big fat fruit really HAS the wonderful directingbrain."If he didn't have that he wouldn't have the fruit."This idea that people at the top are there becausethey have "brains," is about as unanalytic and feebleand foolish as it is plausible. First, because the qualitiesit takes to make success in business competitionare highly specialized and by no means to be describedin general as "brains." Astuteness, cruelty, daring,practical imagination, pugnacity, energy, self-absorption,"cheek," are among them. But the chief quality ofall those that make success in business is the quality ofbeing completely hypnotized by the idea of success inbusiness, so that it crowds all other ideas out of yourmind. That is not the same thing as having "brains."Therefore, even if opportunity were equal for all,this statement about the people with brains being atthe top would be false.But furthermore, opportunity is not equal for all.And Arthur Brisbane knows this. It doesn't take aneconomist to know it. Anybody can see that with thewhole machinery of production owned by a part ofthe population, and the rest of the population compelledto beg and pay tribute for the privilege of workingthis machinery—no fair contest of brains or abilityexists. It is a handicap event, from start to finish.Vincent Astor is at the top. Where would he be ifhe had started scratch?Yes, Mr. Brisbane knows that only the very rarestability and good luck minus capital (or capitalistic connections)can compete with moderate ability plus capital.He knows that one class of our population entersthe contest with capital, and another class enters without.And hence for another reason it is not the best"brains" that come out at the top.The people who own this country—speaking generally—donot possess "that wonderful directing mind."At least it is not to be found in their own skulls.They get the benefit of it, of course. It is a part oftheir capital. But it is inside of somebody else's head.Arthur Brisbane ought to know this, too, for he isExhibit A in this department himself. He has a wonderfuldirecting mind—no matter what we may thinkof the editorial—he has a wonderful directing mind.But in order to use it he has to hire out to the manat the top—the man who owns the machine. I guesshe knows that opportunity is not equal in this country.Here is the third quotation :"These conditions will not be remedied by anyagency except one, and that is EDUCATION. Thebest thing that ever was written is this: 'YΕ SHALLKNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH SHALLMAKE YOU FREE.' To be educated is to know thetruth."This appeal to education, appeal to the knowledge oftruth, as the only savior of the world, is always an excellentperoration to an attack upon propaganda thatyou do not consider true. But it comes awkwardly atthe end of this editorial in which the one statement oftruth that was made in that picture has been systematicallydodged—namely, that the worker gets about oneeighthof the juice.That is the truth that Art Young and his friendsare striving to teach to the enslaved workers of thiscountry, and that is the truth that will make themfree. Without that no truth will make them free.Discourse upon the stars and planets, and the Gallicwars, and the Egyptian mummies, and the geologicalfossils of prehistoric beetles forever, and therewithyou may convey a great deal of knowledge, but solong as you continue to dodge around a clear, calmstatement of vital, everyday fact, like this about "thefruit of his toil," you have no right to the word "education"and you have no right to the word "truth."

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