DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42346#0020
8
THE NEW COMPETITION
have, in short, treated it as a fetish, instead of critically
examining its claims to immunity.
VI
The world is filled with men who repeat, parrot-like,
what others have said; that is the easy, the natural, the
safe thing to do. It may be just as well that the over-
whelming majority of men do this, for stability depends
upon tradition, but progress follows in the footsteps of
him who challenges, who utters the insistent “Why ?” who
accepts nothing as hearsay, but goes straight to the root
of things and finds out for himself.
It is the business of the office-seeker and holder to
curry favor—that is, he thinks it is, and it is this convic-
tion that governs his tongue. He speaks the things he
thinks the people wish to hear. He does not know they
would like to hear the new thing and the true thing. He
does not realize that whil’e he is repeating what he has
heard and what he has read, reiterating the worn-out
phrases, there may be those in his audience who are think-
ing about coming things, who are eagerly listening for
just one word that will throw some light on the problems
of the day, and they are the only ones worth talking to.
Of what use is it to talk to the laborer or the small
merchant about the glorious benefits of the old competi-
tion when they know it is the old competition that is
stifling them, when the-laborer knows that his Union has
absolutely suppressed competition in his particular trade,
when the merchant knows that if the competition to which
he is being subjected at the moment continues six months,
he will be bankrupt ?
The man who hires labor or buys goods may applaud
the familiar utterance, but even he has his competition in
THE NEW COMPETITION
have, in short, treated it as a fetish, instead of critically
examining its claims to immunity.
VI
The world is filled with men who repeat, parrot-like,
what others have said; that is the easy, the natural, the
safe thing to do. It may be just as well that the over-
whelming majority of men do this, for stability depends
upon tradition, but progress follows in the footsteps of
him who challenges, who utters the insistent “Why ?” who
accepts nothing as hearsay, but goes straight to the root
of things and finds out for himself.
It is the business of the office-seeker and holder to
curry favor—that is, he thinks it is, and it is this convic-
tion that governs his tongue. He speaks the things he
thinks the people wish to hear. He does not know they
would like to hear the new thing and the true thing. He
does not realize that whil’e he is repeating what he has
heard and what he has read, reiterating the worn-out
phrases, there may be those in his audience who are think-
ing about coming things, who are eagerly listening for
just one word that will throw some light on the problems
of the day, and they are the only ones worth talking to.
Of what use is it to talk to the laborer or the small
merchant about the glorious benefits of the old competi-
tion when they know it is the old competition that is
stifling them, when the-laborer knows that his Union has
absolutely suppressed competition in his particular trade,
when the merchant knows that if the competition to which
he is being subjected at the moment continues six months,
he will be bankrupt ?
The man who hires labor or buys goods may applaud
the familiar utterance, but even he has his competition in