Book Description

Excerpt from George and Democracy: Address Delivered by James V. Coleman Before the Society of Alumni, Georgetown College, June 27, 1887 It is not necessary to have our attention called to the terrible miseries that follow in the wake of social injustices. We see them and deplore them as much as Henry George himself. We see the many, striking with the steel of labor, a few sparks of comfort from the adamant fate, - while the bowels of the mountains give up their riches unasked into the delicate palms of the idle few. We see the strong grow stronger, and the weak weaker; the rich grow richer and the poor poorer; Virtue and worth unrewarded while crime and immodesty fill the seats of government and walk bejewelled through the perfumed halls of plenty. It is not necessary to tell us that Dives is eternal and that his offended nostrils today, as well as yester day, avoid in vain the stench of Lazarus at his door. It is not necessary to tell us that the same sun of progress that has shone upon the purple of the mas ter, has also dried the leper's sores. And given strength to his shrivelled muscles, - until now, in stead of wallowing for an accidental crumb, he stands erect, threatening the quiet of the feast with in and swollen with the drunkenness of a terrible revenge. Let Dives beware for there is no logic, no leaven of reason in the nascent manhood of this awful pauper. His not to bandy words - his not to juggle with theories, his not to contract for so many loaves for the future as a compensation for so many crumbs in the past. The steam of the meats is in his nostril, the ruddy glare of the wine has made him drunk already. Crime for crime, injustice for injustice, plenty for misery-this is all he knows or cares to know. The picture is not overdrawn. The socialist, the anarchist, the nihilist of today is the rising figure of Lazarus of yesterday. It is not enough to throttle the impudent beggar - he must be made impossible. The sins that made him pos sible must be washed away in the river of true pro gress. The drunken revel within must give place to decent feasting. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.