'Cbe Conservative *
true definition of happiness as well as
freedom. But few know themselves
sufficiently to comprehend it. The
action of the mind known as thought
comas under the head of unconscious
freedom , being free from self-control
and hence all control. Nevertheless it
is absolute subjectiveness to natural
conditions and hence is not free. He
who feels the law is not free. Freedom
then consists in either conscious or un
conscious suhjectiveness. While wo
can control or change our thoughts to a
certain degree the fundamental condi
tions of our mind are entirely beyond
our control or any external influences.
Wo cannot think as we will but must
think as we are born to think. When
wo "control or change our thoughts" in
reality we cause no change in our
thoughts , but rathprchange the external
actions on the mental basis , thereby
causing a change in mental reactions ,
but the general character of our thought
changes not. Men are born to be radi
cals , true or false conservatives , geniuses
in one or another direction , idiots , fools
or millionaires. They cannot help it.
What they really will be depends largely
on the environment they are thrown
into. General Grant was not much of
a man till a new environment called out
hidden or innate characteristics. Charles
Darwin might have remained unknown
had he not had the means for private
study.
The Two Fundamental Clasncs of Mind.
Mind or thought consists of reactions of
certain portions of the brain to environ
mental influences. The nature of these
reactions depends on the atomic molicu-
lar structure of the cells of the thought
centers. This is largely determined by
hereditary conditions. These reactions ,
that is the fundamental manner of
thought , may be spoken of as direct , or
non-traditional , indirect or traditional ,
or what ignorance terms radical and
conservative. This condition is abso
lutely beyond individual control. That
which is beyond individual control
should be beyond any attempt at
coercion by others. The fathers recog
nized this and endeavored to prevent
such attempts by constitutional enact
ment. The sons have largely fallen
from that condition of intellectual
grace.
It is impossible to make these mental
conditions clear to those who know not
themselves and are incapable of self-
study There are none so blind as those
who cannot see. It is erroneous to as
sert that many ' won't see. " It is to be
doubted if there are any such. Men do
not "shut their minds to reason. " They
simply cannot reason on the things
presented to them. As a fundamental
principle all men desire the truth. It is
equally true that all men , the majority ,
cannot see the truth. Intellectually
speaking , they are color blind. They
can see only traditional colors. This is
even more true in a subjective than ob
jective sense.
The indirectly reacting or traditionally
thinking mind , the majority , is the pietistic -
istic , the falsnly conservative , the non-
progressive intellect which thinks with
the past and is frightened out of its wits
at intellectual innovations. "What was
good enough for father or mother , "
what past ages have pronounced good or
true , is its criterion of judgment. It
would seem as if this indirect reacting
mind was so constituted that the actions
of environment on it , nature as it is ,
passed harmlessly through its thought
centers into those of its dead ancestry ,
from whence the reaction came back to
the brain of the living descendant , and
was simply reflected by it , without its
having any influence upon it. In this
fundamental sense , this indirectly re
acting , traditional or false conservative
mind , can be said not to have the
faculty of self-thought , or independent
study. It certainly knows nothing of
itself. It can be cultivated ; it can
learn much of the past , but in no sense
can it be self-educated. It is receptive ,
not digestive. Education is self-
knowledge. The pseudo conservative ,
or traditional intellect , is a dam ob
structing the flow of the stream of
knowledge. It is an obstacle in the way
of intellectual development , freedom
and progress. It is a despot from innate
ponderosity. All despots are cowards.
They fear themselves. The intellectual
traditionalist cannot see the truth , his
mind being clogged with the dead dust
of past ages. He is bound and limited
by hereditary conditions in an obstruct
ive , destructive sense.
The directly-reacting , non-traditional ,
truly conservative , truth-seeing mind is
no less bound by the conditions of its
being. It is beyond individual control.
It is free , however , from the brains of
its dead ancestry. It reacts directly to
the actions of environment , thereby re
flecting its own thought. It knows
neither precedent nor tradition. Its
knowledge is self-knowledge. Of it , it
can be said that the umbilicus connect
ing it with its ancestry , in the intellect
ual sense , was severed as completely as
the bodily connection at the birth of the
individual. The directly reacting , nontraditional -
traditional is the thought that moves
the world to righteousness. It is con
servative as the truth is conservative.
It is radical as the radical is the cul
mination or extremest point of the roots
of the tree knowledge. Its final blos
soming develops into the ripest fruits Of
that tree. As the thought of the radical
conservative , or direct-reacting mind is
the fit , it alone survives in the straggle
for existence , though often apparently
swamped by the ponderosity of the in
directly reacting , tradition-worshiping ,
falsely conservative mind. He who
fears the fruit action of the human
mind is the coward of cowards , the des
pot of despots , the unfit of the unfits , the
enemy of his race , ' though true to his
own nature , which is beyond his power
to change.
FRANK S. BILLINGS.
Grafton , Moss.
INEXCUSABLE The twenty-fifth
IMPEHTINENCE. Annual meeting of
the American
Banking Association , representing a
combination of capital amounting to
? C,000,000,000 , has just adjourned at
Cleveland , Ohio.
A few days prior the American Bar
Association , representing all the lawyers ,
law libraries and legal ability of the
United States , adjourned at Buffalo ,
New York.
The latter association indulged in
speeches , resolutions and recommenda
tions as to laws needed , laws to be
amended , and laws which ought to be
repealed. No one objected to the pro
ceedings of the lawyers , regarding laws ,
because law is the business of the law
yers.
But when the bankers , whose business
it is to handle money and credits and
whose interests are identical with
general prosperity , make recommenda
tions as to the currency of the country
and a standard of value for the country ,
all the sparrow-souled editors of the
sixteen-to-wun variety are aroused to
wrath. They denounce the suggestions
from the bankers about a gold standard
and their arguments for a reaffirmation
of the gold standard by congress and the
president as' 'inexcusable impertinence. "
The same journalists , however , in
1896 deemed the interference of silver
bullion producers and owners in behalf
of free coinage entirely proper and
praiseworthy. Nor do they now op
pose silver syndicates and trusts which
seek to put an artificial price upon that
metal by the endeavor to make a demand
for it by law.
But demand is based upon desire.
Legislators cannot enact permanent de
sires for humanity. Therefore , they
cannot create permanent demands.
Temporarily as in the Bland-Allison
abomination or the Sherman-silver-junk
purchasing act a demand may temporarily
arily appear but it fades away quickly.
Silver declined steadily under each of
the above efforts to create demand by
law.
Thomas Settle of North Carolina , a
republican and an ex-representative , has
announced his purpose to support the
adoption of the proposed amendment to
the constitution relative to the restric
tion of the present ignorant vote of the
state. The adoption of this amendment ,
Mr. Settle said , "will be the one and
wisest solution of the most difficult
problem now confronting the people of
North Carolina , irrespective of race , and
of all the Southern states. "
