and takes a personal pride in making his productions as nearly perfect as possible, will be recognized, and his individual worth to his employer will raise him above the “common level.”  All this rot about a “ruling oligarchy” “grinding down the poorer class” is dangerous.  The man who has no ambition above ditch digging, and who endeavors to throw out as little dirt in a day as he possibly can, will always be one of “the submerged.”  It lies with each one—­outside of unavoidable physical or mental infirmities—­whether he shall rise or sink.

Again I must congratulate you on the stand you are taking in THE UNPOPULAR REVIEW.  I “take” and read twenty to twenty-five magazines and for over forty years have been trying to educate myself to a right way of thinking, and the result is I believe as above briefly outlined.

    Especially good is The Greeks on Religion and Morals, also The
    Soul of Capitalism, Trust-Busting as a National Pastime, and Our
    Government Subvention to Literature.

* * * * *

Possibly some of you are disappointed at not finding this number as full as the daily papers of wisdom on War and the Mexican situation.  In one sense we are disappointed ourselves:  for we had made arrangements for at least one article of that general nature from one of our best qualified contributors; but when it came time to write it (speaking by the calendar), he showed the excellence of his qualifications by saying that, considering the situation and the function of this REVIEW, it was not time—­that the situation had not yet become mature enough or broad enough for any general conclusions—­for any treatment beyond that already well given by the newspapers and other organs of frequent publication, and that they were giving all the details called for.  We will wait, then, and try to philosophize when the time comes.

We find, however, that with little deliberate intention on our part, this number has turned out “seasonable” in another sense, and hope you will find it so.  Witness the articles on Chautauqua, and Railway Junctions, and Tips (entitled A Stubborn Relic of Feudalism) and several others.

Philosophy in Fly Time

In the old days, before the destruction of the white pines removed the chief source of American inventiveness—­the universal habit of whittling—­every boy had a jackknife, and also had boxes, sometimes of wood, sometimes of writing paper, in which he kept flies.  Now he has neither flies nor jackknife.