...You admit then that envy of a society you were not born into and
which refuses to acknowledge you as an equal, is the secret of your desire
to pull it down?"
"Partly that." he admitted cooly. "Not that I'd change places with any of
those fat millionaires I see shuffling down the steps of the Pacific-Union
Club--although I'll admit to you what I wouldn't to these young devils in
my class, that I know some socialists who would. I hate the sight of 'em.
But I want to do away with class-rights and class-distinctions, not only
because I just naturally have no use for them but because I want to put an
end to the misery of the world."
"You mean the material misery. What would you do with the other seven
hundred different varieties?"
"Well....I guess each case would have to take care of itself. Perhaps we'd
get round to it after a while. Get power and class-envy out of the world,
and some genius, like as not, would invent a post-graduate course of
colleges for human nature. All things are possible."
"You are an optimist! Here's our car. Come home with me and share the
supper that I pay for with the tainted money of a plutocrat. Only we
haven't any real plutocrats in San Francisco. Only modest millionaires.
Will you?"
"Yes." said Mr. Kirkpatrick. "And thank you kindly." He even smiled, for he
was developing a latent heavily overlain seed of humor; inherited from the
full bay tree that had flourished in his grandfather, born in County Clare,
where men sometimes indulged in rebellion but did not take themselves too
seriously withal.
Pages:
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226