They concluded that he must be a monarchist, an emissary
of Bismarck. They had no arguments to oppose him with, for it was a
subject they had never reflected upon; so they complained that he was
illiberal, re-actionary, and lacked faith in human nature. Since they
were in a numerical majority they thought they had the best of the
discussion, but the most impartial of his listeners did not find it so.
Louisa Alcott said once after a lively discussion, in her decisive
manner, "I like Mr. Wasson, and I admire the way in which he fights
against odds." His views on politics were similar to those held by
Washington, Adams, Hamilton, and most of the founders of the
Constitution, as also by all the great minds of history, by Aristotle,
Cicero, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton, and Leibnitz. Wasson however did not
look to the past, but wished to improve in a rational manner on what we
already have. He considered woman suffrage as a political monstrosity,
and considered it even more dangerous in its tendencies than socialism.
The true reward of a man of genius lies not in his fame but in his
influence. His celebrity is of more value to those who receive the rich
gifts of his intellect than to himself. Wasson's direct influence during
his life was limited to a very small circle; but who can tell how far it
extended indirectly beyond this? To those who knew him the thought of
this patient, indomitable truth-seeking hero was like an elixir of moral
and spiritual vitality.
Pages:
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174