y, why the deuce do they want to
drag us poor beggars back from Newport?"

"Why did Rome insist on burning while Nero fiddled?" queried Peter
smiling. "We should hear nothing of socialism and anarchy if Newport and
the like had no existence."

"I believe at heart you're a Socialist yourself," cried Ray.

"No danger," laughed Ogden; "his bank account is too large. No man with
Peter's money is ever a Socialist"

"You forget," said Ray, "that Peter is always an exception to the rule."

"No," said Peter. "I disagree with Socialists entirely both in aims and
methods, but I sympathize with them, for I see the fearful problems
which they think their theories will solve, and though I know how
mistaken they are, I cannot blame them, when I see how seriously and
honestly they believe in, and how unselfishly they work for, their
ideas. Don't blame the Socialists, for they are quite as conscientious
as were the Abolitionists. Blame it to the lack of scientific education,
which leaves these people to believe that theories containing a half
truth are so wholly true that they mean the regeneration and salvation
of society."

"I suppose you are right," sighed Ray, "for you've thought of it, and I
haven't. I don't want to, either. I thank the Lord I'm not as serious as
you, Graveyard. But if you want to air your theory, I'll lend you my
ears, for friendship's sake. I don't promise to remember."

Peter puffed his cigar for a moment "I sometimes conclude," he said,
"that the people who are most in need of education, are the college-bred
men. They seem to think they've done all the work and study of their
life in their four years, and so can dissipate mentally ever after." But
Peter smiled as he said this and continued, more seriously: "Society and
personal freedom are only possible in conjunction, when law or public
opinion interferes to the degree of repressing all individual acts that
interfere with the freedom of others; thus securing the greatest
individual freedom to all. So far as physical force is concerned, we
have pretty well realized this condition. Because a man is strong he can
no longer take advantage of the weak. But strength is not limited to
muscle. To protect the weak mind from the strong mind is an equal duty,
and a far more difficult task. So far we have only partially succeeded.
In this difficulty lies the whole problem. Socialism, so far as it
attempts to repress individualism, and reduce mankind to an evenness