their suggestions to burn the
House of Commons, or stop the traffic of London, or commit combined
suicide in Hyde Park as a protest against the continuance of the
iniquity which they denounce. They would do things in a different
manner. They intend to show the world and politicians that their views
cannot be ignored with impunity. For you and your lukewarm followers
they have nothing but contempt--the contempt which is earned by the
coward. The fanatic is troublesome, but comparatively easy to deal with.
There is another product of organized reform on which you cannot so
easily shut the door. It is the ideologue who rides the scheme to death.
It is the doctrinaire who must form systems within systems and policies
within policies. It is not enough that you have set out to suppress
something or to encourage something. You must follow his particular
way. He is in terror of compromise and sees profligacy in sweet
reasonableness. He knows the tragic failure of other movements with
vacillating policies. This one must be saved at all costs. 'Twere better
to smash the whole movement than proceed along undesirable lines. He
would scorn victory that came through avenues not recognized by him.
Certain words and phrases have completely captivated his imagination.
With them he fences heroically and causes a sufficiency of clatter and
noise. He is in deadly earnest and will brook no rivals. Parties within
parties are formed, and the energies which should be directed towards
fighting opponents are absorbed in combat within the society.

There is another element of disaster which now and then gains ascendancy
in the community of reformers. It is the professional agitator, the
parasite who will speak for or against a principle according to the
economic advantage which one side or the other may offer. You may
hold that such a man is not altogether undesirable, provided he can
"organize" and persuade people that the society is worthy of support.
You may think that he is no more blameworthy than the lawyer who pleads
your views so eloquently and who handles the jury with such consummate
skill, though his sole incentive is your fee and not your case. If you
act on such a belief and allow your professional agitator to manage your
society, you will certainly one day find your ideals turned to ashes and
your organization for moral action turned into money-making machinery.

Whilst life teaches you that societies are frail human institutions an