This Side of Paradise F. Scott Fitzgerald (mini ebook reader .txt) đ
- Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
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âAll right,â said the big man, his goggles indicating neither approval nor objection.
âNext Iâd have a fair trial of government ownership of all industries.â
âThatâs been proven a failure.â
âNoâ âit merely failed. If we had government ownership weâd have the best analytical business minds in the government working for something besides themselves. Weâd have Mackays instead of Burlesons; weâd have Morgans in the Treasury Department; weâd have Hills running interstate commerce. Weâd have the best lawyers in the Senate.â
âThey wouldnât give their best efforts for nothing. McAdooâ ââ
âNo,â said Amory, shaking his head. âMoney isnât the only stimulus that brings out the best thatâs in a man, even in America.â
âYou said a while ago that it was.â
âIt is, right now. But if it were made illegal to have more than a certain amount the best men would all flock for the one other reward which attracts humanityâ âhonor.â
The big man made a sound that was very like boo.
âThatâs the silliest thing youâve said yet.â
âNo, it isnât silly. Itâs quite plausible. If youâd gone to college youâd have been struck by the fact that the men there would work twice as hard for any one of a hundred petty honors as those other men did who were earning their way through.â
âKidsâ âchildâs play!â scoffed his antagonist.
âNot by a darned sightâ âunless weâre all children. Did you ever see a grown man when heâs trying for a secret societyâ âor a rising family whose name is up at some club? Theyâll jump when they hear the sound of the word. The idea that to make a man work youâve got to hold gold in front of his eyes is a growth, not an axiom. Weâve done that for so long that weâve forgotten thereâs any other way. Weâve made a world where thatâs necessary. Let me tell youââ âAmory became emphaticâ ââif there were ten men insured against either wealth or starvation, and offered a green ribbon for five hoursâ work a day and a blue ribbon for ten hoursâ work a day, nine out of ten of them would be trying for the blue ribbon. That competitive instinct only wants a badge. If the size of their house is the badge theyâll sweat their heads off for that. If itâs only a blue ribbon, I damn near believe theyâll work just as hard. They have in other ages.â
âI donât agree with you.â
âI know it,â said Amory nodding sadly. âIt doesnât matter any more though. I think these people are going to come and take what they want pretty soon.â
A fierce hiss came from the little man.
âMachine-guns!â
âAh, but youâve taught them their use.â
The big man shook his head.
âIn this country there are enough property owners not to permit that sort of thing.â
Amory wished he knew the statistics of property owners and non-property owners; he decided to change the subject.
But the big man was aroused.
âWhen you talk of âtaking things away,â youâre on dangerous ground.â
âHow can they get it without taking it? For years people have been stalled off with promises. Socialism may not be progress, but the threat of the red flag is certainly the inspiring force of all reform. Youâve got to be sensational to get attention.â
âRussia is your example of a beneficent violence, I suppose?â
âQuite possibly,â admitted Amory. âOf course, itâs overflowing just as the French Revolution did, but Iâve no doubt that itâs really a great experiment and well worth while.â
âDonât you believe in moderation?â
âYou wonât listen to the moderates, and itâs almost too late. The truth is that the public has done one of those startling and amazing things that they do about once in a hundred years. Theyâve seized an idea.â
âWhat is it?â
âThat however the brains and abilities of men may differ, their stomachs are essentially the same.â
The Little Man Gets His
âIf you took all the money in the world,â said the little man with much profundity, âand divided it up in equâ ââ
âOh, shut up!â said Amory briskly and, paying no attention to the little manâs enraged stare, he went on with his argument.
âThe human stomachâ ââ he began; but the big man interrupted rather impatiently.
âIâm letting you talk, you know,â he said, âbut please avoid stomachs. Iâve been feeling mine all day. Anyway, I donât agree with one-half youâve said. Government ownership is the basis of your whole argument, and itâs invariably a beehive of corruption. Men wonât work for blue ribbons, thatâs all rot.â
When he ceased the little man spoke up with a determined nod, as if resolved this time to have his say out.
âThere are certain things which are human nature,â he asserted with an owl-like look, âwhich always have been and always will be, which canât be changed.â
Amory looked from the small man to the big man helplessly.
âListen to that! Thatâs what makes me discouraged with progress. Listen to that! I can name offhand over one hundred natural phenomena that have been changed by the will of manâ âa hundred instincts in man that have been wiped out or are now held in check by civilization. What this man here just said has been for thousands of years the last refuge of the associated muttonheads of the world. It negates the efforts of every scientist, statesman, moralist, reformer, doctor, and philosopher that ever gave his life to humanityâs service. Itâs a flat impeachment of all thatâs worth while in human nature. Every person over twenty-five years old who makes that statement in cold blood ought to be deprived of the franchise.â
The little man leaned back against the seat, his face purple with rage. Amory continued, addressing his remarks to the
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