d for
carting it away without saying a word.

There are three courses we can take in the Public Group now.

We can try to discipline Capital and Labor into producing together by
passing laws and heaping up embarrassments and penalties.

We can let them see how much better they can make things by sticking them
on to one another and letting them discipline one another.

We can make fun of both of them quietly to themselves, keep
quiet-hearted, matter of fact, full of realism, humor, relaxation and
naturalness and deal with Capital and Labor as Lincoln would, by getting
laughing and listening started.

Then let them laugh at themselves.

America should arrange to have Judge Gary, Mr. Dooley and Mr. Gompers get
together on a desert island and face things out.

A great deal of capital in this country--especially the best of it, is
already seeing, and already acting on facts about itself it has not
wanted to believe. It is already seeing that it cannot carry off with
Labor or with the Public any longer the idea of looking pure and noble,
standing before people in a kind of eternal moral-Prince-Albert coat,
one's hand in one's bosom, and with the same old pompous-looking face,
without looking ridiculous. It is seeing that it would rather laugh at
itself, in a pinch, than to have other people laughing at it, that the
only thing left to it to do now is to get serious, scientific and
economic, smile at its airs with Labor and the public, and lay them
aside.

If Capital sees how it really looks, laughs at itself, goes in quietly
for self-criticism, self-confession and self-discipline, Labor will.

If Labor does it, Capital will.

Whichever side does it first, and does it best,--does it in the most
human, attractive and contagious way will find a hundred million people
handing over to it the power and the leadership of the country.

To whichever side it comes first, to show the most shrewdness, the most
fearlessness, the most generosity in seeing facts against itself, will
come the honor of the first victory.

The first victory either side will be allowed by the people, is its
victory over itself.

People in this country who are not fooled by themselves, who are capable
of self-criticism, self-confession and self-discipline, can have anything
they want.

XIII

FOOLING ONESELF IN POLITICS

The same thing that everybody can see is going to happen in business in
this country from now on--the pushing forwar