Political inventors are to-day largely unconscious
of their purpose, and, so, defenceless against the
distraction of their routineer enemies.

Lacking a philosophy they are defenceless
against their own inner tendency to sink into repe-
tition. As a witty Frenchman remarked, many
geniuses become their own disciples. This is true
when the attention is slack, and effort has lost its
direction. We have elaborate governmental
mechanisms -- like the tariff, for example, which
we go on making more "scientific" year in, year
out -- having long since lost sight of their human
purpose. They may be defeating the very ends
they were meant to serve. We cling to constitu-
tions out of "loyalty." We trudge in the tread-
mill and call it love of our ancient institutions.
We emulate the mule, that greatest of all
routineers.

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