218 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
justice and equality ; not a more luxurious life, but a saner, nobler life. A nation's wealth might grow from $300 per capita to Uiooo and people might grow unhappier all the time. Scot- land and Scandinavia have been poor in goods, but rich in noble hearts and vigorous minds. Greater average luxury may only lead to greater average lasciviousness. " Jerusalem waxed fat and kicked." Jesus parted company with the social reformers of his day on this very point. They wanted material prosperity. He did too, but he wanted first the kingdom of God and God's justice, and prosperity as the natural outcome of that ; without that basis prosperity may be a curse. It is true for nations as well as individuals, that the great thing is not the quantity or quality of meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ; that is, a just, peaceable, and glad life in the Holy Spirit This practical materialism is shown not only in picturing the aim of social improvement, but also in planning the means. They put their trust in improved arrangements, voting machines, asphalt pavements, patent street-sweepers, cheaper car-fares and telephone rates, etc. Now these things are highly desirable, and I would gladly put in a good shift of work to secure any of them, but any or all of these things will not save a nation. We might have streets as smooth and clean as a Paris boulevard, and the people on it might yet be a libidinous lot, working out their own destruction. If any man says: "Get men converted and never mind how the streets look ; " I say, " Not a bit of it ; as long as children play on them, it matters a lot to me how they look." If another man says: "Let us have ideal streets, and we shall have ideal men," I say, "That is falser yet. You cannot load human cussedness into Col. Waring's ash-carts and dump it into New York Bay, nor smother the devil under a patent pave- ment." Material improvements are important, but social reform- ers must not forget to look deeper than that.
I have tried to sketch the noble desires for personal liberty, equal opportunity, and fraternal association, which furnish the in.ih rial for the ideals of social reformers.
