254|The Green Bag.|}}

he sees that faith triumphant, and in turn facing a rivalry in which the best organizations, the a new enemy in its own household, heresies best methods, the best skill, the best abilities, without number; history spreads its panorama; the best government, and the best standards of with the speed of Puck, Mr. Kidd girdles the action and belief, shall have the right of uni earth, and everywhere " Projected Efficiency " versal opportunity. ... It is the ideal which in is at work. With swimming head, the poor its ultimate form must reach the limits of a reader, like Emerson's Jacobin, who has heard stateless competition of all the individuals of too much of George Washington, cries, " Damn every land, in which the competitive potentiality of all natural powers shall be completely enfran Projected Efficiency." But more dispassionately let us interview this chised." Mr. Kidd strikes a noble and stirring claimant to universal empire, and adjudge his note in his demand for the emancipation of every human power. He demands " a free con claims. Mr. Kidd sees " in the midst of our Western flict of forces towards equality of conditions, of Civilization,". . . " a vast process of change." . . . rights and of opportunities." But, he insists, "Hitherto all systems of political and social that is not the freedom of unregulated competi philosophy have revolved around one principle; tion sought by the Manchester School of po namely, the interests of existing individuals." litical economy. The doctrine of laissez-faire There is going on now, a shifting of the centre competition means a free fight in which unof significance in the evolutionary hypothesis. scrupulousness gains the day, choking all com "It is not the interests of those existing indi petition, bringing us " to the now universal viduals, but the interests of the future " that tendency in modern industry to monopoly owner make the new centre of significance. Up to the ship, with the resulting accumulation of vast time of Mr. Kidd, evolutionary philosophers private fortunes through the enforced disadvan supposed that the fittest who survived in the tage of classes, of whole communities, and even struggle for life were those who best adapted of entire nations." themselves to the conditions of a present environ From the period of remorseless monopoly, now ment. This is still necessary but another factor upon us, Mr. Kidd hopefully points to an " era is now added — adaptation to a future environ in which increments in the private ownership of ment. Thus the " efficiency " which makes for the instruments and materials of production survival is " projected " into the future. This, which are unearned in terms of social utility in a nutshell, is Mr. Kidd's discovery. The shall form part of a common inheritance to "winning qualities in the evolutionary process which the energies and abilities of the individual are those by which the interests of the existing shall be applied in conditions tending towards individuals have been most efftctively subordi equal economic opportunity." This is the only nated to those of the generations yet to be born." really free competition. It will mean "the This enables Mr. Kidd to present a striking gradual organization and direction through the antinomy. Between the interests of the present state of the activities of industry and produc tion." This looks like Socialism, but Mr. Kidd and the interests of the future there is an irrecon cilable break. A sacrifice of the former to the has nothing in common with the current pro latter is demanded. Yet this demand must not posals of confiscation, and the regimentation of impair efficiency in the present. Just how Mr. society. It is to be reached by the survival of Kidd would sacrifice the present without impair those who adapt themselves to the conditions of ing present efficiency, he does not make clear, this nobler future. Natural selection will destroy however. all opposing individuals and tendencies. The future must be " born out of a free con Would that we could share this faith! But flict of forces such as has never been in the whether or not Mr. Kidd is the Moses to lead world before." Here Mr. Kidd makes one feel us out of the wilderness of present conditions he is walking on solid ground. He sees that .into that Promised Land where all will enjoy the ideal toward which the world is being car equal opportunities, he, at least, is a prophet, ried " is that of a fair, open, and free rivalry of holding up an ideal, and spurring us on to its all Ihe forces within the social consciousness — attainment.