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Disquisition by Scripps, E.W., What will I do with it?, December 22, 1909

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              Ohio University Libraries, E.W. Scripps Papers, MSS 117, Series 4, http://media.library.ohiou.edu/scripps
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-O-O-O-o-O-o-O-O-O-O-O-O-Q-O-O-O-o-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Some years ago I bad the Tolstoy fever. I think I read everything
of Tolstoy's tha.t had been translated into English I remember one
of his books bore a title s~ilar to the caption of this essay.
I have a faint remembrance, now, of this book. I think it was~
~ series of essays concerniQg different people, having various capacities
or opportunities J in which the author both asked and answered the question
as to what a given person should do - - what he should make of such opportunities
and capacities as he had.
For my own part, all of my life when I have not been strenuously
employed in doing what I had to do or what I thought I had to do, I have
been constantly perplexed by the question of what I should do; what use I
could make of my own opportunities and ca.pacity_
Years of study and thinking, based upon an ever growing amount of
data, have resulted in no answer, to me, of this sphinx riddle_
I can compare this problem to one of those solitaire games of
cards. I have played many of these card. games, so_ of them very difficult
but I have leirbed that all of them are to be won.
390

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Title	Disquisition by Scripps, E.W., What will I do with it ?, December 22, 1909
Collection	E. W. Scripps Papers, 1868-1926
Creator/Author	Scripps, E. W. (Edward Willis), 1854-1926
Date Original	1909-12-22
Subject-LCSH	Democracy Power (Philosophy)
Is Part Of	E. W. Scripps Papers, Series 4, Box 01, Vol 02 E. W. Scripps' Writings 1909, Book 2
Collection finding aid	http://www.library.ohiou.edu/archives/mss/mss117.html
Call Number	mss117/ser4/box01/book02/390-394
Original Format-AAT	Essays
Publisher	Ohio University Libraries. Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections
Type	Text
Format [IMT]	Application/pdf
Physical dimensions	5 p.; 11 x 8.5
Identifier	ser4_box01_vol02_390-394_what_will.pdf
Donor	Scripps, Charles E. (Charles Edward), 1920-
Rights Information	In the public domain. Unpublished works are under copyright for the life of the author + 70 years
Citation	E.W. Scripps Papers, Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections, Ohio University Libraries
Transcript	Ohio University Libraries, E.W. Scripps Papers, MSS 117, Series 4, http://media.library.ohiou.edu/scripps "1 1 1?1 111 ??1 ?11 111 ???'?? 111 ?11 ???'??? 111 ????? ????? '9. 9?. 9. ' '.~ ???.'. ?1?1?1 1?1??1.......... ?. ?. ?'? ???????' ?.?. ???...... ??? ???11'1,1????? -........ ?.. ?.. ?.. ?.. ?..?. ?.. ?.. ? ???....... 1'1 11 ?? ?..?..?..?.?..?. ?? 'I? ?.?. ?..?...?..?. 11 1? 'I? ?' ?. ?. ?.?. 111 1? ?1 11 ? ?. ?????? ?1?111 ??????....... 1&............ 1 ?. ?.?. ?..?. ?.. ?.. ??????? ?..?..9..?..?..?..?.?..?. ?.. ?.. ?. ?.. ?..?. ??? ???.,......... 1?1111 ?1 11 1111?1 ---~- !~~~/D1·_ ?..?..?.?..?..?..?.?..?..?..?.?..?. ?????????????....... 11 ?.9.?........... ??1 ??? 1?1 1?1 ?????....... " ?? 11 ?,.?.. ?.. ?. ?.. ?.?.?.?.. ?.? , ?. ~..?. ?.?.. ?..?. ?..? ?..?.? 11 11 11 ?.. ?.. ?.. ?.?.. ?. 1111?1 ?.. ?.. ?.. ?.. ?..?..?.?..?..?. 111111 1? 1? 1? ?, ?. ?.. ?.. ?..?.. ?.?.. 111 1?1 '.1 ?. ?? 1? 1? 11 ?.. ?'" ?..?..?..?. 11 ??1? '1?.?.?.1 ?1?........ 11 11 11 11 111111 -O-O-O-o-O-o-O-O-O-O-O-O-Q-O-O-O-o-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- Some years ago I bad the Tolstoy fever. I think I read everything of Tolstoy's tha.t had been translated into English I remember one of his books bore a title s~ilar to the caption of this essay. I have a faint remembrance, now, of this book. I think it was~ ~ series of essays concerniQg different people, having various capacities or opportunities J in which the author both asked and answered the question as to what a given person should do - - what he should make of such opportunities and capacities as he had. For my own part, all of my life when I have not been strenuously employed in doing what I had to do or what I thought I had to do, I have been constantly perplexed by the question of what I should do; what use I could make of my own opportunities and ca.pacity_ Years of study and thinking, based upon an ever growing amount of data, have resulted in no answer, to me, of this sphinx riddle_ I can compare this problem to one of those solitaire games of cards. I have played many of these card. games, so_ of them very difficult but I have leirbed that all of them are to be won. 390 2. The beauty, if you could call it beauty, of this other problem, is that while I am always sure in my own mind that the answer to the question can be found, I have never found it. The question of WHAT I SHALL DO WITH IT, tha.t is to say what use I shall make of my capacities, is a manifold question, for I have so many capa.cities and. the circumference of my individuality is so large that it is capa.ble of being in contact with innumerable courses of action. But the main problem which presents itself to me, is what use' will I make of the instrument which I have crea.ted in my journalistic enterprise, the force and power of which is added to by a dolla.rs and cents value of this institution as a business. How shall I direct my papers? What use shall I :make of the financial returns I get as the result of conducting them as a business institution?' I have deemed that there is no such thing as charity according to the common definitfon of the word. The ordinary idea. of charity is the giving of some material substance of persons, possessed of large material substance, to some other persons who have no such substance - making gifts on the part of the rich or very rich to the poor and very poor. So far as my personal experience and observation has gone, it seems to me tha.t in the long run more individual discomfort and misery is caused by one person receiving a gift,than any good is done by the giver. It is not only wmore blessed to give than to reoeive", but it is infinitely more hannful to receive than to give. This view of mine, precludes my enjoying any sa.tisfaction or comfort as the result of my acting the part of -Lord Bountiful". When any man is in possession of capital that gives a larger reveIW-e than i. a.ctually necessary far the support of himself and family I '\ the expenditure of this revenue in an attempt to increase the pleasure of 3. the existence of the owner of the capital and the recipient of the revenue, results in utter failure, and the most bitter discontent. There is no such thing as complete gratification, and hence any gratification of vanity and ambition. The vain man, the :man who might otherwise be capable of experiencir~ pleasure by reason of ostentatious display of his good fortune in contrast Vii th others, his inferiors, is disba. rred from any such satisfaction, since the higher his fort.une rises and the greater becomes his ostentatious display, the surer is he coming in contact with and rivalry with other men still wealthier, still more capable of making a. display and equally determined to hold their position of priority or superiority in the field. of lavish display. Even as the number of rivals in display grows less, the competition becomes more bitter, and finally and at last when the vain lnan occupies the highest position, when there is no other to match him, then will he find that a field uncontended for is barren and wortbless. Then will he seek, and history tells us of Illally such men, to bid hit~ for and stri va for other honors in other fields J in literature, art and politics - that is statesmanship, and phil a sphy • Life being too short and hurnan capacities being so greatly limited, the goal of the vain man is inaccessible. But I do not wi sh to fly so high into phil oaphy • What shall I do with my journalistic power? I have forged a great two-handed sword, a weapon too heavy for my hands to wield, a weapon which I have not skill enough to handle well, or enjoy enough even if I had the strength and skill to handle in such a way as to be of real service to myself or others. What shall I do with my newspapers in the way of educating and instructing my readers in order that they shall most successfully perf anTI their duties of citizenship_ 4. I have alwa.ys professed democratic sentiments. I have always. opposed government by a monarchy, aristocra.cy or plutocracy t but when I , ca.refully analyze my own ego and confess to myself the convictions that have been borne on me biologically and through scientific studies, I find that by te.,a.m.ent I am no democrat J ' and that my reason will not permit my honestly ar~ing in favor of a gover.runent which is a pure democracy. How utterly a.bsurd, logically speaking, would be my position, ! pretending to be a democrat and pretending that every man has an equal. right and an equal duty to share with every other man the full authority • and responsibility of government, when I presume to make use of my strong position as the editor to influence,by persua.sion and threat, vast numbers of people who submit to my authority, and lea.ve to me the responsibility of do ing thei r thinking. This mch I do know, tha.t I am thoroughly under the infiuence of, in sympathy with and. have.a.ffection for -- not all the people but.. - all the people whose possessions an little or nothing as compared with the possessions of the weal thy and powerful few who govern this country politically, economically and intellectually. There never yet has occurred, in my life, a political revolution or attempted political revolution and labor strike of a:n.y kind, or any other sort of effort made by the common people to wrest away from the upper classes srnne part of their power or wealth, without ~y having a feeling of the strO~&Bt sympathy for the revol~tionists or strikers. Never yet was a strike broken or a revol~tion quelled by upper classes or govern- I mant, but'tha.t I have felt angry and chagrined. On the few occasions when rich and powerful. men have been humil... iated by the public or convicted and sentenled to puniarnment by the court, I have felt a. very kee~ senae of sa.tisfaction and that too-, I believe, ~'Q3 wi thout regard to the real guilt or innoPenoe of the parties concerned. 5. I believe that I can say I have something more than 8. contempt for courts that mete out punishments for poor men's misdoings relatively far in excess of the punish.'llents infli¢'cted upon the wealthier clus. Yet all of this does not mean that I am democratic. All of this does not mean that it is not scientifically right that the great should be great and be oppressive in their action, and tha.t the weak a.h.ould be kept weak and oppressed. What use should I make of my power? I do not know, and I simply believe I never will know. What use am I making of it? So far as I can do so, and doing u I always have. done; using it for the purpose of organizing into effective and efficient masses the numerically greatest portion of society, and directing them in their attacks on the powerful and wealthy minority. So far as I have been able to observe, my efforts have been 80 little effective that instead of the conmon people gaining relatively u compa.red with the upper cla.sses, they have been atelAln, lOlling, and 10 far as I can observe, both servility on the part of the oppressed and ~ce on the part of the oppressor, a.re growing rather than decrea.sing, not only in this republic, but allover the civilized world. Dictated by E.W.Scripps. Mi~ar,California, December 22,1909~~ ~?~ ,:f~" -¥ti;l": " dit ,1iI ; ~1< , ' I ,

Title	Page 1
Collection finding aid	http://www.library.ohiou.edu/archives/mss/mss117.html
Transcript	Ohio University Libraries, E.W. Scripps Papers, MSS 117, Series 4, http://media.library.ohiou.edu/scripps "1 1 1?1 111 ??1 ?11 111 ???'?? 111 ?11 ???'??? 111 ????? ????? '9. 9?. 9. ' '.~ ???.'. ?1?1?1 1?1??1.......... ?. ?. ?'? ???????' ?.?. ???...... ??? ???11'1,1????? -........ ?.. ?.. ?.. ?.. ?..?. ?.. ?.. ? ???....... 1'1 11 ?? ?..?..?..?.?..?. ?? 'I? ?.?. ?..?...?..?. 11 1? 'I? ?' ?. ?. ?.?. 111 1? ?1 11 ? ?. ?????? ?1?111 ??????....... 1&............ 1 ?. ?.?. ?..?. ?.. ?.. ??????? ?..?..9..?..?..?..?.?..?. ?.. ?.. ?. ?.. ?..?. ??? ???.,......... 1?1111 ?1 11 1111?1 ---~- !~~~/D1·_ ?..?..?.?..?..?..?.?..?..?..?.?..?. ?????????????....... 11 ?.9.?........... ??1 ??? 1?1 1?1 ?????....... " ?? 11 ?,.?.. ?.. ?. ?.. ?.?.?.?.. ?.? , ?. ~..?. ?.?.. ?..?. ?..? ?..?.? 11 11 11 ?.. ?.. ?.. ?.?.. ?. 1111?1 ?.. ?.. ?.. ?.. ?..?..?.?..?..?. 111111 1? 1? 1? ?, ?. ?.. ?.. ?..?.. ?.?.. 111 1?1 '.1 ?. ?? 1? 1? 11 ?.. ?'" ?..?..?..?. 11 ??1? '1?.?.?.1 ?1?........ 11 11 11 11 111111 -O-O-O-o-O-o-O-O-O-O-O-O-Q-O-O-O-o-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- Some years ago I bad the Tolstoy fever. I think I read everything of Tolstoy's tha.t had been translated into English I remember one of his books bore a title s~ilar to the caption of this essay. I have a faint remembrance, now, of this book. I think it was~ ~ series of essays concerniQg different people, having various capacities or opportunities J in which the author both asked and answered the question as to what a given person should do - - what he should make of such opportunities and capacities as he had. For my own part, all of my life when I have not been strenuously employed in doing what I had to do or what I thought I had to do, I have been constantly perplexed by the question of what I should do; what use I could make of my own opportunities and ca.pacity_ Years of study and thinking, based upon an ever growing amount of data, have resulted in no answer, to me, of this sphinx riddle_ I can compare this problem to one of those solitaire games of cards. I have played many of these card. games, so_ of them very difficult but I have leirbed that all of them are to be won. 390

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