road Transportation, 226; The Interstate Commerce Commis- sion, 227; State Public Service Commissions, 227; Increased Rates and Wages, 228; The Transportation Act of 1920, 228; The Railroad Labor Board, 229; Improvement in Railroads, 229; Railroad Problems, 230; Modern Water Transportation, Working Together, 235; Leaders and Followers, 235; Strangers to Each Other May Be Working Together, 236; Co-operation in Business, 237; Co-operation for Play and Work, 238; Work We Do Through Our Government, 239; Co-operation for Pro- tection, 240; Co-operation in Useful Service, 240; Co-operation Is Conservation, 240; Co-operation in Research and Progress, 241; Problems of Co-operation in Government Activities, 241. These expressions as used on the pages indicated must be under. stood before the chapter can be read intelligently. Expiain each. Consult a dictionary or Explanation of Terms, page 275. Government Is Necessary Guidance. "The governor is at his place and the ship is coming safely into port." This use of governor was once the only one and it is still useful to think of government in relation to control or guidance rather than the use of force. While we usually think of governor, govern, and government as they are connected with state or nation, government is necessary in the home, at school, in the shop or on the farm-in short, anywhere that groups of people are working together. Someone must guide. Government Implies Force. All effective government must be strong enough to enforce its guidance if this becomes necessary. In modern life we do not often witness the use of brute force in securing the co-operation without which there could be no civilization, but it is always possible to use it. Many criminally minded are kept from wrong-doing because of the constraining force of a possible prison sentence. If all other means were to fail, an army could be raised to bring a truant to school. Supporting every rule or law must be something which could be turned into force. Why We Must Have Government. Anarchists, those who believe that we should need no law if only all people were good, are engaging in idle talk about some ideal future which none of us will ever experience; there are many who must be held in check by laws which inflict sure and severe penalties. But the extreme anarchist's notion is foolish for another reason; he leaves out of consideration the fact that government energy is mostly devoted to guiding without use of force; it performs useful services which individuals could not do for themselves. Beginnings of Government in the Home. 1. Co-operation and Obedience. Government in the family is the first with which children become acquainted. When a child is born he immediately becomes subject to family discipline, thus proving an exception to the maxim, "All just government is based upon consent of the governed"; the family is not a voluntary association. All early forms of the family are monarchies, and even in the most democratic society, children do not choose their rulers. Without the guidance exercised by the family, every other government would prove a failure, since it is here that all learn their first great lessons of co-operation and obedience to authority. 2. The Discipline of Force in the Cave Dweller's Family. The father was head of the family of which Ab*, the cavedweller, was a member. Strength counted for much in the "The Story of Ab." Bu' day of the club and the fang; the father commanded and was obeyed because he was stronger than anyone else. it was probably not often that he had to depend upon force alone. Father and mother carried on their hunting and their housekeeping together; they co-operated. They governed the children without much violence, though it may be recalled that Ab had his ears boxed soundly now and then. Thus in the earliest times we find the family the natural unit of government. There was not much humoring of childish whims among cave people. Parents exercised authority because children needed protection and guidance; commands were obeyed because of the force which might inspire fear of disobedience, but more often because there was no objection to being guided. 3. The Stern but Kindly Roman Family. The Roman family of early times often exhibited a beautiful example of co-operation. The father was supreme, to be sure, but the marriage ceremony in which the bride repeated, “Where you are Julius, there I am Julia," recognized many women's rights not related either to strength or cunning. The father went to war, attended court, looked after business; the mother regulated home affairs and both shared in training the children. Family life was kindly but unquestioned obedience was expected; as in the Hebrew family of the Mosaic Law a wilfully disobedient child could even be put to death. 4. The Tribe as an Enlarged Family. Among all early peoples, the tribe became important. It may be thought of as a number of families banded together for protection or better winning of livelihood. Ab's father needed help in hunting big game; several men could stampede a herd of deer into a snare or over a precipice where but one would merely frighten them. Tribes were thus held together by common needs. |