Scott Nearing

“ Could this book succeed but a little in showing that old things are often old only because they are traditional, or, conversely, that in the evolution of new things lies social salvation; that the "submerged tenth" is submerged because of ignorance and low wages; and that the community abounds in latent ability which awaits the opportunity for development,—it will accomplish an office of untold value, turning men forever away from outgrown creeds, and leading them to a vision of social coöperation and adjustment. ”

“ That progress is impossible so long as society maintains the fatalistic viewpoint which condemns men because of the sins of the fathers and is blind to the transgressions of the brothers. And finally, that it is through the promulgation of the new view of the universality of human capacity, the remediability of maladjustment, and the advantages of universalized opportunity, that maladjustment will eventually be eliminated and adjustment secured. ”

“ There are three popular beliefs which rise like mountain chains across the trail of progress. The first is the belief that things are sacred because they are old, or, conversely, that things are dangerous because they are new. The second is the belief that the submerged class wants to be submerged; that it enjoys dark rooms and revels in filthy alleys ”