Vol. 98 MAY, 1919 No 33 M Aristokia By A. WASHINGTON PEZET Illustrations by Tony Sarg CHAPTER I ANY years ago-to be exact, fifty years after the termination of the great World War .of 1914—I, John Smith, American, had the great romance of my life. My name is so common that I must begin by informing readers that I am that John Smith who received the thanks of the world and a life pension for discovering the palatable food capsule which solved the problem of the cost of living and the distribution of edible products. However, this story has nothing to do with the Smith capsule, with which you are all familiar from daily use. This is an account of my personal connection with certain historical events. In these enlightened times few persons are ignorant of history, but I shall briefly outline the great events. During the peace conference in Paris in 1920, the world was suddenly shaken to its foundations by the simultaneous outbreak of socialistic revolutions in all the capitalistic countries. Everywhere the institutions that people had thought to be the very bed-rock of their so-called civilization were overthrown. By the year 1925 order had been brought out of chaos, and the Universal International Socialistic Democracy was established. In our new calendar 1925 became the year one. REGAR EE PUB. L Li At first there was great apprehensi of counter-revolutions in the interest the disgruntled aristocrats and capita ists of the various states. It soon b came apparent, however, that these a herents of the old régime were rath more of a nuisance than an actual me ace. They could never agree amo themselves, so that their repeated tempts to regain their lost powers ways ended in futile ignominy, crush by the ridicule of the world. Most of the people who had be through the horrors of the Great W and greater Revolution were too hap in their enjoyment of what they fat ously assumed was the millennium trouble much about the outcries of contemptible minority. As the joyo flood subsided, and the new order came the normal standard of daily li it became increasingly evident that ev the opinions of a minority should given a hearing in an age that claim to have enthroned the abstract sense justice, and to have discovered t moral law in the soul of man. Certain we who look back in calmness and fa ness on that period of extraordina transition can extend some meed sympathy to the downtrodden f whose only fault was that they had liv too long. There were many pathetic cas Think for a moment of the plight Copyright, 1919, by THE CENTURY Co. All rights reserved. |