I am the people——the mob——the crowd——the mass.

    Do you know that all the great work of the world is done through me？

    I am the workingman， the inventor， the maker¹ of the world's food and

    clothes.

    I am the audience that witnesses history. The Napoleons come from me

    and the Lincolns. They die. And then I send forth² more Napoleons

    and Lincolns.

    I am the seed ground. I am a prairie that will stand for much plowing³.

    Terrible storms pass over me. I forget. The best of me is sucked out

    and wasted. I forget. Everything but Death comes to me and makes

    me work and give up what I have. And I forget.

    Sometimes I growl⁴， shake myself and spatter a few red drops for history

    to remember. Then——I forget.

    When I， the People， learn to remember， when I， the People， use the

    lessons of yesterday and no longer forget who robbed me last year，

    who played me for a fool——then there will be no speaker in all the

    world say the name： "The People，" with any fleck⁵ of a sneer⁶ in his

    voice or any far-off smile of derision.

    The mob——the crowd——the mass——will arrive then.

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