The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

506A REVIEWER'S NOTEBOOK JOHN CHAMBERLAINSEVERAL YEARS BACK I used toencounter people who spoke of"Leonard Read's freedom philosophy."Now I run into those whosimply say "the freedom philosophy."Leonard Read must be doingsomething right to find his recipesbecoming the common property ofcooks and diners who no longerthink of crediting the pioneeringchef.Mr. Read, of course, woulddeny that he is an originator. Inhis new book, To Free or Freeze:That is the Question (Foundationfor .Economic Education, $3 cloth,$2 paper), he remarks that "practicallyevery idea we espouse andpass off as our own is unknowinglytaken from others." Even so, Ifind Mr. Read an original in theway he combines his ideas and hismethods.Where else in the country willyou find a man who really believesthat the way to reform others is toreform yourself in hopes that theexample will lead to self-discoveryalong similar lines in whoevercares to listen? Max Eastman, thecrusader who became more contemplativein later life, used to referto Mr. Read's Foundation forEconomic Education as "the monastery,"which I am sure Mr. Readwould take-as a compliment. Afterall, it was the monastery that keptthe lamps of learning burningthrough the Dark Ages. "FEE,"says Mr. Read in his essay, "Speakfor Yourself, John," "is not an institutionalspokesman nor an organizationtrying to 'reach' anyone.Rather, ours is, one might say,no more than an agency offeringsuch services as you may think of