Excerpt from Main Street and Wall Street This book is not just a treatise on economics; nor is it a handy manual for investors. It purports to go deeper than that, down toward the root of things. It is partly the expression of a lifelong aspiration to promote a greater equality of opportunity among men - a more even chance at getting a living all round, and a fairer show at conserving the fruits of such activity thereafter. Only thus can there be any real pleasure in work and in thrift in the world. And it is upon the reasonable exer cise of these virtues that our American democratic polity must depend for its perpetuation. It should be a prime function of government to stimulate and in every way to protect the manifestation of these basic instincts. Property should never be allowed to degenerate into an instrument of oppression. Its only justification in a free state is that it shall contribute to such an equality of opportunity for all members of the community alike, that each one shall be more able to take care of and to make the best of himself. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.