MAGAZINE

SP EC I A L I S SU E

UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM Based on research and studies spread over twenty years, John Horvat traces thesource of our economic problems to a restless spirit of frenetic intemperance. is spirit is pushing the nation towards economic collapse.

DISCOVER THE SOLUTION By applying the timeless principles of an organic socio-economic Christian order we can produce a vibrant economy that is tempered by those natural regulating institutions such as custom, family, community, the Christian State and the Church.

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“Return to Order. . . suggests a practical pathway to avoid the economic andspiritual crises that are looming before us. . . I hope that this work will receivethe attention it so deserves.”

Most Rev. John C. Nienstedt, Archbishop of Saint Paul & Minneapolis

Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to anOrganic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been,How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go

How to Restore theEconomy and theAmerican Soul

by John Horvat II

SP EC I A L I S SU E

Contents

CRUSADECCRRUUSSAADDEE®

Editor: C. Preston Noell III Associate Editors: John Horvat II, Michael Drake,Michael Whitcraft Photography: Gary Isbell, Michael Gorre, Kenneth MurphyForeign Correspondents: Charles E. Schaffer, Austria; José Carlos Sepulveda, Brazil; Philip Moran, UnitedKingdom; Benoit Bemelmans, France; Beno Hofschulte, Germany; Juan M. Montes, Italy; David Nash, South Africa; Felipe Barandiaran, Spain

The American TFP The American Society for the Defense of Tradition,Family and Property (TFP) is an organization of layCatholic Americans concerned about the moral crisisshaking the remnants of Christian civilization. Itsearliest origins date back to January, 1971, when thefirst TFP members started to group around thepublication Crusade for a Christian Civilization. It is acivic, cultural and nonpartisan organization which,inspired by the traditional teachings of the SupremeMagisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, works ina legal and peaceful manner in the realm of ideas to

defend and promote the principles of privateownership, family and perennial Christian values withtheir twofold function: individual and social. TheTFP’s words and efforts have always been faithfully atthe service of Christian civilization. The first TFP wasfounded in Brazil by the famous intellectual andCatholic leader Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in 1960.His work inspired the formation of other autonomousTFP sister organizations across the globe, thusconstituting the world’s largest anticommunist andantisocialist network of Catholic inspiration.

Crusade Magazine is a publication of The American Society for the De-fense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP). Direct all requests and in-quiries to: Crusade Magazine, P.O. Box 341, Hanover, PA 17331 or e-mailto: crusade@TFP.org. Web: www.TFP.org, Tel.: (888) 317-5571, Fax: (570)450-6352. © 2013 by The Foundation for a Christian Civilization, Inc. Thispublication may include images from iStockphoto™ which are protectedby copyright laws of the U.S. and elsewhere. ISSN 1096-3782 LCCN 98-641433 M-122

Cover: A view of the Oxfordshire

Cotswolds in England helps us toimagine an organic society.

©Ocean/Corbis

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Page 20 Return to Order’s practical application

Page 10 A “Way of the Cross” Society

RETURN TO ORDER

Back on Course 4

COMMENTARY

How Do We Build an Organic Society? 7

PRAISE FOR RETURN TO ORDER 8

RETURN TO ORDER

A “Way of the Cross” Society 10

COMMENTARY

w While Supplies Last 12

w A Brutal Pace of Life:The Fruit of Intemperance 14

w The Last Twinkie 15

INTERV IEW

Why Return to Order? 16

RETURN TO ORDER

America Is Worth Fighting For 20

BACK COVER

What You’ll Learn From Return to Order 24

Page 7 Learning from the past to build the future

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I f there is an image that corresponds to thestate of the nation, it would be that of acruise ship on a never-ending cruise. On

each of its multiple decks, we find every mod-ern comfort and entertainment. e bands areplaying, the theaters are full, the restaurantscrowded, and the boutiques well stocked.

e atmosphere is outwardly marked byfun and laughter. Everywhere there is dazzlingspectacle, amusing games, and gadgetry.ere is always one more joke or one moredance to keep the party going. e cruise shipgives an almost surreal impression of fantasy,unrestraint, and delight.

Cruises are normally celebrations for spe-cial occasions, but this party cruise is differ-ent. Over the decades, many have come to seethe cruise not as a holiday but as an entitle-ment; it is no longer an exceptional event butthe norm. Rather than leave the ship, manyseek instead to prolong the party on boardwithout worrying about a final destination, orwho will pay the bill.

Breakdown of a SystemEven the best of cruises reaches a point of ex-haustion. Even the best of parties can last onlyso long. Behind the festive veneer, things startto run down. Scuffles and disagreements break

out among passengers. Crew members quar-rel and cut corners. Financial problems curtailthe festivities. Yet no one has the courage tosuggest that the party should not go on.

is image is a fitting way to explain thepresent crisis. As a nation, we are in the samedilemma as those on a never-ending partycruise. Economically, we have reached a pointof unsustainability with trillion-dollar deficits,economic crises, and financial crashes. Politi-cally, we have reached a point of immobility aspolarization and strife make it difficult to getanything done. Morally, we have stooped tosuch great depths with the breakdown of ourmoral codes that we wonder how society willsurvive. e course is plotted to send us to ourruin, but all the while the bands play on.

Instead of confronting these problems headon, many are looking for ways to prolong theparty. No one dares to declare that the partyis over.

Ill-equipped to Face the Storme problems inside our cruise ship are com-pounded by those outside it. We are facing animpending economic collapse that appears onthe horizon like a gathering storm. Few wantto admit the storm is approaching. When thefull thrust of this storm will break—be itmonths or even a few years—is difficult to de-termine. We do not know exactly how it will

BACK ON COURSEe Introduction from Return to Order

Rather than leave the ship, manyseek instead to prolong the party

on board without worryingabout a final destination, or who

will pay the bill.

The state of the nationmight be compared to acruise ship on a never-

ending cruise. The bandsare playing and the

decks are full of lightand activity. No one

wants to declare that theparty is over.

Bert van Dijk

B Y J O H N H O R V A T I I

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g 5

strike or the precise means to avoid it. What we do know is that a storm lies ahead.

It is not just a passing tempest for we alreadyfeel its strong winds. By its sheer magnitude,we sense there is something about this par-ticular crisis that touches the very core of ourAmerican order. It will have political, social,and even military consequences. What makesit so grave is that our ship seems so ill-equipped and its crew so divided as we ap-proach the ever more menacing storm.

In the past, we had a unity and projectionthat helped us stay the right course in stormslike these. We were a people solidly unitedaround God, flag, and family, but now all seemsfragmented and polarized. By our great wealthand power, we once held the respect and aweof nations, but now we are unexpectedly at-tacked by unforeseen enemies and forsaken byfriends and allies. Now, our certainties areshaken; our unity is in doubt. ere is anxietyand dark pessimism about our future.

Our Purposee American Society for the Defense of Tra-dition, Family and Property (TFP) is a groupof Catholic countrymen concerned about thestate of the nation. is concern promptedthe formation of a study commission thatwould delve deeply into the causes of thepresent economic crisis. Motivated by love forGod and country, we now enter into the de-bate with the findings of this commission. Wewill be indicating where we as a nation wentwrong. Our desire is to join with all thosepractical-minded Americans who see the fu-tility of prolonging the party. e time hascome to declare the party over. Now is thetime to batten down the hatches and plot acourse in face of the raging tempest ahead.

Although the storm be treacherous, we neednot sail on uncharted seas. at is why theseconsiderations spring from our deep Catholicconvictions and draw heavily from the Church’ssocial and economic teachings, which gave riseto Christian civilization. We believe these teach-ings can serve as a lighthouse; they containvaluable and illuminating insights that will ben-efit all Americans since they are based not onlyon matters of the Faith but also upon reason

and principles of the natural order.Having this lighthouse is a matter of great

urgency because we navigate in dangerous wa-ters. We cannot follow the socialistic coursesto anarchy and revolution that have ship-wrecked so many nations in history. Unless wehave the courage to draw upon our rich Chris-tian tradition and place our trust in Provi-dence, we will neither steer clear of disaster inthe coming storm nor arrive to safe harbor.

Since the storm is principally economic in na-ture, that will be our main focus. However, this isnot an economic treatise. Rather, we offer ananalysis based on observations of economic de-velopments in history from which we have con-structed a number of theses, which we presentsuccinctly without excessive proofs or examples.

To develop fully every thesis is a vast taskbeyond the scope of this work.Our purpose is to provide a plat-form for debate; to point in thegeneral direction of a remedy.We invite those who enter intothis debate to apply the broadprinciples found here to theconcrete circumstances.

A Great Imbalance in EconomyOur main thesis centers on agreat imbalance that has en-tered into our economy. We donot think it is caused by our vi-brant system of private propertyand free enterprise as so manysocialists are wont to claim.What is at fault is somethingmuch more profound yet difficult to define.

We believe that, from a perspective that willlater become clear and not denying other fac-tors, the main problem lies with a restless spiritof intemperance that is constantly throwing oureconomy out of balance. It is made worse by afrenetic drive generated by a strong undercur-rent in modern economy that seeks to be rid ofrestraints and gratify disordered passions. Wecall the resulting spirit “frenetic intemperance,”which is now pushing the country headlonginto the throes of an unprecedented crisis.

In the course of our considerations, we willfirst look at this frenetic intemperance and see

Unless we have thecourage to draw uponour rich Christiantradition and place ourtrust in Providence, wewill neither steer clearof disaster in thecoming storm norarrive to safe harbor.

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g6

how it manifests itself in our industrializedeconomy. We will look at the unbalanceddrive to reach gigantic proportions in indus-try and the mass standardization of productsand markets. We will analyze its urge to de-stroy institutions and break down restrainingbarriers that would normally serve to keepeconomies in balance.

We will then show how this frenetic intem-perance has facilitated certain errors that ex-tend beyond economy and shape the way welive. To illustrate this, we will discuss the frus-trations caused by an exaggerated trust in ourtechnological society, the terrifying isolation ofour individualism, and the heavy burden of ourmaterialism. We will highlight the bland secular-ism that admits few heroic, sublime, or sacred el-ements to fill our lives with meaning. Far frompromoting a free market, frenetic intemperanceundermines and throws it out of balance andeven prepares the way for socialism. e tragiceffect of all this is that we seem to have lost thathuman element so essential to economy. Mod-ern economy has become cold and impersonal,fast and frantic, mechanical and inflexible.

The Missing Human Element In their zeal for maximum efficiency and pro-duction, many have cut themselves off fromthe natural restraining influence of human in-stitutions such as custom, morals, family, orcommunity. ey have severed their link withtradition where customs, habits, and ways ofbeing are passed from generation to genera-tion. ey have lost the anchors of the cardinalvirtues that should be the mooring for anytrue economy.

e result is a society where money rules.Men put aside social, cultural, and moral val-ues, adopting a set of values that attachesundue importance to quantity over quality,utility over beauty, and matter over spirit. Freeof traditional restraints, those under this rulefavor the frantic dealings, speculation, and ex-aggerated risks by which they have sent oureconomy into crisis.

Finding RemediesIf frenetic intemperance is the main cause ofthis economic imbalance, the quelling of this

restless spirit must figure in the solution. Tothis end, we need to reconnect with thathuman element that tempers the markets andkeeps them free.

e model we will present is the organicsocio-economic order that was developed inChristendom. Inside this organic framework,we find timeless principles of an economicorder, wonderfully adapted to our human na-ture. is gives rise to markets full of exuber-ant vitality and refreshing spontaneity. ereis the calming influence of those natural brak-ing institutions—custom, family, the ChristianState, and the Church—which are the veryheart and soul of a balanced economy. Econ-omy becomes anchored in the virtues, espe-cially the cardinal virtues. Inside this order,the rule of money is replaced by another rulethat favors honor, beauty, and quality.

Yet we must stress that this is a Christianorder suited to the reality of our fallen nature.It is well adapted to both the sufferings andjoys that this vale of tears affords. Indeed, weare reminded that it was born under the con-stant shadow of the Cross with Christ as Di-vine Model.

By studying the principles of this order, wecan come to have a notion of what our idealshould be and how it might be obtained.

* * *

With the menacing storm on the horizon,the stage is set for a great debate over wherewe are now, and where we need to go. At thispoint, our principal concern will be to under-stand both the nature of the storm we faceand that of the harbor we seek. Only then canwe chart a course for the future. n

THE PRESENT ECONOMIC CRISISWhen referring to the present economic

crisis, we are not referring to any specificspeculative bubble or financial crash. We aregenerally speaking of the cumulative effectof massive debt, unbridled governmentspending, economic instability, and otherfactors that are already threatening to coa-lesce into a single global crisis that is likelyto cause a major economic collapse.

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g 7

Upon describing organic society,the question remains as to howwe might build such a society.

The answer is quite simple. Wemust do it in the same manner asour ancestors did at the dawn ofthis civilization. We must under-stand, as they understood, that it isnot enough that we follow the TenCommandments and respect therights of the Church with all due in-transigence and strictness. Aboveall, we must allow the institutionsof society to gradually walk on theirown feet.

In our case, this means freeing so-ciety from the iron gauntlet of Statistdictatorship (whether it be in its leg-islative or executive form). The fam-ily must be allowed to return onceagain to the fullness of action and in-fluence it once reached. Profes-sional, social and other intermediarygroups that stand between the indi-vidual and the State must be free toexercise the activities necessary tofulfill their duties on their own andaccording to their own procedures.The State should respect everyone’sautonomy by giving every region theright to organize according to itssocio-economic structures, charac-ter, and traditions. Finally, the Stateitself, operating within its own andsupreme ambit, should exercise itssovereign power with honor, vigorand efficiency.

Someone might ask what the final

result would be if these principlesare respected. Would it be a returnto the Middle Ages? Or would wemove toward a new and absolutelyunpredictable future society?

Both questions should be an-swered in the affirmative. Human

nature is constant; it is the same inall times and places. The basic prin-ciples of Christian civilization arelikewise immutable. Thus, this neworder of things—this new Christiancivilization we envision—obviouslywill be profoundly similar, or ratheridentical, to the old one in its essen-

tial traits. Since this order is linkedto God (Who does not change), itsprinciples are just as applicable inthe thirteenth as in the twenty-firstcentury.

On the other hand, such a societywould have many new elements. Thetechnical and material conditions oflife have profoundly changed sincethe thirteenth century. Nothingwould be more inorganic than to ig-nore these changes.

To build an organic Christian so-ciety, we must take care not to makemany complex plans. The foundersof Christian civilization in the Mid-dle Ages did not make such plans toreach the height of medieval civi-lization in the thirteenth century.They simply had the general inten-tion of building a Catholic world. Forthis end, each generation graduallysolved, with its own sharp insightand Catholic sense, the problemswithin its reach. As for the rest, theydid not get involved in complicatedspeculation.

We must do as they did. Generally,the whole framework of this societyis already known to us through his-tory and the Magisterium of theChurch. As for the details, let us goforward step by step without ab-stract theoretical plans drawn up insome bureaucratic office, followingthe Gospel maxim: “Sufficient forthe day is the evil thereof.” n

B Y P L I N I O C O R R Ê A D E O L I V E I R A

Commentary

How Do We Build an Organic Society?

Organic society: a social order oriented toward the common good that naturally and spontaneouslydevelops, allowing man to pursue the perfection of his essentially social nature through the family,intermediary groups, the State, and the Church.

A medieval marketplace. Our proposal does notseek a return to the historical medieval economybut to those basic and timeless Christianprinciples that can be applied to any economy.

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“Return to Order provides an interestinganalysis of how the United States has de-parted from the spiritual, cultural, andeconomic precepts that supported thefounding and the early history of our re-public. It also sets forth valuable recom-mendations for restoring our society toits foundation of ordered liberty and tra-ditional values.”

— e Honorable Edwin Meese IIIFormer Attorney General of the United States

“is is a timely and important book as our nation faces oneof the most critical challenges in its his-tory. Overcoming the economic disasterAmerica is facing cannot be solved simplythrough economic policy. Americans andtheir leaders must put in place policy thatwill restore values, work ethics, and, as theauthor points out so well, honor…. Restor-ing honor to our economic landscape willput the nation on the path to recovery.”

— Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, USA(Ret.), Former Commanding General,

United States Army Pacific

“e depth of knowledge and originality ofHorvat’s analysis, plus the scope and in-spiration of his vision for a true solutionto our current economic crisis, make Re-turn to Order worthy of becoming the bed-side book for those who believe Americais worth fighting for.”

— Joseph M. ScheidlerNational Director, Pro-Life Action League

“Horvat’s fabulous analysis of our present crisis can and shouldbe a most important instrument in reshaping the educationalfoundations of our youth, preparing them for leadership. . .”

— David S. MillerSenior Vice President, US Bank

“John Horvat sounds a clarion call for a return to fiscal andmoral sanity. A must read!”

— Col. George E. “Bud” Day, USAF (Ret.)Medal of Honor recipient and former POW

“e central theme of frenetic intemperance is original, in-teresting, and compelling. e diagnosis of contemporary so-cial maladies must focus on moral failings, and Return toOrder rightly does so. Its insightful thesis deserves wide cir-culation and consideration.”

— Kevin E. Schmiesing, Ph.D.Research Fellow, Acton Institute for the Study of Religion andLiberty; Book Review Editor, Journal of Markets & Morality

“If our nation ever needed to return to traditional values, it isnow. We are committing suicide; but eachof our problems has at its roots a moral so-lution found in the tenets of the Christiantradition that is at the foundation of ourbeing. Return to Order does a great job ofhighlighting the source and solution to ourimpending demise.”

— Maj. Gen. Patrick H. Brady, USA (Ret.)Medal of Honor recipient

“Anyone who considers the ongoing public debate as super-ficial—indeed most reform proposals merely want to cure thesymptoms, yet do not address the underlying causes—shouldstudy Mr. Horvat’s Return to Order. It is to be hoped that thisbook reaches a large reading public and will have an impacton public policy, theoretical debates and personal decisionsalike.”

— Gregor HochreiterDirector, Institute of Applied Economics and

Western Christian Philosophy (Vienna, Austria)

“[Horvat] would likely fall into the company of such tradi-tional conservative scholars as Russell Kirk or RichardWeaver. is is a perceptive and exciting book explaining howthese traditional understandings and principles can form thebedrock of our personal and corporate philosophy today.”

— G. Daniel Harden, Ph.D.Emeritus Professor of Education, Washburn University

Chairman, Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission

“is excellent work is an in-depth study of the history andcause of our present-day economic and spiritual crisis, and itgives us a well-reasoned solution to our plight as well. I ampleased to recommend it.”

— Most Rev. James C. TimlinBishop Emeritus of Scranton

“Horvat calls for an order that combines the virtues of testedtraditions with the creative potential of the free economy: acombination of a structured order based on traditional valuesand the spontaneous order of economic systems based onprivate property. He uses the term ‘frenetic intemperance’ todescribe the type of life which does not leave room for fam-ily, creative leisure, and prayer. A call for more balance in oureconomies and our lives.”

— Alejandro Chafuen, Ph.D.President, Atlas Economic Research Foundation

“Like the true cultural conservative he is, John Horvat takeson the idols of technological, economic, and political power.ese powers exacerbate the human tendency toward fre-netic intemperance.”

— Richard Stivers, Ph.D.Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Illinois State University

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g8

Praise forRETURN TO ORDER

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“e restoration of economic and social peace in our disor-dered society is something for which all men of good willyearn. John Horvat has given us in his excellent book, Returnto Order, a catechism of principles to guide all our efforts torestore economic and social peace to America.”

— Most Rev. Rene H. GracidaBishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi

“In this very well-documented and ar-gued work, John Horvat ingeniouslydemonstrates how the four cardinalvirtues are the basis of a free and pros-perous society. This is a work that shouldbe on every economics and social sciencebookshelf. It touches on the very basis ofthe problems in our modern economyand society. I highly recommend this en-joyable book.”

— Prof. Harry C. VeryserAuthor and Former Director of Graduate Studies in Eco-

nomics, University of Detroit Mercy

“It’s rare that a book of this depth is also such a pleasure toread. Horvat’s critique of contemporary America’s ‘freneticintemperance’ rings true, laying bare modern man’s confu-sion and anomie amid plenty. An erudite cultural sculptor,Horvat chisels away materialism’s false promises and pointstoward God as the source of the higher revelation thatmakes beauty, heroism, nobility, sacrifice and true vocationdiscoverable and meaningful.”

— Robert KnightColumnist and author

“Return to Order touches on matters that apply not only toAmerica but everywhere. Modern economy is in trouble andthis book zeroes in on the problem of frenetic intemperancein an original and convincing manner. Best of all, authorJohn Horvat offers organic Catholic solutions that are bothso needed and so refreshing. I hope this book gets wide cir-culation and recommend it to all those who want real an-swers to vital questions.”

— H.H. Duke Paul of OldenburgDirector, Brussels Office of Fédération

Pro Europa Christiana

“Return to Order is a clear, engaging read that, by delineatingsome fundamentals of the natural order,will empower you to spot many of today’sdisorders—even some you may have un-consciously bought into. Such was my ex-perience. . . I was enlightened. . . . e bookis interesting, clear and enlightening.”

— Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D.Director, Marriage & Religion Research

Institute (MARRI)

“We have abandoned morality in the economic life, to-gether with beauty and the Christian spirit. In Return toOrder, John Horvat argues that the return to Christian val-ues and their observance, both by entrepreneurs and gov-ernment leaders, is the best protection against the present,constantly recurring crises.”

— Paweł Toboła-PertkiewiczPresident, Polish-American Foundation for

Economic Research & Education

“Horvat’s thesis that frenetic intemperance has driven many,if not all, of today’s economic problems bears close consid-eration. . . . is book should be read and its recommenda-tions followed by those who know a Return to Order in thetwenty-first century is sorely needed.”

— Lt. Col. Joseph J. omas, USMC (Ret.), Ph.D.Distinguished Professor of Leadership Education,

United States Naval Academy

“By calling the reader to embrace the car-dinal virtues of temperance, justice, pru-dence and fortitude, Return to Ordersuggests a practical pathway to avoid theeconomic and spiritual crises that arelooming before us and, by means of reli-gious conversion, reestablish a rightorder for human flourishing. I hope thatthis work will receive the attention it sodeserves.”

— Most Rev. John C. NienstedtArchbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

“In an intellectually compelling and prac-tical way, Return to Order reminds us thateconomy and religion are deeply con-nected, and that, with the family at thecenter, we can hope to be freed from thefrenzy in which our society finds itself. Ihighly recommend this book.”

— Fr. Frank PavoneNational Director, Priests for Life

“This book proposes a revitalization of long standingChristian practices as an antidote to current economicdiscontinuities. Using practical minded recommendationsto resolve massively complex societal issues, Return toOrder is a proposal that should be welcomed by thoselooking for a path to economic recovery and a temperingof future disruptions.”

— John B. PowersPresident, Chicago Daily Observer

“A fabulous study!”— Malcolm S. Morris

Chairman, Stewart Title Guaranty Company

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Lest we be accused of glorifying the past, any dream ofan ideal society cannot exclude the reality of hard-ship and suffering that comes from God’s punish-

ment of our first parents: “With labor and toil shalt thoueat thereof all the days of thy life” (Gen. 3:17). Dreamsbecome nostalgic and romantic fantasies if they are notlinked with the reality of suffering and tragedy. We musttherefore take to heart the model of the Cross.

Just as consumer society presupposes the consumer,Christian civilization presupposed the Christian. eChristian was not just a religious label. Rather it was thedevelopment of “the human type that had been pro-duced by ten centuries of spiritual discipline and inten-sive cultivation of the inner life.”1 He was and is “anotherChrist,” inseparable from His Cross.

What characterized early medieval man was his un-derstanding that once disordered passions were letloose, they would unleash a tyrannical rule upon every-thing. is applied to private life, but this could also beseen in the barbaric and unruly passions of invadingpeoples who wreaked such havoc on medieval Europe.

us, medieval man perceived that the fight againstthese unbridled passions must play a central role in hisprivate life. He also understood that in society theremust always be dedicated sectors on the front lines ofthis great battle that, inspired by the Faith, take an atti-tude of fighting to the death at any moment to defendsociety as a whole.2 e medieval knight, for example,held this ideal literally, as the civilizing monks of the

West did analogously in their interior martyrdom.

Making a Sacrifice When these dedicated sectors flourished, the spirit oftheir constant personal self-sacrifice and restraint per-meated and set the tone for all society and helped all tocontrol and counter their disordered passions. It was bythis spirit that the barbarians were gradually both re-strained by force of arms and tamed by prayer andpenance under the loving gaze of the Church.

Hence, Summerfield Ballwin succinctly writes that “itwas the Way of the Cross . . . which preoccupied theminds and hearts of Christendom.”3 e sublime per-fume of this spirit of abnegation permeated economy,art, and thought, and gave value, meaning, and beautyto all things human.

A “WAY OF THE CROSS” SOCIETYA Chapter from Return to Order

. . .in society there must always bededicated sectors on the front lines of this

great battle that, inspired by the Faith,take an attitude of fighting to the death atany moment to defend society as a whole.

“The Way of the Cross” by José R. Dias Tavares (1987). A marvelouscivilization is only possible when linked with the reality of suffering and

tragedy. It must take as its model Our Lord and His Way of the Cross.

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“Way of the Cross” Economye economic implications of this spirit were particu-larly reflected in a “Way of the Cross” economy, wherethe need for sacrifice and restraint in supplying humanneeds coincided with the consuming ideal of seeking theCross of Christ. Medieval man looked for ways to offerup his sacrifices in the economic dealings of every day.

One immediate manner of doing this was by offeringto God the best fruits of one’s labor. e farmer, for ex-ample, planted his wheat thinking that his best grainsmight be turned into hosts for the Consecration. evintner saw his wine being used for Mass as the highesthonor. Builders gave their best to build magnificentchurches to house Our Lord. Fine linens and silksadorned the altars. Members ofthe ancient guild of joiners andcabinetmakers under the pa-tronage of Saint Anne “lookedupon the making of tabernacleswherein God may dwell in ourchurches as their most choicework.”4 e first and best appleof an orchard might be put inthe hand of the Virgin statue atthe village church as a symbolicgesture of this sacrifice.

In this way, man “immolated” as an offering the bestproducts of his hands in the service of the God Who im-molated Himself for us.

Pursuit of ExcellenceWith Christ as the perfect model, this “Way of the Cross”economy also served God’s glory by awakening in men apassionate pursuit of excellence for excellence’s sake.

To medieval man, this pursuit of excellence was an ar-duous task, not unlike a Way of the Cross that ultimatelyled not to profits but to God. He believed he could giveglory to God by making His creation even more excellent.By making beautiful things, the artisan’s sacrifice taughtall society to love excellent things as a way that they mightknow and love God more. In this way, even the most mod-est things in Christian civilization tended to have a cer-tain splendor, so that all creation could better sing theglory of God and thereby elevate souls towards Him.

One could see this in the craftsman who set about hisarduous tasks motivated by this higher ideal. “e laborertoiled not merely to win sustenance,” writes RichardWeaver, “but to see this ideal embodied in his creation.”5

e perfume-maker, for example, was motivated by a desireto produce a most excellent perfume. It was with great

metaphysical joy that he made more effort and acceptedless money in this quest to leave mankind a better perfume.

Rewards of the CrossWhen such a metaphysical spirit permeates everything,all society cannot but grow in quality and excellence.e lawyer presents a magnificent legal brief or a cob-bler searches for a marvelous shoe for the sake of thebeauty of their actions. e artist—so sensitive to suchan outlook—produces his masterpiece and dies contenteven though he be not rich. Even the most modest ofmen, generally speaking, pursued their crafts as if theywere arts and came to be great appreciators of beauty.

Indeed, writes Lewis Mumford, “The purpose of arthas never been labor-savingbut labor-loving, a deliberateelaboration of function, form,and symbolic ornament toenhance the interest of life it-self.”6 And in the practice ofthis art, the act of labor be-comes a veritable prayer.

Such an economy involvedarduous effort, but God re-warded this sacrifice by con-

ferring upon society the flowering of what we considerthe better things of life: education, books, art, music,charity, and culture. All these rewards, Ballwin claims,“were, in the Middle Ages, the very paving, so to speak,of the Way of the Cross.”7

* * *

Such artistic production finds little resonance in an in-dustrialized world based on frenetic intemperance andunbridled consumption. However, this spirit of immola-tion and abnegation, found in the Way of the Cross, is likethe ballast of a ship or the brake of a car. It puts things inorder and gives stability to economy. With this ballast, the“Way of the Cross” economy produced results beyond allexpectations and gave value, meaning, and beauty to allthings human. With God’s grace, it could do so again. n

Notes: 1. Dawson, Religion and the Rise, p. 9.2. “The life of man upon earth is a warfare” (Job 7:1).3. Summerfield Ballwin, Business in the Middle Ages (New York: Cooper

Square Publishers, 1968), p. 5.4. Prosper Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, trans. Laurence Shepherd

(Great Falls, Mont.: St. Bonaventure Publications, 2000), 13:192. If the BlessedMother was the ciborium of Christ, Saint Anne was the tabernacle.

5. Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences, p. 73.6. Mumford, Pentagon of Power, 2:137.7. Ballwin, Business in the Middle Ages, p. 68.

To medieval man, this pursuit of excellence was an arduoustask, not unlike a Way of the

Cross that ultimately led not toprofits but to God.

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g12

The biggest shopping day of theyear, known as “Black Friday,” hasnow invaded the most family-

centered holiday. The electrifyingshop-till-you-drop excursion for-merly began in the wee hours of themorning after Thanksgiving. It even-tually crept up to midnight of thesame day and this year stores suchas Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys R Usopened at nine o’clock on Thanks-giving evening. With barely enoughtime to digest the annual turkey din-ner family members entered theconsumer war zone.

The familial rules of civility andcommon courtesy enjoyed at dinnerhours before are replaced by a “dog-eat-dog” competition. The winnerstake home a coveted item whoseperceived value was increased not bythe essential excellence of the prod-uct as by three simple words, “whilesupplies last.” The losers are unableto see the futility of this consumerrat race. The object of their desirewill, all too soon, sit idle on storeshelves collecting dust as the nextnew gadget comes along.

This irrational and intemperatespending frenzy makes the book Re-turn to Order by John Horvat all themore important. It is exactly this“frenetic intemperance,” so preva-lent during every Black Friday, thathe points to as the primary cause ofour economic woes.

“This intemperance is not just aneconomic problem,” Mr. Horvat ex-plains, “but a moral and psychologi-cal dilemma that resides deep insidethe soul of modern man that mani-fests itself in economy.”

American version of the “running of the bulls”The term “Black Friday” first cameinto existence in 1961. Its originalnegative connotation was linked tothe traffic jams and pedestrian con-gestion that occurred on the busiestshopping day of the year. It latercame to signify the period when re-tailers were finally able to turn aprofit and go “into the black,” ontheir balance sheets.

Stores vying for customer atten-tion offer reduced prices on a limitedamount of the most coveted items.The key word here is limited or “firstcome first served,” which explainsthe insanely long lines. Then thereare the infamous “door-buster” bar-

gains which got their name becausethey lead consumers to both figura-tively, and in some cases literally,bust the door down to get them.Such was the case at a Long Island,New York Wal-Mart in 2008.

The store was set to open at 5:00a.m. but shoppers who had beenwaiting for hours began to get anx-ious, much like hungry piranhas atfeeding time. The crowd of 2,000began screaming and chanting “pushthe doors in.” As the doors broke freefrom their hinges, Wal-Mart workersclimbed atop vending machines “toavoid the horde.”1 A 34-year-old em-ployee, Jdimytai Damour, was not sofortunate to escape the humantsunami. He was subsequently tram-pled to death as fellow workers andlater police officers tried in vain tohold back the crowd.

Such a spectacle has led eyewit-nesses to refer to this as the Americanversion of the “running of the bulls.”2

B Y N O R M A N F U L K E R S O N

The calm of the Thanksgiving dinner now givesway to the competition at the stores.

While Supplies Last

nysh

eng

Commentary

The big difference is that the victims,lying helpless in a fetal position, arenot gored by angry bulls but trampledby fellow human beings. Not muchhas changed since 2008. This restlessstate of spirit, in men who only thinkof gratifying their disordered pas-sions, led to a string of similar abom-inations this year.

Shoppers Step Over Dying ManA shopper at a Kmart in Sacramento,California was caught on tapethreatening to stab anyone that triedto cut the line.3 A fellow customerlaughed it off but police were calledto the scene to prevent the situationfrom becoming ugly. A similar inci-dent occurred at Sears in the SouthPark Mall in San Antonio, Texaswhere two customers got into a fightover merchandise. One man threw apunch, the other pulled a gun andpandemonium erupted causing astampede which injured a third cus-tomer.4 A similar thing happened ina Wal-Mart in Tallahassee, Florida.Only this time threats were followedby action when two people were shotoutside over a dispute for a parkingspot in a busy area.5

A woman trying to improve herchances to buy cheap electronics ata Wal-Mart in Los Angeles, Califor-nia came armed for battle also.When things got hot she chose topepper spray fellow shoppers.6

The most striking example ofBlack Friday frenetic intemperancewas the callousness of shoppers at aTarget in South Charleston, WestVirginia. Mr. Walter Vance wasamong them, buying Christmas dec-orations, when he got sick and fell tothe floor. Those around him simplykept on shopping; some even went

so far as to step over his lifelessbody7 as they continued their searchfor a bargain. Finally, Kimberly Row-land, a nurse, stopped and unsuc-cessfully tried to revive him. He waseventually taken to the hospitalwhere he died of a heart attack.

Sue Compton, an employee of Mr.Vance, described how he treatedthem all “like family.” Choking backtears she asked, “Where is the GoodSamaritan side of people?”8 She wassimply unable to understand howpeople could walk by and do nothingand wondered if it was greed.

“This is not for the faint of heart, this is a war.” “It’s not just greed or ambition,” Mr.Horvat explains in Return to Order.“They have existed throughout his-tory. Rather it is an explosive expan-sion of human desires beyond thenormal bounds and leads man toscorn or even resent restraint.” Sadly,this has lead to the type of behaviorwhich changes many Americansfrom Dr. Jekyll at Thanksgiving din-ner to an almost unrecognizable Mr.Hyde after the sun sets.

In rural Owensboro, Kentuckythings were more subdued; never-theless one could not help but seethe same frenetic intemperancedriving people on. Lana Browderfrom McLean County braved thelong lines at Target and admits sav-ing a buck is not her main incentivefor returning every year. “It’s the ex-citement,” she said, with a charac-teristic Southern accent. “This is notfor the faint of heart, this is a war.”

Sheila Jarboe, a homeschoolingmother from Red Hill, Kentuckyknows this all too well. She recalledthe time she strategically placed her10-year-old son Jeremiah by a door

buster sale bin at Wal-Mart. As em-ployees ripped the plastic off, his littleeyes grew wide and a look of paniccame across his tender face. He wasnearly crushed by the throng andfeared he might not survive the melee.

“My son almost died for this?”Mrs. Jarboe reflected.

She no longer braves the crowdand is wise for refraining. A Wal-Mart employee at that same locationdescribed some of the behavior hehas witnessed during his nine yearsat the store. “I saw someone spit inthe face of another,” he said, “and Ialso observed exasperated cus-tomers taking a Wal-Mart employeeand putting her in a garbage bin thenplacing the lid on top.”

“Black Friday” is merely one ex-ample that illustrates the harmful ef-fects of “frenetic intemperance.”Cheap supplies are not the onlything running short these days, sim-ple charity is also. More than a bar-gain, what we are in greater need ofis a serious “Return to Order.” n

Notes:1. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/

worker-dies-long-island-wal-mart-trampled-black-friday-stampede-article-1.334059

2. Originating in Pamplona, Spain, this marksthe beginning of bull-fighting season and involvesrunning in front of a small group of bulls towardsthe city arena.

3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/23/man-stab-kmart-customers-line-black-friday_n_2178898.html

4. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-black-friday-walmart-shooting-20121123,0,5316248.story

5. Ibid.6. Ibid.7. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-11-

27/news/30445630_1_black-friday-shopper-early-bird-sales-shopping-center

8. Ibid.

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g 13

“This intemperance is not just an economic problem, but a moral andpsychological dilemma that resides deep inside the soul of modern man that

manifests itself in economy.”

Many people associate the virtue of temper-ance with the control of one’s appetite. Atemperate person does not eat or drink in

excess. is perception is undoubtedly true,but temperance involves much more.

Temperance involves the control of one’sappetites, sentiments, passions and instinctsaccording to the light of reason. It is the virtuethat keeps everything in balance and func-tioning according to its nature.

One aspect of temperance is related to speed.Whenever someone practices the vice of in-temperance, it often comes accompanied witha desire for an excessive and disproportionalspeed. e person develops a taste for super-rapid, excessive speeds as might be seen inphysical speeds of traveling. ere is the speedof a quick thrill found in the person who is ine-briated or drugged. e thrill of constant andquick communication found in modern gad-getry can easily throw a person out of balance.

Intemperance can also be found in exces-sive slowness. e desire for a quick high oftenleads to a corresponding low. A person fallsvictim to false slowness, lethargy and depres-sion. is frenzy of action is followed by a pe-riod of unproductive listlessness. e stressfulperson simultaneously feels he has no time foranything, yet senses that he does nothing at

all with his time.On the contrary, the temper-

ate individual likes speeds ap-propriate to normal humandevelopment. is person en-joys invigorating and orderedaction in which one’s full poten-tial can be developed. e sameindividual also enjoys refreshingleisure and profound contem-plation. All of these actions and

their corresponding speeds are proportionalto our human nature.

When a person loses this equilibrium, theappetites and passions begin to take hold, andone begins to be intoxicated by the sensationof speed for the sake of speed, or slowness forslowness’ sake. e means become an end.

Modern society and economy favor such in-temperate speeds. Ever since the days of theIndustrial Revolution, the inventions that at-tracted the most attention and inebriated thepublic the most were those that favored arapid pace of life and instant connectivity. eexhilaration of the markets has an element offrenetic intemperance which promotes thesensation of speed and constant transaction.

What was lost was the internal equilibriumof man, which is the essence of his innocence.ere is no longer that sense of calm and peacethat comes when a person governs himself pro-portionately according to human nature. Whatis needed is the practice of temperance wherea person is free to develop himself to the fullestwithout disturbing the equilibrium of passions,appetites, instincts and sentiments. What isneeded is a return to order. n

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g14

B Y J O H N H O R V A T I I

A Brutal Pace of Life: THE FRUIT OF INTEMPERANCE

Commentary

JOIN THE DEBATE!John Horvat II, the author of Return to Order,regularly updates www.ReturnToOrder.orgwith insights about the cause and solution forour economic crisis. He invites you to shareyour insights, too.

From www.ReturnToOrder.org subscribe to aweekly newsletter and receive a free chapterof the book!

The stressful personsimultaneously feelshe has no time for

anything, yet sensesthat he does nothingat all with his time.

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g 15

F rom an economic point of view, itwas an almost insignificant event.A major American firm lamenta-

bly went bankrupt as many do. Thesethings are to be expected in the pres-ent financial climate. However, froma cultural point of view, this particu-lar failure, and the manner in whichit happened, resonated deeply insidethe American soul. Its demise sig-naled the closing of an era.

The company was of course, Host-ess, the makers of Twinkies, cup-cakes and other popular products.Generations of Americans grew upwith these snacks that reflected lesscomplicated and more optimistictimes. Hostess was an iconic Ameri-can firm that harkened back to thedays of great prosperity when every-one seemed to get along.

It reminds one of an America thatran much like one big Hostess Corpo-ration where everyone was, as it were,a shareholder in the nation. Life wasfull of legitimate benefits with meas-ured risks, voting privileges, few lia-bilities and plenty of recreationalopportunities. Everyone looked afterhis personal interests, enjoyed lifeand made money. As long as an at-mosphere of well-being and comfortexisted, everyone got along in thatAmerica. Life was like the Twinkie,sugary sweet on the inside and softand spongy on the outside.

Yet this consensus was an artificialone. It functioned well in prosperitybut not in adversity. As the postwar

boom waned during theseventies, this get-alongworld of unlimited prosper-ity began to unravel. Amer-ica had to face problems,misfortunes and sufferingsthat are an unavoidablepart of life. Instead of facingthese problems head-on,many citizens of this na-tion-corporation acted likeshareholders who de-manded their benefits asentitlements and blamed the nation’sproblems on everyone but them-selves. Elections began to resembleboardroom brawls that never get tothe root of the problem.

Our nation has become frag-mented and polarized. It is not bychance that Hostess was victim to anacrimonious labor dispute where noone could agree on anything. Unionemployees demanded unsustainablebenefits as if they were entitled tothem as the goose that laid thegolden Twinkie died. No one couldagree; everyone lost.

As the last Twinkie comes off theproduction line, it can be seen notonly as the failure of a well-knownfirm but as a model of our society. Itrepresents the crumbling of thesweet yet artificial consensus thatlong governed America. It leaves inits wake an uneasy feeling aboutharder times that are to come.

What is missing in our country is avision that goes beyond self-interest,

a comfortable life, easy money andan endless party. We must be able tobrave adversity. There must be a re-turn to an order where the commongood is more important than the in-dividual good. We need idealistic,self-abnegated leaders and a frame-work of principles to unify America,not as one big corporation, but as anauthentic people willing to sacrificeand work together as a great nation.

Much of what plagued Hostess asa company plagues America as acountry. If we fail to recognize wherewe went wrong as a nation and do notbegin to guide ourselves with soundprinciples, America too will suffer thesame demise as Hostess. n

Commentary

B Y G A R Y J . I S B E L L

Life was like the Twinkie,sugary sweet on theinside and soft and

spongy on the outside.

The Last Twinkie

Joel Kraut

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g16

Crusade: What is newabout Return to Order’ssolution?

Mr. John Horvat: Mostpeople, when they think ofsolutions, they think of sys-tems. They think, “What sys-tem can I put in place thatwill resolve all the prob-lems?” They try to find a one-size-fits-all solution and thenimpose it upon society.

Our solutions are differentin that we want what we call an organic Chris-tian society. Organic solutions take a frame-work of very basic principles from whichsolutions can naturally develop and adapt tosituations and human qualities.

It is not a rigid system or socialist pro-gram that imposes a whole set of rules andregulations upon society. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

What we propose is having recourse tothose timeless Christian principles that arewonderfully in accordance with man’s natureand result in a world of applications. Theseprinciples are extremely stable since they are

guided by natural law whichis the same for all peoples andall times. However, they alsocan give origin to a refresh-ingly rich and diverse cultureand a vibrant economy.

This is what is new (andold) about our solutions. Wedo not favor those one-size-fits-all systems that never re-ally resolve problems. Wefavor those adaptive solutionsthat favor virtue and considerthe human side of things.

Crusade: Could you give an example of anorganic Christian society?

Mr. John Horvat: An example of howthings in an organic Christian society workbrings to mind the family. You can’t simply in-vent a brand new kind of family and then im-pose it upon a people by saying a family mustbe exactly this way or that.

No. A true idea of the family is establishedwhen in accordance with a few general prin-ciples based on natural law and the nature ofthe family. Using these notions as a founda-

Interview

Why Return to Order?An interview with the author

John Horvat II

John Horvat II is a scholar, researcher, educator, international speaker, author and reg-ular contributor to Crusade Magazine. His writings have appeared worldwide in numerouspublications and websites. For more than two decades, he has been researching and writ-ing about the socio-economic crisis inside the United States that has culminated in theground-breaking release of his new book Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to anOrganic Christian Order—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go.Recognized as one of the most important books on the subject to be published in the pastten years, Mr. Horvat describes what went wrong in our economic model and what can nowbe done to put us back on course. He lives in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania where he heads theTradition, Family, and Property Commission on American Studies.

tion, you leave it up to the family to adapt andto develop its own way of being, its own way ofoperating and its own way of living. From thiscomes an authentic culture where society de-velops a very rich life full of spontaneity, vital-ity and beauty.

This is an organic solution. It’s not a me-chanical solution or a rigid system that im-poses itself upon people and stifles culture. Itdoes not let government get involved in areaswhere it should not be involved. Best of all,this organic Christian society is the founda-tion and properly speaking the heart and soulof a balanced economy that we so need.

Crusade: What’s wrong with ourcurrent economy?

Mr. John Horvat: We have an economythat is constantly working itself into afrenzy—what we call frenetic intemperance.

Frenetic intemperance is a term coined todescribe a restless and reckless spirit insidecertain sectors of modern economy that fab-ricates a drive to throw off all legitimate re-straints and to gratify disordered passions.

Frenetic intemperance is not just greed andambition, but an explosive expansion ofhuman desires beyond traditional and moralbounds. It leads to economic activities wherepeople resent the very idea of restraint andscorn the spiritual, religious, moral and cul-tural values that normally serve to order andtemper economic activity. It creates an almostirrational element that enters into the econ-omy and leads to frantic dealings, speculationand exaggerated risks.

You can’t solve this economic problem bylegislation, regulation and planning. It’s aproblem deep inside the soul of modern man.The only real response to frenetic intemper-ance is a corresponding return to temperance.

Crusade: What is an example of freneticintemperance?

Mr. John Horvat: You need only look backto the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. It’s atextbook example of frenetic intemperance.Here you have a case of home buyers who took

out loans without the means to pay for them.You have bankers who extended loans to peo-ple knowing that many of these were risky.You have brokers who took all these bad mort-gages and put them into securities. Then in-vestors came and snatched up thesesecurities, many of them knowing that thesemortgages were not the best mortgages.Everyone threw caution to the wind and as aresult the whole system almost came down.

One of the aspects of frenetic intemperanceis that it is a reckless drive to throw off re-straints and to gratify desires. These restraintsnormally temper economy and make ithuman by keeping it within bounds. With thisfrenetic intemperance, we see the quickeningof the pace of life, the erasing of the human el-ement from economy so that we’re alwaystalking to machines and keeping up a ma-chine-like pace in life. People have been re-duced to cogs, so to speak, in a giant economy.

Frenetic intemperance takes the warmth ofhuman interactions out of economy. It makeslife brutal by taking out the moral aspects. It ispart of the reason why communities have bro-ken down. When people communicate moreon their cell phones and not face-to-face, youdon’t have those relationships you had oncebefore. It takes away what economists call “so-cial capital.” That is to say, we are losing theidea of community where people are linked to-gether with the bonds of confidence and trust

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g 17

Protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City representedradical alternatives that could resurrect again. These options must be rejected sincethey will fragment the nation.

that allow an economy to work in a verysmooth and human way.

Crusade: What is the “rule of money”?

Mr. John Horvat: When frenetic intemper-ance dominates, money tends to rule. Men putaside cultural and moral values and adopt adifferent set of values that attaches undue im-portance to quantity over quality, utility overbeauty, and matter over spirit.

The tragic effect of all this is that moderneconomy has become cold and impersonal,fast and frantic, mechanical and inflexible.

We need to put the human element backinto the economy and society in general. We

need a return to order—aChristian order.

Crusade: What is the bestresponse to the “rule ofmoney”?

Mr. John Horvat: The bestresponse to the rule of moneyis what we call a “rule of honor.”

Honor conveys the idea ofvalues that cannot be boughtand sold. It supposes an ap-preciation of things that havequality. It spreads an atmos-phere of tranquility and tem-perance over the marketplace.

The rule of honor naturally leads men to es-teem and seek after those things that are ex-cellent. It introduces into the marketplace aset of values that includes quality, beauty,goodness, and charity. We find the calming in-fluence of the cardinal virtues.

The greatest product of the rule of honor isnot capital but character.

Someone might ask, “How do you implementa rule of honor?” I would say fill society withprinciples, ideas, and moral values and the in-fluence of the rule of money will greatly dimin-ish. One of the goals of the book is to introducethese ideas into society and the marketplace.

Crusade: How do we resolve our currenteconomic problems?

Mr. John Horvat: First, we don’t needreams of government legislation. This issomething much more profound. We need torefocus our priorities, reorder our lives andpractice temperance and the cardinal virtues.

We need a return to organic Christian soci-ety. Such a society is termed “organic” becausethis order does not treat people like parts of amachine, but like the living human beings thatwe are.

By organic society, we mean a society thatreconnects with the human element that hasbeen lost in modern society. It allows the nat-ural restraining influence of customs, morals,family or community to rebuild social net-works, calm markets and prevent frenetic in-temperance.

By a Christian society, we mean a societyanchored in virtue, especially the cardinalvirtues. It is a society guided by natural lawand a social order that takes our fallen natureinto consideration. It is oriented toward thecommon good and facilitates virtuous life to-gether in community. It is a society full of nu-ance and meaning, poetry and passion.

Crusade: How does one implement thisreturn to order?

Mr. John Horvat: Organic solutions cannotbe forced upon a people. They must be devel-oped naturally.

In our book, we show how the presentsocio-economic model is collapsing. Andwhen this happens, we will need to adopt amodel that will bring us through the crisis.

That is to say by force of circumstance, wewill be looking for models to implement. Wewill need to avoid socialist and liberal modelsthat will be proposed.

There’s nothing better than to return to theroots of our Christian order that are alreadypart of our heritage and tradition. It’s triedand true. This book puts this option on thetable and shows how we can already startmoving in this direction.

Crusade: What makes these principles“tried and true”?

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g18

The pace of our lives means that we have lesstime for face-to-face conversations.

TobyotterT

Mr. John Horvat: The testimony of historycomes to the defense of these principles. Theirtrack records are excellent. People tend tothink that civilization before the IndustrialRevolution was primitive and backwards. Thisis far from the case—Christian civilization ac-tually prepared the way for true progress.

The principles that gave rise to Christendomhelped usher in a period of incredible dynamismand enormous technological advances. Histo-rian Samuel Lilley reports that the technologi-cal changes of the Middle Ages were greater inscale—by a very large factor—and more radicalin kind than any since the start of civilization.

This was a society that didn’t make an enemyof technology. Men in medieval times intro-duced machinery into Europe on a scale no civ-ilization had previously known. Some historiansclaim that the Industrial Revolution was actu-ally an extension of processes that began in theMiddle Ages. Historian Lynn White states thatChristendom was the first complex civilizationin history that was not built on the backs ofslaves. This dynamic progress was not some-thing limited to technology but also extendedto advances in law, education, medicine, eco-nomics and government.

If you don’t trust the history books, then atleast visit the monuments, cathedrals, universi-ties, and castles that still stand in Europe. Theygive some idea of what was accomplished.

Crusade: What can the averageAmerican do?

Mr. John Horvat: We are part of the cultureof frenetic intemperance. And so in Return toOrder, we discuss how in our personal lives,we can all find ways to disengage ourselvesfrom the frenzied, fast-paced lifestyles that wehave created for ourselves.

We can reject what we call the rule ofmoney and the mass markets that feed fre-netic intemperance. In our personal lives, wecan reconnect with that missing human ele-ment of society and economy. Any measurethat strengthens the family, community andparish is a positive measure we can take to re-turn to order. Any measure that increases ourappreciation for reflection, beauty, duty and

virtue is a positive measure by which we canreturn to what we call the rule of honor.

Much more important, we need to under-stand the crisis and engage in the debate overthe future of our nation. Return to Order inviteseveryone to join the debate over these issueswhich we believe will be gaining ever great im-portance as the present crisis deepens.

Crusade: Why is a return to ordernecessary now?

Mr. John Horvat: One of the most com-pelling reasons why a return to order is nec-essary is because the present Americanmodel, which sustained us over generations,is now unraveling. Our American way of life isnot what it used to be. Our industrial produc-tion is diminishing. We have difficulty gettingalong with others in society. The polarizationof the country is pushing people into irrecon-cilable camps. These developments make a re-turn to order essential.

People already need to have in mind that cer-tain options are available. You already havesome options being proposed by people on theright and on the left that are vague and simplis-tic. When the time of reckoning comes, whenthe time of crisis comes, I fear that people willsimply take the first thing that’s presented outthere. And sometimes those things are socialistplans or rehashed notions of past errors.

We must already have something in mind.A return to order is what is needed. It isn’t asocialist five-year plan. It isn’t somethingvague or theoretical. We are proposing ideasand principles that have served us well in thepast. These same timeless principles can beapplied to the new circumstances and resultin refreshing and novel solutions that are somuch needed.

Of course, a return to order does not makesense without a return to God, the BlessedMother and the Church. The message of Fa-tima is essentially a warning, calling upon usto either return to order or face the conse-quences. An orderly society is a virtuous soci-ety that confides in Providence and leads usto love God. Such a society is possible and itis to this society that we must return. n

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We are a practical people. It is natural thatafter a lengthy theoretical discussionmany are impelled to ask what is to be

done. at admirable practicality, which is somuch a part of our national character, calls foraction. As we reach our conclusion, it seemslogical, then, that we should present a list ofconcrete measures that must now be taken toavoid the impending collapse. ere shouldalso be urgent action items that suggest whatmight be done to establish the organic orderwe so ardently desire.

Ironically, the task asked of us runs con-trary to the organic order we propose. As wehave noted, the nature of organic remedies isto present principles of action and allow forthe widest possible concrete application ofthose principles. Concrete measures dependon concrete circumstances, which differwidely according to time, place, and person.Nevertheless, we can point to some generalguidelines that can serve as suggestions as tohow we might apply what we have seen.

A Core Denunciation and Self-ExaminationThere are certain things that each of us cando personally to return to order.

Our core denunciation is aimed at a reck-less spirit of frenetic intemperance, which isconstantly throwing our economy out of bal-ance by seeking to be rid of restraints andgratify disordered passions. We have likenedthis spirit to that of a great never-ending party

on a cruise ship, which leads us to spend andconsume with reckless abandon.

e first thing we must do is to observewhere we have succumbed to frenetic intem-perance in our own lives. It is up to each of us,for example, to see how we have engaged in the

unbalanced consumerism, full of fads and fash-ions, which stirs up the markets and battersdown the barriers of restraint and self-control.Each of us might look at our own participationin the debt-driven frenzied economy that fuelsfrenetic intemperance.

We should ask ourselves in what ways wehave allowed ourselves to be “massified” bymass media, mass advertising, and mass mar-kets by basing our consumption patterns andopinions on what we believe others think. Wemight also see how we have worshipped at thealtar of speed with our rushed schedules andstress-filled lives. To what extent has the frenzyof technological gadgetry entered and domi-nated our lives and thought processes? Howhave we adopted the materialistic lifestyle ofour Hollywood culture with its denial of suffer-ing and tragedy?

Our self-examination should also look atthe harsh rule of money, which promotes away of looking at life where social, cultural,and moral values are put aside. Each of us cansee where we have judged the rule of moneymore important than family, community, orreligion. More concretely, we can ask ourselvesto what extent we engage in frenzied businesspractices fraught with vulnerability and risk.

America is Worth Fighting For

FRENETIC INTEMPERANCE A restless, explosive, and relentless drive

inside modern man that manifests itself ineconomy by 1) seeking to throw off legiti-mate restraints; and 2) gratifying disor-dered passions.

A Chapter from Return to Order

“The future belongs to thosewho believe America is worth

fighting for.”

B Y J O H N H O R V A T I I

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g 21

Our first task is to identify these and otherareas where frenetic intemperance touches uspersonally and then have the courage to adjustour lives accordingly. We would do well to ridourselves of those situations, investments,gadgets, and attitudes that favor frenetic in-temperance in our personal lives. To put it suc-cinctly, we must identify those things that turnour lives into one big party, and then look fororiginal ways to declare that the party is over.

Exploring Organic AlternativesWe have also outlined the positive principles ofan organic order that lend themselves to per-sonal applications. Our second task consists inevaluating the extent to which we might applythese principles to our personal lives.

Organic remedies are accessible to all.Some of these involve very simple things thatcome naturally to man. We can cite, for exam-ple, any measure that encourages reflectionand introspection as something that one cando as part of a return to order. ere is also thepractice of virtue, especially the cardinalvirtues, since simple acts of virtue oppose therule of “selfish vice” and contribute to an or-ganic order and its passion for justice.

Any measure, no matter how small, thatstrengthens the worn social fabric of family,parish, community, or nation is a step towardsthis organic order. We must encourage anymanner of leadership that expresses ties ofmutual trust. We should think of concreteways—by how we dress, speak, and lead—whereby we can truly be representative figuresto those who look up to us. is would lead usto discover ways to embrace duty, responsi-bility, and sacrifice and reject a misguided andselfish individualism. Upon this social frame-work, an organic economy becomes possible.

As we have shown, an organic order leadsto the fullest expression of a person’s individ-uality, addressing both the material and spiri-tual needs of the person. Applying organicprinciples to this individual developmentmeans taking measures that favor the rule ofhonor and its set of values. Among thesemeasures, we can list any concrete means bywhich we promote that which is excellent andlasting; the cultivation of wholesome intellec-tual development and debate; or the appreci-ation of beauty, art, and all things sublime.

We should ponder these personal avenuesand then have the courage to adjust our livesaccordingly.

Beyond Personal Avenuesese avenues, both positive and negative, arean extremely important part of any return toorder. We can only applaud those who exam-ine their lives and employ their imaginationand creativity to make the most concrete ap-plications of our general principles to theirpersonal lives.1

However, such personal efforts will not beenough. We cannot limit ourselves to devisingways to withdraw from our frenetically in-temperate world, or to live more ordered, or-ganic, and virtuous lives. is cannot be donebecause we simply do not have the luxury ofwithdrawing from society.

e present crisis represents not merely theend of a party, but the approach of a greatstorm that threatens all with a massive eco-nomic collapse. We delude ourselves if wethink we can escape misfortune by leaving therowdy ballrooms of the cruise ship for thecomfort of a well-ordered cabin. If the shipfounders, even the most organic of lifestyles inthe most complete isolation in steerage willnot be spared from ruin.

Alone, none of us can do anything propor-tional to the crisis. e only proportional re-sponse is a great debate involving the wholenation on how we might return to order. Noth-ing short of a new national consensus willserve to unify Americans to face the storm. Ei-ther we agree among ourselves which coursewe as a nation must take, or we will not sur-vive the storm.

We would do well to ridourselves of those situations,

investments, gadgets, and attitudes that favorfrenetic intemperance in

our personal lives.

Understanding the CrisisOur third task is then to understand the crisisand engage in the debate over our futurecourse. is debate is one we need not create,since it is already raging. Across the nation,people are confused and asking questionsabout why the largest economy in the historyof the world—our great pride—is now falter-ing. ere is doubt and uncertainty about thefuture of “capitalism” and what direction we

should take. Alternatives (including many in-volving big government) are being proposed.

Return to Order and its corresponding cam-paign is our contribution to this debate. Wepresent a historical perspective that allows usto understand the causes of this crisis, rethinkour premises, and go beyond the models offrenetic intemperance that constantly carrywithin them the seeds of recurring crises. Asa lighthouse amid the rocks, we seek to pro-vide clarity amid this chaos. We join withother groups and individuals of the conser-vative movement in reassuring Americansthat the Christian roots of our economicorder are sound, and it is to these roots thatwe should return.

Our greatest contribution is to help Ameri-cans from all walks of life engage in the debateby inviting them to join a veritable crusade ofideas and principles for use wherever the cri-sis is being discussed, be it in the family, work-place, media, church, or university. It is ourhope that those who join this crusade will useany and all peaceful means to get these ideasinto the lifeblood of the nation so they canlead to a wholesome reaction.

An Appeal to Sacrificeere is one final application of the principlesof this book, and it is the most difficult. It is notenough to understand the crisis or even to en-gage in the debate. e future belongs to thosewho believe America is worth fighting for.

Ours is an appeal to sacrifice. It is an ap-peal to leave behind the party of frenetic in-temperance that captivates so many withgames, gadgets, and amusements—modernbread and circuses. At the same time, we askAmericans to forego their own legitimateself-interest and search for personal happi-ness. Now is the time to think of the imper-iled ship.

To save the ship, two things are needed. efirst is that there be those who rise to the oc-casion and bring together the elements to dealwith the present crisis. While all should be in-volved in doing this, our appeal is especiallydirected to those representative characters,leaders at all levels in society, that naturallyembody and unify the aspirations of their fam-ilies, social groups, or communities. In thistime of danger, we ask that they take to heartand use the organic principles in this book asa road map to restructure that America thatwe are called by Providence to be. It is ourhope that these representative characters, asthey have done in the past, might quickly

bring together and inspire a nation of heroesproportional to the storm we face.

e second element is a rallying point ofunity. One reason why the present crisis loomsso large is that we no longer have the points ofreference that once oriented our actions. Aswe have seen, a passion for justice, or the prac-tice of the cardinal virtues, no longer orientseconomy. Diminished are so many of the land-

C r u s a d e S p e c i a l I s s u e n w w w . R e t u r n T o O r d e r . o r g22

INDIVIDUALISM A deformation of individuality by which

man closes himself up in and makes himselfthe center of a world of personal self-inter-est that tends to disregard the social char-acter of man and his role in community.

DIVINE PROVIDENCE e plan conceived in the mind of God

according to which He provides for and di-rects all creatures to their proper end.

. . .we simply do not have the luxury of withdrawing from society.

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mark institutions of the heart and soul ofeconomy—the family, community, ChristianState, and Church. Without the rule of honor,there are no longer those norms of civility,manners, morals, and decency that facilitatedthe smooth running of societies andeconomies. In such conditions, is it any won-der that people are perplexed?

It is time to raise a standard to rally thosewho are confused by the impending storm. Letorder—organic Christian order—be a rallyingpoint. We believe this proven order, which socorresponds to the material and spiritual

needs of our nature, can serve as a point ofunity and reference in face of the present cri-sis. Such a standard can reassure countlessconcerned Americans that they are not alonein their belief that America is not a co-op buta nation worth fighting for.

* * *

e storm approaches. Each of us has a jobto do. On a personal level, we should look forways to rid ourselves of frenetic intemperanceand adopt more organic and temperatelifestyles as a means of preparing for the com-ing crisis.

Yet more important is to go beyond our per-sonal lives and consider the effect of the stormupon society in general. We should, therefore,endeavor to understand the nature of thestorm and join the crusade of ideas and prin-

ciples that will allow all of us to engage, in anyway we can, in the great debate that will de-cide our course.

Most important of all is our willingness tosacrifice for our beloved nation and rallyaround the banner of a return to order in thishour of need. Trusting in Providence, we couldwell make our own the words of George Wash-ington who, when facing a grave and un-avoidable crisis, declared: “Let us raise astandard to which the wise and the honest canrepair. e event is in the hand of God.”2 n

Notes:1. The Return to Order Campaign website has a “Join the

Debate” page where readers share concrete applications of theideas in this book. Suggestions and other resources can beaccessed at www.ReturnToOrder.org.

2. Spalding and Garrity, A Sacred Union of Citizens, p. 27.

WHAT WE CAN DO1. Identify those areas where we are affected by frenetic intemperance and adjust our

lives accordingly.2. Explore those ways in which we can apply the principles of an organic order to our per-

sonal lives.3. Understand the crisis and engage in the debate over the nation’s future.4. Rise to the occasion and rally around the standard of an organic Christian order.

“The Flight into Egypt” by Fra Angelico (1450). As Godprotected and provided for the Holy Family, so too does Heintend to take care of all families.

NATION A community of people who share a com-

mon history, culture, descent, or languageand live under the same ruler and laws.

l e root cause of our socio-economic crisis

l e key and distinct roles of Church and State in this restoration

l e proper role of money in economy and society

l How the family, not the individual, is the basic cell of society

l e secret to a virtuous and prosperous society

l e vision of order that captures the imagination

l e serene and secure pathway towards true greatness for America

l e four things you can do to join America’s return to order

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROMRETURN TO ORDERl e root cause of our socio-economic crisis

l e key and distinct roles of Church and State in this restoration

l e proper role of money in economy and society

l How the family, not the individual, is the basic cell of society

l e secret to a virtuous and prosperous society

l e vision of order that captures the imagination

l e serene and secure pathway towards true greatness for America

l e four things you can do to join America’s return to order

Return to Order is a campaign of the American TFPto address the growing alarm, confusion and frus-tration at seeing our beloved nation the greatesttemporal power ever spin out of control.

e book Return to Order by John Horvat II is thefruit of research and studies spread over twentyyears. It is the backbone and doctrinal basis for thisnon-partisan, non-profit effort to help America re-turn to order.

Current events make the need for such a campaignpainfully clear as our country faces multi-trilliondollar debt, polarization and paralysis in politics,breakdown in community, and the erosion of basicmorality. n

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROMRETURN TO ORDER

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