ABSTRACT
An imaginative conservatism is the only means of preserving decency within civilization. "For true liberty is not liberty to do as one likes", Babbitt states, "but liberty to adjust oneself, in some sense of that word, to law". Liberty is earned by a society that is willing to labor for historical continuity in economics, politics, and, most of all, culture. Liberty is a burden to all, but it becomes a nightmare when not nourished by the moral imagination. Leaders must publicly embody those principles necessary for the preservation of order in thought and deed. Greed is the enemy of liberty and generosity the only humane connection between rich and poor. Property cannot be reduced to a selfish commodity serving only those who have too much. Obligations are inseparable from the possession of private property. Privilege must justify itself not with diamonds and platinum, but with time and effort.
