Keeping Up with William: In which the Honorable Socrates Potter Talks of the Relative Merits of Sense Common and Preferred

In Short

This work is a series of fireside conversations between a worldly country lawyer, Socrates Potter, and an interlocutor seeking insight into the First World War. Potter argues that the conflict stems from a lethal combination of German "inherited superiority"—what he calls "preferred sense"—and the creeping selfishness of American social climbers. Part moral tract and part folk philosophy, the book serves as a clarion call for the return of humility, hard work, and democratic values. It has endured as a vivid, if opinionated, artifact of the American psyche during the Great War.

The Story

The narrative opens in the quiet, tobacco-scented office of Socrates Potter, a lawyer who has become a sage to his community. As the year 1918 begins, the war against Germany looms large in the public consciousness. Potter, too old to fight but still possessed of a fierce intellectual vigor, positions himself as a critic of "Williamism"—the cult of the German Kaiser. He explains how Germany, once a land of culture, allowed its common sense to be systematically replaced by a state-sponsored delusion of superiority. He compares this national character to the rigid, soul-crushing efficiency of a beehive, where individuals are mere cogs and sentiment is discarded as a luxury.

Potter’s critique is not limited to the enemy abroad. He turns his attention to the "superers" in America—those wealthy, idle citizens who mimic the aristocratic pretensions of Europe. He introduces characters like the "Leatherhead Monarch," a businessman whose refusal to trust or empower his employees leads to the ruin of his own enterprise, and the "Wedding Tourist," a woman whose life is a series of hollow, materialistic experiences. These figures, in Potter’s view, are the moral equivalents of the German "burglars," as they abandon their responsibilities to the community in favor of selfish pride.

As the conversation progresses, the tone shifts from sharp social commentary to a deeply felt meditation on the American soldier. Potter shares a poignant, first-hand account of a Christmas dinner in a ruined French cellar, where American soldiers share their rations with a displaced, grieving mother and child. This story serves as the emotional heart of the book, illustrating that beneath the carnage of war, a new, global sense of comradeship is forming among the youth of the Allied nations.

The arc concludes with a quiet walk through the village at midnight. Potter directs his companion’s gaze to the stars, suggesting that humanity must take responsibility for its own garden. He argues that God has entrusted the world to men, and that if we fail to maintain it through work, character, and common sense, the "weeds" of despotism and vanity will always return. He advocates for an international commitment to fostering good will among nations, even toward the Germans, urging that we learn to tend our own house with humility so that the sacrifices of the battlefield may yield a more decent world.

How It Unfolds

The argument begins Potter establishes his central thesis: the war is a battle between "common sense" and "preferred sense." He blames the latter—a sense of inherited superiority—for the destruction of Germany’s moral grandeur.

The anatomy of a tyrant Potter details how William II fooled his people by poisoning their schools and pulpits with "hot air." He describes the German state as an insect-like society that values only storage and efficiency, leaving no room for human conscience.

The American contagion Moving to the domestic front, Potter critiques the "superers" who populate American society. He describes the failure of figures like the Leatherhead Monarch, whose rigid, egotistical management mirrors the Kaiser’s own disastrous flaws.

The moral quarantine Potter warns that the "leprosy" of German moral decay has already infected American culture, particularly in theater and social manners. He challenges the women of America to lead a "housecleaning" to restore decency to public life.

The wisdom of the trenches Through a story told by a soldier, Potter contrasts the empty lives of the social elite with the profound, life-affirming experiences of those fighting for freedom. He sees in the camaraderie of the camps the dawn of a new, global character.

The final outlook In a concluding reflection, Potter muses on the cyclical nature of history. He asserts that while dictators will rise, the spirit of freedom is resilient, provided that citizens are willing to do the "hoeing" required to keep their own societies healthy.

The People

Socrates Potter is the intellectual anchor of the book. A country lawyer who keeps portraits of Lincoln and Webster on his wall, he represents the sturdy, traditional American values of deliberation and plain speech. His frustration with the world is tempered by a deep, quiet affection for the "average man" who does the real work of society.

The "Leatherhead Monarch" and the "Wedding Tourist" serve as cautionary archetypes. The Monarch is a man of inherited success and unchecked temperament whose inability to trust others leads to his downfall. The Wedding Tourist is a woman of endless wealth and mobility, yet she is utterly devoid of real connection or purpose, representing the vacuity that Potter fears is spreading in America.

The American soldier, as described in the story of the Peronne Christmas dinner, represents the book’s hopeful future. He is a man transformed by the "university of common sense," moving from a life of potential aimlessness to one of profound service, sympathy, and moral clarity. Unlike the social climbers, he finds dignity in shared struggle and the simple act of helping the helpless.

In Its Own Voice

Potter cuts through the pretension of the time with a direct, conversational style that often uses rural metaphors to explain complex geopolitical shifts.

"A man who has even a small amount of it needs a force of porters and footmen to help him tote it around, and a guard to keep watch for fear that some one will grab his superiority and run off with it when his back is turned."

(Potter describing the heavy, cumbersome nature of inherited vanity.)

"The hive has only two purposes--storage and race perpetuation. These purposes are carried out with ruthless and perfect efficiency."

(Potter explaining how the German state under the Kaiser reduced human life to the level of insects.)

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an argument for the superiority of character over status. It posits that true greatness in a nation is not measured by its wealth, armies, or the splendor of its cities, but by the "character of its average man." The book attacks the concept of the "superman" or the "elite" as a corrupting influence that inevitably leads to both individual insanity and national ruin. It poses the fundamental question of how a free society can maintain its soul in the face of the encroaching "hot air" of vanity and the ruthless efficiency of modern, state-sanctioned greed.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the folksy, homespun wisdom of an earlier American era will find much to admire in these pages. The tone is warm and conversational, making the reader feel like a guest in Potter's office, listening to a man who has clearly thought deeply about the state of the world. It provides a fascinating, unfiltered look at the anxieties of the 1918 home front, capturing a moment when the world felt poised on the edge of a new, and perhaps more dangerous, reality.

However, the reader should be prepared for the book's limitations. It is deeply rooted in the specific political climate of the First World War, and some of its rhetoric—particularly regarding the German people—is colored by the intense, wartime propaganda of that era. Furthermore, the prose reflects the vernacular of its time, which may feel jarring to modern ears, and the episodic, conversational structure can be long-winded. Yet, for those interested in the history of ideas, the book offers an enduringly relevant warning about the dangers of unchecked ego, the importance of "common sense" in public life, and the persistent need for citizens to stay engaged in the work of maintaining their own democracy. It is a time capsule of moral urgency, reminding us that every generation must, in its own way, take up the hoe and clear the weeds from the garden.