 Commenting on American idealism, he connects it with the danger of idolatry. I quote, Americans are the most idealistic people in the whole world. The only danger is that the idealist can easily become the idolater. And the American has become so idealistic that he even idealizes money. End quote. This is all very well and doubtless, all very true. Things to admit the other danger in which the equally credulous idealism of Europe had led to the equally pernicious idolatry of ideology, most notably the idolatrous ideology of socialism. Chesterton may indeed be correct to warn us that the idealization of money leads to the materialism of mammon. But we must always remember that the idealization of liberty, equality, and eternity led to the materialism of Karl Marx.