Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-11-01
THE EDUCATED MAN IN AMER
ICAN SOCIETY.

lOllONlnR
of 0ryile J. Bliss before the class of 1871 Of Yale
College, and may be taken as a fair expression of
Western ideas on American mental development.
There is real "grit in it, and the ring Of true elo
quence.
What is society," When we turn
our thoughts to the study of man, we
find his whole life made up of two
parts, the individual part and the So
cial part. Not that he ceases to be
an Individual when in contact with
Others. nor on the other hand that he
loses bis social nature when withdrawn
from such contact but that in SO far
as he is individual and isolated he is
without the pale Of society, and in so
far, on the other hand, as he deals in
any manner with bis fellow.men, he
ceases to be II separate, scfcontained
personality; and that somewhat in
definite substance which we call socie.
ty is simply the aggregate of these
social parts of individual lives. When,
therefore, l speak of society, do not
mean merely what the world of fash
ion means, but the whole sphere Of &C.
tivitios and results which aro acroatod
by the inccssant play and interplay of
these composite atoms of society.
How multiform are those activities
how mysterious arc those results
The most stupendous war the world
has ever seen, and the subtlest glance
of recognition that ever lighted hu-
man eye, equally proclaim that man
is partakcr of his fcllow-man's exist
tence.
Now, it is the destiny of man in all
relations to move under the sway OF
law. He is not permitted to follow
bis nature wherever il may lead he
must guido and control it according
to certain fixed conditions, and from
those conditions some mysterious and
active power which we call sin impels
him ever to depart. But so long as
he violates them only as an individual,
the law and its penalty is between
himself, bis conscience, and his God.
Others may exhort him from bencvo.
lence; but no man may lay upon him
command or inhict upon him a pun
ishmcnt. 1t is only when he begins to
tread within the province Of another's
existence, that that other acquires a
voice in his government, and may lay
upon him certain restrictions. Thus
we see that tho whole structure OF
human law, with its splendid array of
servants and interpreters, rests upon
the simple fact of human society.
The amenities Of intercourse, the
smile or the tear Of sympathy, the
longings Of affection, and the power OF
public opnion-all these are but varia-
tions of the simple law OF association,
as much as all the phenomena of ma.
ture, great and small, are but the at
traction and repulsion of particles.
Now, back through the whole exis.
tencc of the race, dissatisfied beings
have been struggling, and philanthro.
pists have been sighing. For what
did they struggle and sighy Little by
little, too, that existence has taken to
itself brighter aspect, and We say
that society has been elevated. To.
ward what has il boen elevated !?
What, in short, is the keynote to the
march of social progress / answer
that il is justice. That is false ideal
which paints the millennium as a
world where justice has paled away in
the soft sunlight Of charity. 1t is in.
justice, and that only, which has made
bcncvolenco nocessaryj and | venture
to think that the reigniDg virtue of
that happy estate will be simple, un.
poetic injustice.
Such is the goal of society. What
is its prime, comprehensive fault 7 1t
seems to me that il is and ever has
been this it fails to distribute fairly
its labors and rewards. For example,
IL still docs obeisance TO onervating,
useless wealth, while upon honest
productive toll il bestows at best little
more than pity. Disguise il as we
may, society at large has not yet been
taught d genuine respect for labor.
The communist, with all his faults,
is cropping after g truth. For who,
when he see an intelligent, hard.work.
ing, honest man kept in obscurity all
his life because he has been honest,
Yhilo a coarse, corrupt, unscrupulous
nabob is giving manners to society
like q law. maker, and walking arm.in.
arm with fashion, intellect, and oven
learning, because he has boon unscrn.
pulous, who, | say, does not sometimes
feel as if society itself was wrong side
upY 1t is this gricvous partiality
which causes in great degree the
tremendous waste Of human forces In
society. That nation will be vigorous
and great whose best and most fruit
fal energies are kept in action. What
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