Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-03-06

IA
must build 1t. The more usual result
has been to gobble up the original SUD-
scrintions to the capital stock, ana 70
send the subscribers adrift with their
yalueless certificates OF stock. -,
The building of railroads has stimuli
ated and encouraged many other great
enterprises. During the late civil war
there was rise of all kinds of properly.
All of these things combined produced
wonderful activity in the business OF tne
country. and under all the circumstances
If is not surprising that corrupt sys-
tenn of financeering should have sprung
up. which gave birth to the Credit MO
bilier and other gigantic SWIMMING
schemes, of which there have been not
few IT is even claimed by many tnaC
the Cakes Ames method of financeering
was a necessity; that the Union PACING
railroad and other roads could not have
been built without it. They might not
have been built, but "honesty is the best
nolicv." and ever will be under all cir
cnmstances: besides, such financial man
agement must in the end lead to serious
evils. as every body knows it has done
in this country.
Rut nv proposition is that we are grow
mo better. The evil alluded to has been
checked Tammany is squelched; jim
Fisk is no more; Jay Gould is brought
to grief corrupt officials have been re.
moved and disgraced, and those who had
to do with the Credit MObilier have
brought upon themselves such a fearful
burst of indignation from the people
everywhere as would seem effectually to
nut members of Congress and all officials
i,pon their good behavior hereafter.
There is no mistaking public sentiment
as il now is. Woe to him who steals or
plumbers hereafter; especially If he uses
his official or other position Of trust to
effect his purpose.
There is another view of the intense
activity of modern times that is hopeful
and cheering. The railroads are power
full agencies in promoting civilization.
| All improvements in the arts and sciences
tend to the small end. The spread OF
/ civilization (and of course christianity
| the two are lnseparable) has been no less
| remarkable than the extension OF rail
| roads, and the progress of the arts and
| sciences. The middle-aged man can
well recollect when the benevolent peo-
| pIe of the east were appealed to for aid
| for the destitute west which then meant
west of the Alleghanies and the Missis-
sippi, and even beyond, there is as active
! a christianity as any where in the world.
Instead of calling for help, they now
not only sustain themselves, but con-
! tribute largely and generously to aid
other parts of the world yet destitute.
| Desert places of the west have not only
been settled and built up by christian
people, but all the world seems moving
towards civilization | cannot stop tC
relate what has been done and is doing
/ in Mexico, South America, in China, OF
Japan; on the continent of Europe OF
| in benighted Africa and the Isles Of the
seattle well-inforned reader knows
! and need not be told.
It is not true that the morale of the
people was better in the good old
times" than now. Washington has been
held up as a model, and no worthier eX-
ample of patriot or just man has OF
probably will exist. But there were
| troubles in WashingtOn's times. No adj
ministration has ever since been assaileo
with a more bitter and vindiCtive spirit
than was WashingtOns. Charges OF
fraud, corruption, bribery and every
thing else that was bad were numerous.
But there were true patriots then, anc
there are now; and | believe that now
there is among our public men more
enlightened craftsmanship, with broader
and more comprehensive views Of pub
lie policy and of public wants and neces-
sites.
When we compare the past with the
present. we are liable to be influenced 10y
early impressions which sometimes leat
us to wrong conclusions. When young,
the skies seemed clearer, the grass green.
er, and everything more beautiful than
| now We remember good old Deacon
/ Niles, and of all others regard him as a
| paragon of piety and excellence. Dea
con Arnold, or deacon anybody else ot
the present day is thrown into the shade
when compared with Deacon Niles
Our childish minds could only see the
surface; we saw the old mans virtues
and his piety, bat not his foibles. But
as our minds are matured, we see al
there is of Deacon Arnold, and hence
the unjust comparison.
Although, as | believe, progress has
been made, there is yet work to do fol
the christian and the philanthropist.
believe we have advanced. / believe il
is the will of Providence that we shall
continue to advance. 1t is natural tC
sigh for the good old times; the time,
when we were happy and free from care
and in the joyousness of childhood anC
youth saw nothing but the beauties OF
this life. But we cannot return to those
times-our march is onward, and We
should not allow our youthful impress
sions to rise up and lead us to make un
just comparisons.