The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-05-20

low the devil" to take anywhere or 10
any extent the "hindmoSt;' and they
are beginning to find out that the hind
most are fast becoming conscious OF the
power, and are determined of themselves
that they will not, If they can help It, be
tortured 10y this devil" of civilization,
and if Obliged to slccumb to him, may,
like the Communists of Paris, endeayor
TO draw down with them the whole fab,
ric of society into one common vortex OF
| destruction From the first OF these dlS-
coveucs have come schools, hospitals,
! churches, sanitary and social reforms,
| the spirit aud the power of charity and
| ali brolherly kindness; from the second,
strikes, trades unions, the crystai2lng
antagoni.m of labor against capital, the
spirit and the teachings Of socialism, The
| practice of Communism. 1t took society
| Il good while to make the first discovery
when was forced ON it through bitter
and costly experience, Though there
were 800 years ago, as now, Kindness OF
heart natural sympathy with the poor
individual religious zeal, 50 lety ana not
act as now in respect to those things
which society only can properly control
as sanitary reform, general education,
protection of private rights, &c., and So
cety paid the penalty, for when the black
death and the plague came they were no
respecters of persons. But when society
! fonnd out that these pests had their orl-
Gin in lack of cleanliness, sewage and
ventilation, and provided remedies, the
black death and the plague gradually dl-
minished and finally disappeared. So
cety has now found out too that it is
cheaper to prevent than to punish, to
save people from becoming paupers and
criminals than to save society rom them
after they have become so and on one Of
these two courses society must take It's
choice. MIR. Wells cited the local case
observed 10y Dr. Harris, showing how 4
female pu,lpcr abandoned in New York
village and neglected had become the
f0unCer of line of pauperS, prostitutes,
criminals, drunkardS and lunatlcs, en-
failing cost of $780, 600 for the trial OF l2O
of her offspring, who received sentences
aLgregatimg l4O years, an expense OF
| SlO5 900 To the county Of her residence,
and at least s 100000 on society at large
TIE estimated cost OF the individual to
society ut eighteen was, he sand, 81 l,oOO-
that was sOciety's investment OF capital
e,onomized for production. II the lndl-
yidual failed iully to earn his own living
the labor aud capital of others must be
taxed to support him; if he became a
manner. the cost would be greater; if
criminal, greater still Whatever their
condition, whether idle or vicious, these
men cost society on an average S5,OOO,
"a loss" continued Mr.. Wells, that in
Massachusetts alone, where in IA of the
population is puuper, Il criminal or a
pcrsen idle and dependent, is equivalent
to an unproductive expenditure OF over
$500 100000 of capital for each genera
ton" Mr.. Wells then went on; Thus,
reasoning from purely dioramlc point
of view. we arrive at an absolute demon
slration that the best thing society can
do to promote its material interests is to
so far abandon the old principle OF
"evprv man for himself'-that each man
shall concern himself with the welfare
of his fellows, at least to the extent OF
seeing that the "devi" shall be nowhere
permitted to takecven the humblest and
weakest Of the "hindmOst."
PRACTICAL VALUE or SOCIAL SCIENCE WORK.
Bv many this association is probably
looked upon as an association OF doc
uiuaires. 10 these | would commend,
as L typical Illustration of social science
work. a paper prepared by DR., W. E.
Boardman, Of Boston, and published by
the State Board of Health. 1t shows that
the rate Of mortality in Massachusetts,
nineteen in ,0OO--is higher than in most
of the States of the Union, compares un-
Givumbly with many OF the larger Euro
pein cities, tends tO increase rather than
diminish, and that there Is increasing
sickness and death from causes known to
be avuidable out that by following out
the teachings of sanitary science the rate
can speedily be reduced from nineteen to
fifteen in 1000 In which case the an
uudl saving of the cost of sickness and
disability to the working classes alone
will exceed S3UOOOOO Thus the WO:k
of the so-caIled doCrinaires, aWakens Il
community to danger of whose exist
ence il was ignorant, and initiates re-
form diminishing the aggregate human
suffering, and at the same tune increasing
the aggregate of material abundance.
What field is more fertile, what work so
practically remuneralive? Another thing
society is finding out Is that all these
questions relating to the production and
distribution Of wealth, the avoidance of
waste and the econOmizng of eXpendl- |
ure. affect an Infinitely higher class Of
interests than those which may be meas |
ured by dOllars-that the laws that un-
derIie and control economic progress are
either identical with those eofiutelectual,
moral and religious progress, or so tar
similar and closely connected as to be
mutually inter-depcndent 1t is owing
to lack OF perception and appreciation
Of this truth, particularly on the part OF
those to whom the mission Of making
men better is intrusted, that so much OF
the work undertaken by philanthropic
and religious associationsispruductlve of
but little benefit. There is no antagOn-
ism or diversity Of interest between the
two subjects; and those who labor to call
men to u higher and larger life, neglect
ing to investigate and avail themselves
OF the laws Of production and dlstrlbu-
ton aud distribution, must often labor IN
vain. Wisely did Van der Kempt, a
Dutch missionary in South Africa, when
reproached for beginning his labors by
building better dwellings for the natives,
reply that if the spirit of God could enter
a mud hut it would enter more easily all
airy, clean and well lighted house, and
be more likely to abide there perma-
nently. 1t is not easy--it is all but i'm
possibe--to lead a life of purity and in.
telectuality amid filth, poverty, and all
the adjuncts ofphysical debasement
THE GREAT ECoNNMIC QUESTIONS OF THE
DAY.
These conditions are precedent to the
future progress and well-being OF society
that there shall be continually increas-
ing abundance-and that it shall be dis
tributed among the masses to the great
est extent consistent with the retention
and exercise of individual freedom. How
hast to accomnlish these ends is the great