Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-03-08
rs THE WORLD GOING TO THE
DEVILf

/ lt'e''" aeiNhieHAsI
Dean Stanley, in Westminster Alb
bey, yesterday, spoke of the fears OF
many at the present time that the
world is growing worse. at may be
that some time in our gloomy moods
we are inclined to think we cannot
count on the continuous advance of
the onward progress Of our race. 1t
may be we are sometimes inclined TO
fear that the latter half Of the nine
teenth century is to close in lower
morality, darker philosophy, de-
basement of the senses, or term of
gross superstition. 1t may be that
diabolical crimes shall rise again which
We had hoped were dead forever, that
statesmen may again become corrupt
and selfsceking, that the leaders Of
sccts and churches will again prefer
the outward TO the inward, the natural
TO the spiritual, the seen to the unseen
There are plenty Of revelations to bear
out in part a pcssimist philosophy /;
nor is there any common sense in var
nishing over the ugly facts of the day.
1t is not always wise to make the best
of things and TO take a cheerful view
of everything 4 round. Comparing
ourselves with our forefathers, we hear
Of many nearly colossal calamties, Nd
are face to face with larger number
Of great crimes. The accidents that
shocked them killed or MANNED units,
our misfortunos desolate hundreds of
homes. The horrible consequences Of
strong drink in brutality to women
and children have multiplied in our
large towns. gor one English child
brought up in foul air three hundred
years ago, there are now at least fifty,
For ten men habitually unused TO
country walks in the sixteenth century,
there are now probably one hundred.
If We look abroad and remember the
civil war in America, or the recent
French war, we see that the numbers
of men engaged in deadly struggle
were ten or twelve times the forces of
our ancestors though great, and the
loss in money and every way to the
nations striving proportionately in
creased. In trade and commerce dis
honesty has made gigantic strides
the tiny pickings and stealngs OF the
villages have grown into gigantic city
frauds. Goldsmith's rogue no longer
cheats Farmer Marlborough in a bar
gain, or ovcrrcaches Moses with "a
gross Of blue spectacles,' he starts
company, and dips bis hand in thou
sands Of pockets. Then instead of
few sailors being paid to scuttle d ship,
giving the passengers. time to escape
in boats, We have the Brcmorhaven
monster, who murders by machinery
and winds up an assassination eight
days in advance of the deed, leaving
no hope for the victims Of the calculated
crime. Moreover, faith has died down
leaving none Of the stern, relentless
zeal that impclled men to die at the
stake themselves or burn their neigh
Dor for a clause in creed The chival-
rous loyalty which placed lite and goods
at the bidding of king is vanished,
or is cherished only by few peasants,
priests and mobiles in Biscay and
Navarro. Our theatre rcvcls not on
intellectual but sensuous attractions
our literature is all copy IN l. COM
pilation our poetry is hall hearted,
and Romeo, sighing under Juliet'- bal.
cony, is soothed by the anticipation Of
a dinner, a cigar and rubber at the
club.