The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-08-30
Labor and Capital.

but one solution to this conflict of labor
and capital; that is, to raise, not the
standard of riot and rebellion, but the
standard of intellectual culture among
the masses and fit them all by careful
training for business &c"
If by intellectual culture the writer
means to include also moral and spirit
ual culture, we agree with him perfectly.
The three branches of culture, intellect
ual, moral and spiritual, depend some
what on each other for their existence,
but they are nevertheless distinct and
seperate branches 1t is the lack of all
three of these branches of culture which
actuates riots and pillage among labor
ing people; but it is the lack of moral
and spiritual culture among the more
fortunate people of the country which,
to great extent, causes them to permit
such conditions to exist that the poor
are OF pressed and their own happiness
menaced by lawless mobs. The true
secret of the whole difficulty in this
country is found in the fact that the in
tellect las been cultivated at the ex-
pense of the moral and spiritual func-
tions. The expanding intellect has
made it possible for many of those who
were included in its forward march to
accumulate large fortunes and there
with to hold the reins of mighty power,
but from lack OF higher culture, from
lack of the basis of all noble action, to-
wit: moral and spiritual culture, they
have in thousands Of Instances given
themselves up to fast living, to habits
of intemperence and prodigality, to
ridiculous and expensive fashions and
generally to those things which are a
disgrace to any people. The masses of
well to do people throughout the coun-
try have also followed too much after
the vain things practiced by the Amer
lean patricians There is not in our
country enough love of honesty, pure
and simple honesty for honesty's sake;
not enough love of virtue for virtues
sake, not enough love of humility and
truth, and finally not enough love of
that wisdom which is more precious
than rubies and which scorns wealth
and houses and lands and goods and
everything of a material nature, except
in SO far as all these things conduce to
the general upward progress of the race.
The stupendous achievements made in
the United States in the past century
are evidences of the presence of a
mighty intellect; but upon the other
hand the terrible evils that menace our
liberties, are equally strong evidences
of the absence of moral character and
spiritual life among the people. The
ratio of moral progress has not kept
pace with the ratio of intellectual pro-
gress. Increased power has been given
to the machine, but the controlling and
governing agencies have not been pro-
portionately strengthened. 1t is the
lack of simplicity, of generosity, of hon.
esty, of truth, of true dignity and of
character among the wealthy and con-
trolling classes which incites the labor
ing people to complain, and the vicious
to plunder and pillage. These poor
people have the example of selfishness
constantly set before them by their
superiors. They see too much to con-
denim and too little to respect among
the masses of people who ride in car
riages and palace cars and luxuriate in
costly dwellings. They see that virtue
is too often but name, that honesty
is theory and not practice, and that pro-
digality over-rides frugality and use
fulness.
Il :. t;r,o tb.t pu,-n1c roiNS warA