Connecticut western news., 1878-05-02
THE REV. DIR. JOHN HALLS ADVICE.
An EloQuent Plea for the Elevation of the Standard of our Politics.

The Rev. Dr. John Hall delivered a lecture before Young Mems Society of New York city, on '"The Perils of the Time" Dividing his treatment of the theme he spoke primarily of the evils threatening young men especially, and
 afterwards those which exist for other
 persons. Young men, he said, have four
 perils to avoid. The first of these is 8
 certain shallowness growing out of the
 constant pressure and hurry under which
 we exist. Every one is expected to do
 50 much that superfciality can not help
 attaching to our efforts. Every one can
 note the facility with which young men turn from one thing to another in early
 years, generally without the attainment
 of success in anything. Life is so short
 that man cannot in 8 lifetime obtain
 thorough mastery of more than one de-
 partment of thought and effort.
 The second danger is from mistaken 1 conceptions of what success in life really 1 is. This is 8 money centre, and it is
 natural that money should be largely in
 the thoughts and purposes of the people
 that their plans and schemes should be
 affected and colored by the conception
 of the acquisition of gain. But this ten
 dency leads to the keeping up of appear
 ances of wealth, to make a show, and
 deters young men from engaging in avo-
 cations for which they are suited, through
 the fear engendered that such avocations
 may not seem to the world as lucra-
 tive and consequently respectable as
 others. To this fact is to be attributed
 the present situation of the young men b in the New England States, where it is
 difficult to find among them youth who
 propose being farmers, mechanics or ar
 tisans, since all hope to get to the big
 cities and become rich. This will even F tually lead to an elasticity of conscience - in which the end will justify the means
 in the attainment of wealth.
 Four great perils threaten us as a people, and in speaking of them Dr.. Hall wished it understood that he did , not mean to contrast this land with any other, the American people with any other, or our time with any other, but simply to contrast that which is with that which should be, according to a Christian ideal. The first of those perils , is defective public spirit. Our truly representative and best men in society, morals, professional life, and literature do not take sufficient interest in ou1 , common concerns. Many of them never cast vote. Many, past maturity, have l never seen ballot box. Weare lacking in consciousness and political fidelity to the principles we profess as people !" We do not feel that there is any responsi
 bility upon us in topics of this kind, and
 many men will even say that it "doel
 not pay" them to interest themselves il
 politics. How few of our best men at . tend caucuses or bring their reason tc : bear in the primaries. But there arc men who do go there regularly, and who :. settle the tickets and control the cleo V tions afterward. How are they looked ; uponrS The very word politician " ii < unsavory in the nostrils. When a mar = is mentioned as Ca politician" we art . apt to think that it is probably due tc = the laxity of the laws and their imper
 feet administration that he is not in the State prison. We should have the best :, men in the community to frame ou1
 laws, and afterward to execute them
 Then our laws would not be corrupt jobs
 the dignity and majesty of the law would
 be appreciated, and evil doers would :, feel the necessity for keeping in the ways :, of rectitude and safety.
 The second peril is weak commer.
 cial conscience. Have we an adequate
 commercial conscience? It is to be . feared not, and we will have to suffer fo1 2 it. We have exalted '' smartness" into I 1 cardinal virtue, but "smartness" is . the Mercury of our Olympus-the goo of thieves.
 The third peril of our time is from :. exaggerated ideas upon the subject of personal liberty. Glorious is freedom but perilous the abuse thereof. The corruptions of the best things are the worst. Liberty, if 1t is to be liberty ], must have its limitations. As an illus
 tration of our false ideas of persona s liberty, take our popular conception o l. the right over life, that it is not thing }, given to us in trust, for which we art
 responsible to the great Creator, bu 0 our own absolute possession, to do witt
 as we please, to hold while it pleases us T to lay down when we are weary of tn, a burden. It is not an Anglo Saxon idea y it is imported from Europe, but it Ii l. taking ootamong us to an extent which d is alarming.
 Again, in the marriage there is an CT e roneous notion of liberty. Men do no a take into consideration sufficiently tn, e strength of the marriage tie. It is looked
 upon as a convenient mutual arrange r ment, to be maintained as long as ther, l. is nothing pleasanter atta1nable bu e when there is, then 1t is blown aside 7, The abominations of our divorce courts 6 are such as should startle and humiliat,
 us Ministers called upon to marr, t parties should require them to give ref
 erences, and afford satisfaction, so far a 7, is possible, that in performing that sol V emn ceremonial they are not aiding anG h abetting crime.
 We have also an illustration of ou1 l. exaggerated notions of freedom in cer V tain Communism with which we art l. threatened in this nation. People say if "Where is Communism p It is as diff 6 ficult thing to lay your hand upon i l. as it is to lay your hand upon malaria n yet we know that malaria exists. and WI